Fairy Tail: Dawn of Darkness
by marcus00721
Summary: Evil rises, war is imminent, there will soon be no safe place left in Fiore, or the world. The ambitions of those who dwell in the dark will soon shroud the light. No one is safe. Earthland will soon have its biggest fight yet, and Fiore will be right in the middle of it all...
1. Chapter 1: Premonition

"YAAAAAAH!" Wendy cried out as Cynthia's fiery fist slammed right into her face. The impact forced Wendy to tumble across the rocky ground before coming to a stop on her hands and knees. The sky dragon was bruised, battered, a little bloody, and burnt in various places. Panting heavily, she stared up at Cynthia with a look of determination. "I…I won't…give up on you!"

"Wendy…!" Lucy cried out, obviously worried for the girl.

"I'm going in there." A wounded Erza took a step forward, only to be stopped by Wendy of all people.

"No…Erza-san…please…let me do this alone." Wendy coughed before standing back up, those brown eyes of hers glued onto Cynthia's…red eyes. "I…I have to save her…"

"I don't want your help! I don't need your saving! You left me to die and now I'll do the same to you!" Cynthia exclaimed while inhaling before unleashing a large funnel of darkened red flames towards Wendy. The sky dragon had no time to react to the incoming funnel of flames and was completely consumed, a pained shriek escaping Wendy while everyone just watched in horror.

"WENDY!"

.

Carla shot awake, eyes wide in horror as she awoke from a nightmare. She glanced around in worry before her eyes landed on the bed Cynthia and Wendy both shared. The two girls were cuddled in a peaceful sleep, both wearing content smiles on their faces. "Was it a vision…? But…Cynthia and Wendy would never…" Carla bit her lip, letting out a heavy sigh shortly after. "It was just a bad dream…that's all…" With that, Carla laid back down and went back to sleep…or tried to, rather.

.

.

The sky was clear and the sun was shining down brightly on Magnolia Town, more especially, one of Fiore's top guilds: Fairy Tail. Inside the guild things were…just about the same as they always were. Various guild members were engaged in their own activities within the guild hall in a normally peaceful, yet rambunctious way. Natsu and Gray were both tangled in yet another one of their petty arguments…who knows what started this one. "You wanna say that again, ice pop!?" Natsu blared at the ice make mage.

"You hard of hearin' now, flame brain? Shouldn't be too surprised with all the beatings Laxus and Gildarts have given you." Gray replied with a sly grin, arms crossed as his reply just made Natsu madder.

"YOU WANNA FIGHT!?" Natsu roared, and before anyone knew it the two of them were fighting, a comical smoke cloud moving throughout the guild, and various people had to avoid being dragged into the squabble.

"There they go again…" Cynthia sighed while watching Natsu and Gray fight, taking a seat next to Wendy on the bar.

"They've been doing this a lot more than usual lately…" Wendy commented while sipping on some juice.

"You know how they are…" Lucy crossed her arms, letting out a minor chuckle. It was then she heard a faint screech in her head, causing her to cringe just slightly. "O-ow…?"

 _"…_ _."_

"Are you okay, Lucy?" Mira leaned over the bar while glancing at the blonde worriedly.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine!" Lucy gave a soft smile to Mira to reassure the other female was fine. "Did you hear that though…?"

"Hear what…?" Mira blinked slowly. "Lucy, are you sure you're okay? Maybe you should lie down…"

"N-No, I'm fine, really…!" Lucy waved her hands and gave a smile. She then turned, thinking to herself about this. "That was odd…I swore I heard something…? Maybe I am just hearing things…"

Having enough of the Natsu and Gray squabble, Erza walked over to the smoke cloud and picked up the two mages. "ENOUGH." Erza then slammed their heads into each other and dropped them, leaving the two males to writhe around on the floor in pain.

"Ow…" Natsu and Gray both had comical bumps sticking from the tops of their heads.

"Thank you, Erza." Makarov commented from atop the bar, taking a sip from the mug in his hands. "I really didn't want to have to interfere this time."

"No problem, Master." Erza replied while dusting her hands off. Shortly after this, the doors to the guild opened and two figures stood in the doorway…one was the familiar face of Arcadios, while the other was…the petite princess wearing the pumpkin helmet. "Huh…?"

"Oh good, you're all still here…kabo…" Hisui said with a slight sigh.

Cana tilted her head at the sight of Hisui. The fact her cheeks were flushed and she hiccupped was indication enough that she was she was drunk. "Is that a talking pumpkin…"

"Ignore her, please…" Lucy said while waving her hands. "What are you doing here? I thought you were still er…on punishment for leaving with us for the isle?"

"Let's just say that wearing this pumpkin disguise isn't entirely by choice…and I have to keep this on for a few more weeks…" Hisui let out a heavy sigh. "Kabo…"

"This time I'm not going to be letting you slip away from me, Princess." Arcadios responded in a knightly manner. "But that aside, there is a favor that we would like to ask of you."

"What is it?" Makarov finished the beer in his mug before setting it down, now glancing at Hisui and Arcadios.

Hisui cleared her throat before speaking. "There is going to be a rather important international meeting between the other countries and their leaders in Joya. My father and I were going to go present Fiore, and we are allowed to bring a few members from a guild of our choosing to act as body guards, per se…kabo."

"You're asking to borrow a few members, then?" Makarov wanted to clarify this.

"I'm surprised you didn't go to White Eclipse first…since they technically still are the top guild…" Max remarked with a shrug.

"Not for much longer!" Gajeel commented. "The Games are right around the corner, and hopefully this time there won't be any interruptions…"

"Don't be ridiculous, kabo!" Unfortunately for the princess it seemed she was getting a little too into it now. "I think they were busy training some new recruits or something anyway, so I didn't want to bother them with the request. Besides, we're still indebted to you, kabo."

"I fear she may add that word to the end of all her of sentences with that word…" Wendy let out a slightly nervous laugh, though she was taking things seriously of course.

"I believe a group of five or six will suffice just nicely. You don't have to make your decision now, there is still a full day after today before we get going, kabo." Hisui nodded before glancing at Arcadios. "We'll be making our leave now, please excuse us." With that, the two made their exit.

"Oooh, I've always wanted to go to another country…!" Cynthia exclaimed while clasping her hands together. "I bet it's really nice…!"

"Settle down, kid," Laxus stated from the second floor, peering over with an unamused expression. "This is grown up business; I don't think political standings is a place for kids like you and Wendy."

"But we'd behave…!" Wendy objected. "Cynthia and I wouldn't cause any trouble!"

"Funnily enough, I don't think it's you two I'd be worried about in a situation like this…" Levy said with a nervous laugh before gesturing at Natsu, who was too busy digging in his ear to really be paying attention to anything.

"We can't let him roam rampant…" Lisanna whispered to Makarov, who gave a nod of agreement. Soon, the guild was in a quiet murmur about who would go to Joya with Hisui and Toma.

Meanwhile, Lucy was keeping her thoughts to herself. They were drifting off to the thought of all the leaders of the separate countries being there. Her mind wandered to the encounter with Pergrande's troops back on the Isle of the Dragons…Lucy ran into several of them, and they were all after her for some reason they would not explain to her, and it still irritated her…she needed answers. "I want to go!" She suddenly blurted out, catching a few people off guard due to the suddenness of it.

"Ah, Lucy…? Everything okay? You were quite passionate about that…" Mirajane tilted her head while staring at Lucy.

"Ah…sorry…I just thought it would be good if I was one to go." Lucy said while rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

"Good, you can keep this one under control." Gray said while pointing at Natsu, though they ended up giving each other the death glare. This was all halted when Erza glanced in their direction and they were suddenly acting all buddy-buddy with their arm around the others' shoulder.

"I'll be the one to pick who goes." Makarov made the decision with a firm nod, hopping off the bar counter with his arms behind his back. "No matter who I pick, I expect nothing but the best behavior; you're partially representing Fiore along with the Princess and the king, in another country no less." There it was, that stern tone, though this was a serious matter of course. Makarov received nothing but understandings nods. The stakes were as high as he was making them out to be. "Good. Now then…"

.

Next Time: International Relations.


	2. Chapter 2: International Relations

Synopsis: (Spoiler free as possible, so go back and read these previous ones if you haven't already…! Dealer Arc comes with a synopsis for Seasons 1 and 2!)

Season 3: Fairy Tail: Dealer Arc:

Peace was in Fiore, but only for a short time. An organization known as Dealer planned to ruin this peace, led by the man known as Jigan King; his followers were a demon named Heartless, Red Joker, Queen Tia, Jack Corvus, Spade Magnes, Club Strong, and Diamond Ice. Dealer worked quietly in the shadows, though they frequently encountered Fairy Tail and White Eclipse. Black Ace was a defect from Dealer and proved to be one of Fairy Tail's greatest allies in the fight against Dealer. Though Dealer was not the only foe the mages had to deal with; there was the Wizard Hunters, a group of experienced mages who nearly captured Lucy, Yukino, Marlene, Diamond, and Saeko; Aiden and Hyde, these two were nearly relentless in their plots, using Wendy as a faux Fiore's End, and even using both Wendy and Cynthia for the Omega Fire Cannon MKII, along with bringing Erza Knightwalker out of Edolas. Aiden created the Artificial Dragon as a means to destroy Fairy Tail and White Eclipse, but due to Cynthia gaining her dual mode, Omega Earth Flame from Gaia, she was able to crush Aiden with no trouble. Dealer made their move with Operation: Endgame, which was their attempt to instill fear into all the countries of Earthland so King would rule over it all, but this plan was put to a halt by Fairy Tail, White Eclipse, Twilight Zone, a few others, and those who defected from Dealer. Tatartus made their move with Zeref at the head, resulting in a war between humans and demons in the city of Crocus; Tayakata, former member of White Eclipse, was defeated by Maggie and has not been seen since. Tartarus was mostly defeated, and when the end was in sight, Acnologia appeared to reign terror onto the land, while King wanted to control Acnologia. Acnologia left the scene after battling Adamantine and Gaia, while King used what he stole from Acnolgia's DNA to turn himself into a dragon, but he was soundly defeated by the dragon slayers, and Reformed Dealer left for Seven to actually do good in the world.

Season 4: Isle of the Dragons.

An island in turmoil requested the assistance of both Fairy Tail, and White Eclipse. This island was no normal one, for it floated in the sky and housed a large number of dragons! Fairy Tail had the request of Ena, the dragon princess, while White Eclipse had the request of Kurthnaga, the Dragon Prince. A woman known as Mii Koryuji joined Fairy Tail in their trip to the island, and she was quite the suspicion one indeed. After settling the initial problem on the island, it turned out the king, Dhegensea, was the true mastermind behind the evil on the island claiming it was a part of fate, and Mii turned traitor. White Eclipse and Fairy Tail had to flee and discuss with the Magic Council, who opted to blow the island up within 12 hours of a return trip if they failed to stop Dhegensea in time. All of the other guilds joined in on the battle, though they weren't the only ones to arrive, as 6 of the 12 Commandants of Pergrande joined the fray on their own terms, and several of them were after Lucy, who was unknowingly infected with the Lambda Virus somehow. 4 of the 6 Commandants were defeated, several dragons were slain, Mii's true nature was revealed in this island, but in the end, everything managed to be…as all right as it could've been. Ena is now the current ruler of the Isle of the Dragons, and she has declared the Isle neutral, to not be involved with any fights outside of their island for the benefit of her people.

.

.

So where does that leave us now, sometime later? Several mages of Fairy Tail being selected to act as body guards in a sense for Hisui and Toma while the International Relations meeting: Erza, Mirajane, Natsu, Happy, Lucy, Gajeel Wendy, Carla, Cynthia, and Gray. The group was a little larger than intended for several reasons, but in the end it wasn't so big a deal. The meeting had yet to officially begin, so there was time for everyone to sight see around town until then.

Erza was standing in front of a dress shop, brown eyes sparkling in delight as her gaze was solely focused on a wedding dress plastered in the display window in one of Joya's shops. "Oh my goodness…." Erza's jaw was hanging open at the dress; it was one of the most beautiful things she'd ever laid eyes on. "It's magnificent…I must have it."

Mirajane waved her finger in front of Erza's face to gain her attention. "Now, Erza, remember, we're not here to spend so much money. Do you even have enough money to afford that?"

"Of course I…" Erza opened up a lacrima screen that presented all of her funds. Compared to that of the dress…it was quite abysmal. "Don't…"

Mira felt a small twinge of sadness for Erza and merely patted her on the shoulder in a comforting manner. "Come on, I think it's almost time for us to meet with the others…" Mira then began walking only to pause and look over her shoulder, seeing the shock-stricken Erza still in place. "Oh dear…"

.

Castle Joya, standing tall right in the middle of the most populated town in the country; Forte. The castle interior was quite nice and large, spanning with several large corridors that led to various locations. Fiore's representatives walked into the castle; Cynthia and Wendy stared around with widened eyes. "Whoa…" Wendy's brown eyes were sparkling with delight. "This place is huge…!"

"This might be nicer than Fiore's castle…" Cynthia mumbled, but it seemed Hisui overhead it and took the slightest bit of offense to it.

"Natsu, please…" Lucy turned to Natsu while puffing her cheeks out. "Whatever you do, do NOT destroy any part of this castle, okay!?"

"I'm not gonna do anything!" Natsu replied defensively while digging in his ear. "Best behavior or whatever Gramps said, yeah?"

"Aye!" Happy chimed in.

"This just goes to show how much they've been listening…" Carla crossed her arms and shook her head a few times.

"I'm not gonna be held responsible for whatever that idiot does…" Gray shrugged before pulling out a fresh water bottle. He opened it up and the water literally flew out of the bottle. "W-What the?!" The water then took the shape of Juvia, who wrapped her arms around Gray.

"Ahh, Gray-sama!" Juvia squealed.

"W-What the…!?" Gajeel's jaw dropped upon seeing Juvia arrive so suddenly. "Juvia, how long have you been…!?"

"I don't think I want to know, honestly…" Hisui said while pinching her nose.

"Oh my…" Mira couldn't help but giggle at it all, which was a strange reaction.

Toma wasn't even going to comment on this situation. He just kept silent as the Fairy Tail members were freaking out over Juvia's sudden arrival. "…Ah…"

A few moments passed and a young male was soon to arrive. This male was clad in dark purple royal attire, had short blond hair that just reached to the back of his next and purple eyes to match his clothing; to top it all off he had a large crown sitting on the top of his head. "I see Fiore is the last one to arrive." He stated with slight boredom to his tone. "I was wondering what the holdup was all about…are you always this slow?"

"Who's this asshole…?" Natsu grumbled though he had no issues raising his voice to show his complaints, which is why Lucy slapped her hand over his mouth to keep anymore comments from spilling out.

"Count Waltz, please forgive us." Toma gave an apologetic nod. "Fiore is quite some distance away, as you know."

"I don't care much for your excuses." Waltz waved a hand dismissively before shifting his gaze to Hisui. "My, you've certainly grown, Princess."

"Ah…it's good to see you too, Count Waltz…" The Jade Princess awkwardly laughed before glancing away. "Is there any chance you can forgive us for being so late…?"

"Of course, Princess." Waltz nodded slowly before snapping his fingers. Upon that cue, a large male wearing a thick coat walked in. This male had an eyepatch over his left eye and white hair in the form of a Mohawk and a mustache on his upper lip. "Tuba, would you mind taking Fiore's little entourage to the guest area while I escort the Princess and King to the meeting hall?"

"Of course, Count Waltz." Tuba nodded, gesturing for Fairy Tail to follow him. "This way, please. And don't touch anything with your grubby little hands, are we clear?"

"Crystal." Erza responded before anyone with a short temper could reply. They weren't there to pick fights, even if Tuba's attitude did irk her.

.

"Hurry up, get in there." Tuba said while shoving a few of the Fairy Tail members into the guest area.

"Hey, watch with the pushing…!" Lucy huffed.

"Shove me like that again! I dare you!" Natsu yelled, getting all up in Tuba's face.

"Natsu-san, we're not here to pick fights….!" Wendy reminded Natsu but he was starting to get a little too fumed to listen.

"Natsu!" Erza's voice boomed out, causing Natsu to halt. She then glared at Tuba, who just wore a smug grin on his lips before walking out.

"You can watch the meeting from this room." Tuba explained, pointing to the lacrima screen with the meeting displayed before shutting the door behind him.

"I am not a fan of him." Mira gave a slight nod, lacing her hands together. "Too brutish."

"I wanted to punch him." Natsu grunted before sitting on the floor cross legged.

"He was a bully." Cynthia sat next to Natsu and crossed her arms, now glancing at the lacrima screen. "Whoa…! We really can see the meeting here…! So many big wigs…" Before they could all really settle down, there was a gentle knock at the door.

"Hello…?" The voice was female, a little hesitant at that.

"Come in!" Mira chimed.

And so, the door opened slowly. A young girl with bleach blonde hair stepped in, wearing a somewhat poofy dress, long socks and pretty big shoes. "Hello, my name is Polka, and I'll be your maid for this evening…!"

"Maid service…?" Gray tilted his head. "At least that king is hospitable ."

"Count Waltz is a fine ruler…" Polka's voice trailed off midsentence. "A lot of the people here get sick, so he's reduced the taxes on the medicine!"

"Is that so…?" Erza quirked a brow.

"Mhm!" Polka nodded. "He really does for his people. But aside from that, I saw Tuba leading you over here. I apologize for his behavior…"

"I wish I could've punched him, grinning all smugly like that." Natsu waved his fist around with a comical angered expression.

"Well, technically, you could have and not gotten in trouble." Polka explained.

"Eh…?" Everyone's head tilted at this news.

"I see he didn't tell you." With a sigh, the blonde walked to the center of the room and waved a hand, bringing up a lacrima screen blueprint of the castle. Several sections were color coded and she pointed to the area they were currently in. "For affairs like this, Count Waltz has to ensure all countries stand on equal footing. So, several areas of the castle, the rest areas to be precise, are considered the territory of those countries. So, since we're technically in Fiore territory right now, you could've punched Tuba and gotten away with it. Though we'd rather not have castle damages…then it gets a little technical…"

"So he was just gonna let us go without knowing this!? Bastard." Gray scoffed.

"So a fight started here in… 'Fiore' would be fine…? But what if a fight crossed over to another country's area…?" Lucy asked.

"Ah…" Polka paused. "Then…it would be in that countries jurisdiction. There's also the neutral area, like where the meeting is being held…then it gets really complicated…oh, speaking of the meeting, it's about to finally begin soon!"

.

Next Time: The International Meeting.


	3. Chapter 3: The International Meeting

"Now that we're all finally here and accounted for…" Count Waltz propped himself up on his chair, one leg crossed over the other, leaning his head against his fist while staring at the others in the roundtable. "I believe we can finally get this meeting starting. If no one has any objections, I will be the one to open the floor." Waltz looked around, seeing no one wanting to speak first. "Good." Clearing his throat, the king of Joya began. "Legato, if you please."

"Of course, sir." A middle-aged man with already gray hairs walked forward, giving Waltz a bow before presenting a lacrima screen of the Earthland continent.

"Excellent." Waltz nodded before standing up, pointing to the island that was just off the coat of Fiore. "I'm sure we're all aware of this island that has suddenly appeared on the map. I've heard minor details of the incident surrounding this island, and I believe we all need to know if it will pose some threat to Earthland."

Waltz was referring to the grounded Isle of the Dragons. That experience was one Hisui would rather not relive, but she planned to vouch for the island. "I assure you, you don't have to worry about."

"Ah. The Isle of the Dragons." A gruff, deep voice interrupted Hisui midsentence. All eyes turned to the King of Pergrande himself; Ashnard. Ashnard had rough facial features and dark blue hair. He was large in stature, clad in armor that made him almost not fit in the seat he was sitting in. Red eyes of his glanced at Hisui, who began sweating slightly just from exchanging gazes with him. "That island has been inactive for a while now, I believe. But you never know when those dragons will decide to strike….they may seek revenge against the human world…"

"Princess Ena would not allow it!" Hisui interrupted, steeling herself to glare at Ashnard and his accusations. "This I assure everyone. She said herself that the island would remain neutral in all affairs."

"You're far too trusting, Princess…" Ashnard shook his head while letting out a mock chuckle. "You clearly don't understand the severity of the situation you've left them in."

"Wait, you know about this, Ashnard…?" The representative of Minstrel, Ioder, questioned. Ioder was a blonde male with dark blue eyes.

"Of course I do." Ashnard replied. "I sent several of my own men to investigate the ordeal, but as it turns out, a few of them were unable to make it back, unfortunately." Ashnard knew. There was a subtle look on his face that only Hisui recognized. "But since its technically considered neutral territory, there's naught that can be done. However, I know that your body guards…" He pointed to Seven and Bosco's leaders. "Were also a part of that little fiasco a little while ago."

"They can vouch for the island's innocence." Bosco's leader gave a nod before brushing her red hair behind her ear. "Cosmic Star has told me everything."

"As Dealer with I," Seven's representative nodded as well.

"So is the island dangerous or not?" Waltz interrupted the mini squabble while tapping his fingers impatiently on the table. "Because I have no problems sending in a small army to destroy that island."

"Believe me, those dragons are not something you want to start a fight with." Hisui remarked.

"I think we'd best be calm about this…" Toma commented, sensing the rising tension in the room.

"I believe we're all calm, King of Fiore." Stella's representative was a calm woman who didn't seem to take anything lightly. Her response was stern and her somewhat soul piercing gaze went to everyone.

"Right…onto another important issue, one I noticed in this very kingdom, Waltz." Ashnard then turned to Count Waltz.

"Oh?" Waltz tilted his head at Ashnard's statement. "Pray tell, what caught your eye, King Ashnard."

"The taxes here seem much higher than allotted in the treaty, don't you agree?" Ashnard grinned while leaning back in his seat. "Why is that?"

Waltz waved his hand dismissively. "Simple. Medicine. My people need the special medicine brewed from the minerals in the mountain to cure their sickness. So everything else must be taxed to keep the cost of this medicine low. It's the will of the people, after all." A sly grin stretch along the king's face. "Surely the rest of you know what that's like? Having to make tough choices for the betterment of your subjects?"

With Waltz's statement, a quiet murmur filled the meeting hall.

.

"That King Ashnard is kind of an asshole, isn't he…" Natsu stated bluntly while watching Ashnard be the cause of all the tension in the meeting.

"Natsu, that's rude!" Mira placed her hands on her hips while scolding Natsu. "He's not…the nicest person from what I've noticed, yes."

"I don't think you'll need to sugarcoat it…" Polka shook her head slowly. "He really doesn't seem like such a good person…I can get that just by looking at him. Oh, right…! Is there anything you need? I completely forgot to ask…!"

"We're fine for now." Erza nodded slowly while giving Polka a soft smile. "But this King Ashnard…is he trying to start a fight, or something? How would that be resolved in neutral territory?"

"Oh!" Polka clasped her hands together. "The leaders would find and vote for a suitable punishment. It's also how the international laws are passed for peace treaties; majority vote."

"With every country having best interests in mind, I suppose that doesn't sound like too bad an idea…" Lucy was thinking about it heavily, that and something else.

"What's this about cheap medicine?" Wendy blinked while looking up at Polka. "Is there a sickness going around…?"

Polka nodded slowly in response. "Mm…the medicine Count Waltz produces is really cheap and effective…but I'm almost certain there's something about it he's not telling people…I think it's bad for people, but everything else costs too much so they can't afford it usually. I'd help with my own medicine, but even that was taxed and is deemed ineffective, so…"

"Poor thing…" Mira frowned. "Bad medicine…is he allowed to do that…?"

.

Cosmic Star was in their guest area, watching the meeting go down. Gaia shook her head, arms crossed over her bosom. "King Ashnard…I already knew he'd be trying to get under everyone's skin the second it was confirmed he was coming…"

"That Count Waltz isn't exactly a saint either…" Magnus replied with a gruff scoff. "I'm going to do some research into the medicine they were just talking about…something about it seems off to me."

"You do that. I'm gonna go talk a walk." Shadowlore said while beginning to walk out the door, only to be pulled back by Gaia.

"You're staying right here." Gaia shot at Shadowlore, who just gave a defeated sigh.

"Some of this stuff is going over my head, admittedly…" Alex said while shifting around awkwardly.

"Same…" Hiruka remarked while lazily flying around the room.

"Well, you're still a growing girl after all." Daryan commented form the couch, munching on a bone. "It's no surprise things like this would go over your little head, Alex. But if that Ashnard tries to start a fight or something, then just know we're going to have a problem on our hands."

"I know that!" Alex huffed at Daryan treating her like a kid. The red head fixed her hair before responding. "I haven't forgotten about all that snooping we did a while ago! He's plotting something…"

"It's far too soon for anyone to make a move…" Yakuza said. "But I guess we'll just have to wait and see…"

.

"I guess so far things are going okay…" Ace of Dealer said while staring at the screen. "Could be smoother, but…"

"As long as the ruler's aren't at each other's throats." Tia said while sitting cross legged on a chair. "The last thing we need is a fight to break out in neutral territory. Things aren't exactly stable as it is…tipping the balance could throw Earthland into political chaos…"

Heartless nodded in agreement. "I'm surprised there are some topics that have yet to be brought up…I wonder what the idea is behind this is…"

"I guess they have to get their own issues out of the way first…" Diamond Ice shrugged. She was at a loss; politics weren't really her strong suit.

.

Nercon adjusted her shades, grinning ever so slightly as the meeting progressed. "That's our King." She giggled a little bit before turning to her fellow General, Rubicante; a mysterious male wrapped in a red and blue cloak that shrouded his face.

"Always holding the highest position." Rubicante responded quietly. He wasn't too much for words. "Things are going accordingly. It should only be a matter of time now…"

.

"You…there's something that kind of bugs me about this whole arrangement…" Lucy spoke up, catching the attention of the others.

"What's that?" Gray questioned.

"So…I get why we're here, to protect the one's we came with, and I know it's the same for the other countries. But right now, we're not close to them…it would make things really easy for anyone who wants to rub out a certain representative…or maybe even all of them…?"

"There's no way anyone could try that." Polka reassured Lucy whilst shaking her head. "With all the borders in this castle during this time, if anyone tried to do anything they'd no doubt face the most severe of punishments…perhaps even death. I think you're just worrying a little too much, Lucy-san. I don't think anything bad could happen with as much security around here."

"I guess you're right…" Perhaps Lucy was just being a little too paranoid on the subject. But still, she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach about something.

"…Did you hear that….?" Wendy turned to look at Cynthia, who gave a slight nod.

"It sounded weirdly familiar…" Cynthia replied before looking at Gajeel and Natsu, who both had the same quizzical expressions on their faces. "You guys too…?"

"Yeah, what's this weird feeling…?" Natsu asked while looking around. The answer to the lingering question was soon found as a deafening roar echoed through the entire capital of Joya. The roar of a dragon.

"A dragon?! Here!?" Gajeel clenched his teeth. "That's not right…!"

"I think there's something else we might have to be worried about too…" Carla's ears perked up as she stared at the ceiling.

"I hear it too…it sounds loud and…obnoxious…" Erza turned her attention to the ceiling, where all was going to be revealed in a matter of seconds.

"GIGANTIC SLAM!" Tuba's voice boomed out before he crashed through the ceiling with his spiked mace; he slammed into the ground which created a large explosion and broke through the floor, causing Fairy Tail's members and Polka to fall through to a lower level while they all let out surprised shouts.

.

"What…what was that…?" Bellum's representative asked while looking around frantically.

"That sounded eerily familiar…" Hisui thought to herself. The roar echoed once again, this time creating a miniature tremor that shook the entirety of the castle. "T-That's a dragon!?"

"How terribly inconvenient…" Waltz grunted before standing up from his seat. "Emergency evacuation. What are you all standing around for? We should get moving you slowpokes!"

"Ah…" Ashnard let out a heavy sigh before lifting himself up from his seat. "If it's not one thing, it's another. We were just getting to the good part of this meeting, too…"

"Now's not the time for this, Ashnard." Hisui grumbled. Though they were moving as quickly as they could, that mattered not to the raging dragon that appeared in the city. The dragon flew overhead and inhaled before unleashing a breath of raw magic that took the form of a thin beam that ran along the castle. Several explosions then occurred in various locations of Joya Castle, causing the building to begin collapsing in many areas; causing a widespread panic within the city.

"Oh…it's about to collapse…" Was Ashnard's last statement before the roof over the meeting hall collapsed with everyone still inside.

.

Next Time: Surprise Attack.


	4. Chapter 4: Surprise Attack

"Oooogh…" Lucy shook her head slowly while looking up. Vision was blurry and all she could make out were the bodies of her comrades. "W-What the heck happened…? It all happened so quickly…"

"Forget that…!" Natsu stared up at the broken roof, watching the dragon fly by overhead. "We gotta take care of this dragon. Happy!"

"Aye!" Happy nodded and sprouted his wings, grabbing Natsu and taking off into the air to deal with the dragon.

"Carla!" Wendy called her exceed who took her into the air, only to stop and stare down at Cynthia.

"Are you going to be okay down here?" Carla asked.

"Wait…! I can do this…uhm…" Cynthia paused for a moment before clenching her hands into tight fist, straining somewhat as draconic wings began to sprout from her back; the positive result of almost being turned into a dragon left Cynthia with the ability to literally fly on her own. Her red wings flapped and she started to float in the air. "Being bitten wasn't all that bad…I should be able to keep up with you guys."

"That's a little freaky, actually…" Gray had a slight sweat drop as he stared at Cynthia.

"O-Oh my…" Polka let out a nervous giggle.

"Mira, can you go with them?" Erza asked.

"Of course." Mira didn't hesitate in answering and shifted to her Satan Soul form. With that, those who could fly took to the sky to deal with the rampaging dragon.

"Of all the times for me to leave Lily with shrimp…" Gajeel grunted. He wasn't going to be able to participate in the sky battle.

"Is everyone unharmed…?" Polka asked. "That was quite a drop…" Without waiting for confirmation, she raised her hand and created several magic seals under Erza, Gray, Gajeel, and Juvia, healing whatever injuries had around them. "Earth Heal!"

"Juvia feels much better now…" Juvia said while glancing at the bruises fading away on her body.

"So the only question now is what the hell happened!?" Gajeel stared around the unfamiliar hallway. "This entire castle went to shit in about two seconds. The royals probably need our help."

"I don't think they'll be any need for that." Tuba said while emerging from the shadows, wearing a large grin on his lips. "You're under suspicion for leading that dragon here to attack us, Fiore."

"I'm sorry?" Erza quirked her brow at Tuba's accusation. "We what?"

"What are you talking about…?" Juvia shook her head. "We did no such thing!"

"Don't play dumb. We know it was you." Tuba said before tapping the hilt of his mace down on the floor. "So now you're going to pay the price for pulling such a stunt. Eugene, Rondo, Allegretto come." This command was issued and three people suddenly appeared; Rondo, a white haired (hair tied to pigtails) with light gray armor; Eugune, a fancily dressed male with gray hair and a monocle over his left eye.

"Allegretto…" Polka seemed familiar with him, noticing the reluctant look in his eyes, but she stood back, she didn't want to be a part of this battle.

"I was going to complete my other tasks, but I was having no luck…" Eugene began while pulling out his katana, his gaze narrowing at the Fairy Tail mages. "Fortunately, this will be a great way to relieve my stress. You'll play with me a little bit, won't you?"

"So it looks like we're really fighting, huh…?" Gray said while sliding into his ice make stance.

Rondo stepped forward, a sadistic grin plastered on her lips as she eyed the Fairy Tail mages. "Fresh meat is the best." The woman's tongue slowly ran along her lips as two blades appeared in her grasp. Without another word, th began.

.

Meanwhile in the sky, those who were flying met with the dragon that was circling around the city. "What's up with this dragon?!" Cynthia questioned while looking at the others. "Where did it come from…!?"

"That's what we want to know as well…" Daryan, with Hiruka acting as his wings, appeared in the sky alongside Gaia with her wings out. "We had a feeling you guys were here."

"Something is very off about this dragon…" Gaia stated. "But I don't think we've the time to figure it out. We're going to have to fight it, but carefully. There are still people in the city, we can't risk bringing harm to them." She went to look at Natsu to make sure he understood but he was gone as soon as she said they had to fight. "N-NATSU! WAIT A SECOND!"

"Fire Dragon's…." Natsu and Happy flew up to above the dragon; the Salamander linked his hands together while raising them above his head, a trail of fire flaring behind his conjoined hands. "Jaw!" The fire dragon swung his hands down at the dragon's skull, resulting in a direct hit…but his flames fizzled out seconds later. "Wha…!?" And before he could do much else, the dragon violently reared its head to send Natsu and Happy flying.

"Natsu-san…!" Wendy cried out worriedly.

"That thing isn't playing any games…" Hiruka bit his lips. "What do we do, Daryan?"

"We fight it, of course." Daryan replied with a nod. "But that might be easier said than done…"

"Cynthia!" Wendy looked at her partner and the two nodded. On that cue they both inhaled before unleashing their respective roar; a funnel of omega flames and wind traveled across the sky and struck the Dragon in the side, causing a slight roar of pain before it merely dismissed their attack with a wave of its wing.

"No way…!" Cynthia's eyes widened. "It completely blew it off…!"

"At least on the Isle it had some effect…." Carla said with a minor sweat drop.

"Watch out!" Mira yelled as the dragon began inhaling. In the next second a beam of raw magic cut through the sky in attempt to take out the mages in the air, but luckily they all avoided it before returning to their positions. "This is going to be more problematic than I thought…"

.

.

Rondo sprinted toward towards Gray and Lucy with both blades at the ready. She was incredibly fast and she closed the distance between herself and the two mages before they could blink. "Bombardment!" A series of slashes were delivered to the two Fairies, both of which had a hard time even narrowly dodging. At the end of the slashes Rondo formed a wall of molten rock to trap Gray and Lucy, slashing through it with a cross slash right after to inflict heavy damage.

"Gyah!" Gray and Lucy both cried out while tumbling along the floor before coming to a halt.

"That's how it's going to be, huh?!" Gray asked while hopping right up, slamming his fist into his palm. "Ice Make: Freeze Lancer!" The ice maker then threw his hands forward, unleashing a multitude of enlarged ice lances that attempted to collide on Rondo from all angles.

"Oh please…!" Rondo scoffed at Gray's attack before taking both blades, using them to easily slash at the incoming lances of ice, shattering them to harmless shards with only a few movements. "You'll have to do much better than that!"

"Oh yeah!?" Lucy exclaimed while a heavenly light wrapped around her body; she entered her Star Dress: Leo form, allowing a bright glow to shroud her foot. "Regulas…Lucy Kick…!" Lucy swung her foot at Rondo's face, but it was blocked by the female's forearm, causing Lucy to sweat slightly. "Eh…"

"For someone with impressive thighs, that was unfortunately a little weak." Rondo taunted Lucy before shoving her away, slamming her heel into the blonde's side to knock her away.

"Ice Make: Impact!" With this exclamation, Gray formed an ice mallet above Rondo that dropped to the floor in an instant.

"Wha…!?" Rondo crossed her blades over her head, stopping the incoming mallet from crushing her, but she had to bend her knees and fought to keep from being crushed. "Tch…!"

It was then Lucy wrapped her whip around Rondo's ankle, wearing a sly grin of her own. "So sorry to disappoint you, but we'll be seeing you next winter, so have a nice fall!" Perhaps she'd been around Luke too much and his bad puns were rubbing off on her. Regardless Lucy tugged with all her might at Rondo's ankle to make her lose balance, where she was then crushed by the Impact. "Ha!"

"Nice!" Gray and Lucy high fived, but it was far too early to celebrate for Rondo got right back up, more annoyed than she was hurt.

.

Juvia was facing off against Eugene. The Water mage took a step back before swiping her hand to the side, unleashing several sharp scythes of water that flew towards Eugene at a rapid pace. "Water Slicer!"

"I'd rather not get my clothes way so late in the evening…" Eugene sighed before bringing up his katana. His slashes were few, though they were quick and concise. He managed to break through Juvia's Water Slice with ease, and in the next instant he leapt forward with his katana ready, slashing down Juvia's midsection, however the blade passed right through Juvia due to her Water body.

"Attacks like that have no effect against Juvia." Juvia stated while rearing her now water covered fist back, aiming for impact against Eugene's face, hoping to knock the annoying monocle off his face. No such luck as the soldier of Joya blocked with his shoulder, only sliding back a few feet. Regardless Juvia extended her watery arm forward, whipping at Eugene violently with scalding hot water. "Water Cane!"

"How obnoxious…" Eugene scoffed while doing his best to sway away from Juvia's rapid strikes, though some of the grazed him. "In order to see your reflection in the water…the water first must be clear! Shadow Slash!" The katana at his side was enshrouded by an obsidian aura; Eugene closed the distance between them once again, aiming at slash at Juvia's chest.

"…!" Juvia could sense the malicious aura leaking from Eugene's blade. For that reason she dodged to the side to avoid the incoming slash, but it caught her shoulder, and her Water Body was pierced through. A yelp of pain escaped the aquatic mage and her arm now hung limp. "W-What was that…?"

Eugene adjusted the monocle in his eye before speaking. "I can hear the accolades."

.

Gajeel swung his iron coated fist forward at Tuba's large gut. A direct hit was made and the male staggered back a step before regaining his composure quicker than Gajeel would've liked him too. "Tch, guess your fatass can withstand some punishment, huh?"

"Can the same be said for your iron?" Tuba asked while tapping his spike mace on the ground, grinning sadistically.

"Is that a challenge?" Gajeel gave a fangy grin before a green magic seal formed under his body, coating him in his signature iron scales. "Take your best shot, Tubby!" Be careful what you wish for is the advice Gajeel should have been given at this point. Despite his weight and size, Tuba was more than fast enough to catch Gajeel off guard and slam his mace into the iron dragon's side, sending him crashing into the wall before he could even react. "Gah!" Gajeel grunted in pain as the wall nearly collapsed on him. "Shit…faster than you look, huh…?" The iron scales on Gajeel held on strong despite this.

"You haven't seen anything yet!" Tuba began gloating. "I'm gonna enjoy beating you down for interrogation."

"Sorry to break it to you, but I'm not the last meal on the dessert table at an all you can eat…" Gajeel grinned while standing up, doing his best to brush off the heavy hit. "You need to stay away from the sweets anyway and get some exercise. Here, let me whip you into shape!" Pointing his arm forward, a green magic seal formed before the iron dragon. "Iron Dragon's Lance: Demons Logs!" From the seal, several lances of iron shot out of the seal and rapidly struck Tuba who seemingly had no defense for the attack.

"Gah…Tch…!" Tuba grunted as the lances struck and clipped his body. It only took seconds before he decided he had enough and pointed an open palm forward. "Demonic Embrace!" From the male's palm, a stream of searing flames shot out, melting the incoming lances that came his way and reduced them to nothing; the flames even reached Gajeel and he felt the burn all right.

Gajeel immediately crossed his arms, grunting in slight pain while backing away to escape the radius of the attack. "What the hell!?"

.

Erza and Allegretto were locked in close combat sword play. Every time one slashed, the other countered; sparks were literally flying from the collision of solid steel. "Hey, you're pretty good at this!"

"Aren't you supposed to be an enemy?" Erza questioned in the midst of their essential stalemate.

"Doesn't mean I can't acknowledge a good swordswoman when I see one!" Retto replied. "It's a shame we had to meet like this, I don't really want to fight, but I don't have a choice. So…" Suddenly, the speed of the male's slashes improved dramatically. A mixture of slashes and kicks were aimed at Erza before a final downward slash hit the ground, resulting in a small, fiery explosion. "Sun Slash!"

Erza blocked a majority of Retto's hits, but the final explosion consumed her. When it faded she was in her Flame Empress Armor to reduce the damage. Her flaming sword was how held within her grasp and she swung it forward several times, aiming searing slashes at the male. Some were blocked while others grazed her opponent before he was eventually pushed back by a powerful slash, but Erza was going to allow no reprieve and swung her blade forward, unleashing a moderately sized wave of flames towards him.

"No chance to breathe, huh?" Retto chuckled before landing firmly on the ground, wasting no time in forging a counter attack. "Be haunted by the cold envy of the dead…Phantom Wave!" With a quick slash of his sword against the ground, unleashing a large wave of icy breath towards Erza's incoming wave; the two waves clashed in the middle for a stalemate before ending in a powerful explosion.

Erza brought her forearm up to shield her eyes from the wind kicked up from the explosion. "He's strong…" She admitted mentally while keeping note of Retto's skills, how easily he was keeping up with her…and how difficult it was for her to keep up with him. The smoke made things difficult to see, but she planned to flank Retto…but he beat her to it, appearing to her left with his blade at the ready.

"Be still, and enter the abyss of the night. VOID EDGE!" Two consecutive slashes were delivered, the second one being a rising spiral cut that brought forth a black spiral with more than enough knock back to send Erza flying with a pained grunt.

Erza flipped, stabbing her sword into the floor to halt her momentum while gritting her teeth. "Agh…" If there was one thing she was learning about the other mages in Earthland…is that they were far stronger than she originally thought they would be.

.

.

Back in the meeting hall, the rubble that collapsed form the ceiling rolled off a magical barrier created by Ioder. It was around then the mages from the other guilds began rushing into the hall to see if everyone was all right. "Just in time…" Ioder let out a sigh before dispelling the barrier.

"Looks like you were useful for something, Ioder," Waltz dusted off his outfit.

"I appreciate that…" Ioder could sense the mixture of thankfulness and sarcasm from Waltz's voice.

"Is everyone all right!?" Ace questioned while looking around, everyone was accounted for.

"It looks like it…" Jack Corvus said while counting all those present. Luckily the numbers from before matched the numbers now, so there was no need to worry.

"For now." Bosco's representative replied before pointing at the sky…more so the sky battle with the Dragon and several mages. Things didn't look like they were going too well despite all the explosions in the air. "How are we going to quell that beast? It seems those above are having an extremely difficult time fighting it."

"Can we find a way to support them?" Seven's representative asked. "Surely there must be something that we can do to help those mages defeat that raging dragon."

"Our men aren't of much use here, I'm afraid." Waltz commented while adjusting his crown. "I suspect someone led that dragon here to take us all out, or at least injure us gravely." After he spoke, his gaze shifted to Hisui and Toma as if to imply they were the reason the dragon arrived to Joya; Hisui caught the King's accusing gaze but decided against speaking out for the time being at least. "But such speculation will not do at the moment. Does anyone have any ideas to get that eyesore out of my kingdom?"

Nobody noticed it at first, but a small grin slowly began to creep onto the face of Ashnard. The King of Pergrande merely shook his head while stifling a small chuckle. "Worry not, my fellow royals. I have a plan to quell this beast. We will do so with the help of Heracles."

Toma was unsure if he liked the sound of that or not. "Heracles…?"

"Ashnard, just what is it you're planning now…?" Hisui grumbled.

"Nercon. Rubicante." Ashnard called the names of his two Generals and almost on cue they appeared, giving a slight bow in respect to the king. "It's time. Bring out Heracles."

"As you wish, My King." Nercon nodded.

"It shall be done immediately." Rubicante also nodded before leaving with Nercon. Just what was it that Ashnard have up his sleeve…and the bigger question is…why was he so confident about it…?

.

Next time: Heracles.


	5. Chapter 5 Heracles

"Jeez, what's with these guys…!?" Gray grunted in annoyance while evading Rondo's high speed slashes, being forced to step back constantly to avoid a potential deep wound. "Ice Make: Shield!" Throwing his arms out, a shield of ice forming in front of him to block Rondo's incoming slashes; this action bought Lucy enough time to act.

"Gate of the Maiden, I open thee! Virgo!" Lucy swung a golden key down, a bell chime echoing through the corridor. Virgo then appeared in a puff of smoke, giving Lucy a bow.

"Is it punishment time, Princess?" Virgo inquired, just like always.

"N-No!" Lucy then pointed at Rondo, who was currently hacking away at Gray's shield of ice. "Let's bring her down!"

"As you wish, Princess!" Virgo nodded before drilling into the floor, vanishing from sight along with Lucy.

"You can't hide this shield of measly ice forever!" Rondo shouted at Gray. It was then she felt the floor under her crack; Virgo and Lucy rose from the ground, but aiming a rising uppercut at Rondo, but the white haired female spotted this trick coming from a mile away and performed a front flip over Gray and his shield of ice. When she landed, she immediately went right back on the offensive. "Fer De Lance!" A double strike with both of her blades; one striking Gray, and the other striking Lucy and Virgo, powerful knockdown packed into the blow.

"Ouch…!" Lucy cried out while landing on her back. "Gray, Virgo, are you okay….?!"

"That was quite the impact…" Virgo admitted.

"Take this, you swine!" Rondo then stabbed her blade into the floor, a blue magic seal appearing underneath the trio. "Hell Eruption!" From the seal, an explosion of ice erupted upon them.

It didn't last long, for Gray swiped his hand to dismiss the spell, a serious glare on his face as he stared down Rondo. "I don't know who you think you are, but you're not about to beat me with ice." Arm was held to the side, a blade of ice suddenly forging within his grasp. "Ice Make: Cold Excalibur!" The ice fairy then leapt forward with both hands on the hilt of his frozen creation, swinging it down at Rondo with force; Rondo countered at the same time with a dual slash of her own, entering a deadlock with Gray that caused a powerful shockwave to boom out, nearly throwing Lucy and Virgo off their feet. Despite the struggle, Gray was eventually thrown back and landed harshly on his back with a grunt of pain. "Ooof…!"

"Amateurs…" Rondo shook her head before scoffing.

.

Juvia glanced at her currently useless arm before pointing her good one at Eugene, palm held open. "Water Beam!" At the very least, Juvia was still able to unleash a potent beam of water towards Eugene that had a lot of power behind it.

"Agh…" Eugene sighed heavily before bringing up his katana in a defensive motion; Juvia's Water Beam hit its mark and Eugene was once again sent skidding back across the floor, his clothes now damp from the attack. "I really hate getting my clothes wet…" He remarked with his tone beginning to lower to a sadistic one. "It's a good thing you're here for me to vent my frustration one…" Eugene pulled his katana back, a dark aura beginning to overtake the blade once more. "J'accuse!" With a swift slash, a beam of darkness raced towards Juvia while cutting through the air.

"…!" Juvia knew if that hit her it would hurt. It was such a wide beam she had no choice but to try and leap over it, but it caught her leg midair so she had a rough landing, stumbling around before leaning against the wall for support. "He's…strong…" She mumbled before allowing water to surround her lower half, creating a vicious cyclone with Juvia in the middle of it all as it raced forward. "Water Jigsaw!"

"I see you don't yet understand…" Eugene mumbled. "In order to enjoy the morning roses…you must first kill the insects." The katana now had a blood red aura blazing around it; once Juvia was close Eugene aimed several piercing slashes at Juvia. "Blood Scent!" A thin aura streamed out with each slash; the soldier of Count Waltz pierced through Juvia's Water Body yet again, with one final slash.

"No…!" Juvia's eyes widened in pain; she wanted to yelp out in pain but her voice didn't come out and she just collapsed slowly to the ground, the water around her body dispersing. As soon as Juvia hit the ground, her eyes went white to signify KO.

"Ah…" Eugene sighed while sheathing his katana. "I got my clothes dirty…"

.

"Mega Mash!" Tuba yelled while swinging his mace down at the defending Gajeel rapidly. Each hit was powerful, noted by how Gajeel grit his teeth more and more with each hit. He could feel Tuba's massive amounts of raw strength with each blow and he was unsure of how much longer he could hold up. "What's the matter?! You had a lot to say before!" Tuba then changed his assault and slammed Gajeel's side with his mace, using his physical might to send Gajeel hurling towards the ceiling.

"Gah!" Gajeel cried out briefly before flipping, allowing small iron spikes to form on his boots so he could attach to the wall, now staring down at Tuba with an annoyed expression. "Geez…the hell is up with these guys?"

"Gonna hide up there?" Tuba smirked, knowing full well he had the advantage.

"Roar…" Gajeel inhaled briefly before throwing his head forward and parting his lips, releasing a funnel of sharp iron shrapnel from his mouth. "Of the Iron Dragon!"

"Gah…!" Tuba took the most defensive position he could, grunting in mild pain as he felt the iron cutting into him. But he was large and could take the punishment. "Is that all you got!?"

"Iron Dragon's…!" Gajeel then leapt from the roof while rearing his arm back, morphing it into a jagged iron blade that revved up like a chainsaw. "Sword!" The Iron dragon brought his blade down onto Tuba's chest, but it was blocked by the thick handle of his mace. The two were now glaring at each other as they entered a stalemate; whoever's weapon broke first was the loser.

.

Erza sped forward in her Flight Armor, attempting to use the increased speed to overwhelm Retto. She circled around the male before closing the distance with two blades at the ready. "Sonic Claw!" Thanks to her speed, she was able to land several strikes on Retto with ease, skidding to a halt to see how effective her strikes her; only moderately so.

"That was somethin'…" Retto admitted while panting softly. "But now it's my turn…" Grip tightening on the handle of his blade, Retto rushed forward towards Erza and aimed several simple slashes at the scarlet knight. Erza was able to block and parry, but what came next was what caught her off guard. "You're good, but let's cut to the chase!" Light formed on the blade Retto held and several powerful slashes leaving gleams of light in their wake were aimed at Erza, each one more powerful than the last. "This is over! You're done! Starlight Blast!" The final slash was a horizontal slice with a surprising amount of knock back that sent Erza into the wall, leaving her bruised and bloodied. With a heavy sigh, Retto began to walk towards Erza, but was stopped when Polka stood in the way. "Polka…"

"Allegretto! This isn't right!" The young female exclaimed. "I know you don't want to fight, and these poor people haven't done anything wrong…!"

"You know I can't refuse," Retto sighed heavily while rubbing the back of his head. "As much as I want to."

"These aren't bad people!" Polka objected.

"I think that's enough talking." Eugene dragged Juvia's unconscious body along the floor, tossing her down before pointing the tip of his katana at her head. "If you want to keep your pretty friend alive, I suggest you tell us everything this instant."

"Juvia…!?" On that note, the Fairy Tail mages were forced to concede with Juvia's wellbeing at stake.

"Release her." Erza demanded while standing up. "We've done nothing wrong."

"Oh really?" Rondo questioned. "Because we've intel that shows that the dragon that's attacking is from the Isle of the Dragons! And we know that of all the countries that dealt with the island, Fiore is closely affiliated with those who inhabit it, so it has to be you who led it here!"

"That's a dragon from the island!?" Lucy's eyes widened. "B-But how!? Ena said that they would be neutral, I don't understand why a dragon from there is rampaging around here!"

"I believe them." Polka interjected.

"You believe anything." Eugene said while adjusting his monocle, completely shooting down the young female. "Why should we believe they aren't the cause of this?"

"After all we did, you really think we'd allow this to pass without question?" Erza snarled towards Eugene. "I don't know how you got this intel of yours, but you've got the wrong group."

"Our spy usually isn't wrong…" Tuba scratched his chin. "So they must be lying."

"Uhm…" Lucy pointed out the nearest window to the distance, noticing something large moving over the horizon. "I hate to break this up…but can somebody tell me what that thing is…?"

"Wha…?" Gajeel glanced out the window before his eyes widened. "The hell is that thing…?!"

.

"What is Heracles?" Ace asked Ashnard. "And why are you grinning so widely about it?"

"Heracles is Pergrande's ultimate weapon of course." Ashnard responded to Ace before pulling up a lacrima screen of just outside the city, and that's when they saw it. Heracles was essentially a six-legged walking fortress that doubled the size of a dragon; a multitude of cannons were all over the walking fortress and the main cannon was pointed directly at the city. "And here it is now."

"WHAT IS THAT THING!?" Iceburg's representative shouted at Ashnard, demanding an answer.

"Weren't you just listening to my king?" Nercon tilted her head. "This is Pergrande's weapon, and it will be used to destroy the threat that looms in the sky. Are we ready? Now aim…" Nercon spoke into her wrist watch, where someone on the other line was aiming the main cannon up into the sky, directly pointing at the unaware dragon.

The person on the other line was female; a female with black and gray hair, having an eyepatch over one eye while the other was a dark yellow color. This was one of the 13 Commandants of Pergrande: Patty. "Ready and aimed, Lady Nercon!"

"Now this might be an interesting show…" Waltz chuckled as though he didn't see the issue with this.

"W-What about those fighting right now?!" Hisui asked in a panic.

"I suggest someone go up there and warn them." Ashnard replied dismissively, as if he really could've cared less what happened to them.

.

"Nothing is working against this dragon!? What's up with this!?" Daryan was highly annoyed than the dragon slayer magic they were using hardly had any effect.

"Something about this dragon is wrong…" Gaia narrowed her gaze. "This dragon is from the Isle, I hope you all know…it has that same scent."

"What?!" Mira turned to Gaia. "But that shouldn't be possible…Ena…"

"But at the same time…there's something about this dragon's scent that worries me…I can't put my finger on it."

"Does anyone else hear that…?" Cynthia glanced around before pointing at Heracles, which was beginning to gather magic in the main cannon. "W-What…what is that thing…!? It's huge…!"

"Is that a cannon…?" Carla asked.

"That's too big for a standalone cannon…it's like a fortress…and it's aiming right up here isn't it?" Hiruka stared at the others.

"GET OUT OF THE SKY NOW!" There were many shouts from below warning those in the sky to move. Without questioning it, they all went back into the castle to watch what was about to happen.

Heracles gathered a large sphere of radiant blue energy within its main cannon. The battleship took aim at the dragon in the sky before firing, unleashing a gargantuan blue beam of raw magic that cut through the sky and the clouds; it was as if the sky itself was being torn apart from the cannon fire. The dragon turned just as the beam struck it, now being carried into the sky with an echoing roar of pain as it was actually evaporating due to the sheer power of the Heracles Cannon. Miles and miles into the sky later, there was a large explosion that caused a tremor to the earth below.

.

"WHOA!" Cynthia's eyes were wide in shock at the massive power of Heracles. "I…Is that thing even legal!?"

"What the hell was that!?" Lucy's group and Waltz's arrived on the scene after Heracles fired. Waltz's men seemed to realize that there was indeed a misunderstanding going on around here.

"Glorious, wasn't it?" Ashnard turned with a wide grin plastered on his lips. "Taking out that raging dragon within one shot."

"ASHNARD." Nobody seemed happy with the unveiling of this superweapon.

Toma was the first to speak, pointing to the weapon in the distance with an unpleased expression. "You should know better than anyone that a weapon like that violates the treaty. The mere construction of that weapon is an act of war!"

"Oh ho! Is that so, King of Fiore!?" Ashnard's grin only widened at Toma's objection. "I don't think you really have such the right to speak. Every country is allowed one 'trump card' don't you agree?"

"While that was in the agreement…" Ioder began, somewhat sheepishly, however. "Something like this is…unprecedented…"

"Is that so…? Then let's ask our neighbors, shall we?" Ashnard turned to Hisui and Toma. "Fiore, I find it so funny you'd be the first to object to Heracles. Considering all of the incidents with superweapons you've been having. I wonder…whose idea was it to build the Eclipse Gate?"

"…!" Hisui's eyes widened and she nearly cringed upon recalling the incident that nearly led to the end of the world.

"All those dragons that escaped and could've ended us all…then there was the Fiore's End Incident." Ashnard continued.

"…." Cynthia bit her lip recalling that problem.

"Funny how you didn't notice one man building a superweapon until it was finally revealed." The King of Pergrande pointed at Cynthia accusingly. "Then you have the nerve to bring it to this meeting!"

"Hey, asshole!" Natsu growled while standing in front of Cynthia, sneering at Ashnard as he looked like he was about to pop a vein in his forehead. "Say that about Cynthia again, I DARE YOU."

"Natsu don't!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Something that nearly destroyed your country went unnoticed for so long…and it happened again, didn't it? That one scientist has been quite the thorn in your side." Ashnard just kept talking. "The Etherion Cannon was the only thing I remember having approved with this senate, and that alone was quite the stretch. A weapon that can destroy a country? Why is it you get to slide by with something like that?"

"Because it needs the majority approval of our Magic Council! The Wizard Saints, no less!" Hisui shot at Ashnard while slamming her hands down on a piece of rubble. "Did you even run this by your Council!?"

"But of course." Ashnard replied with a shrug. "They approved of it."

"And what makes you think we'd approve of it?" Seven's rep spoke, hands on her hips as she stared at Ashnard and demanded an answer.

"You think you're one to talk too, Lila…?" Ashnard laughed right in her face. "Before your Dealer group became good, they were the enemy of the state, were they not?"

"Ay…" Ace rubbed his head. For some reason he wasn't expecting Ashnard to take a shot at them.

"Gathering magic so one twisted man could rule the world, and this is okay?" Ashnard laughed once again. "Don't be such fools. Heracles falls under all jurisdiction…and I just may take it to the Isle of the Dragons. Because from what I've heard, that dragon was directly from there."

"What!?" Hisui's eyes widened. "That's impossible. We…"

"Did you really think all the dragons there would be happy with how everything turned out? There were sure to be some rebellions…or maybe they didn't uphold to their position of neutrality and just wanted to seek revenge against humans instead?"

"The Princess swore." Hisui took Ena's words to heart and she wasn't budging on that matter.

"Silly, young, naïve Princess Hisui…" Ashnard now shook his head, almost mockingly so. "There are so many things you've yet to experience in the world…that naivety is precious, however."

"Can I kick this guy in the damn jaw…" Gajeel was getting tired of listening to Ashnard speak.

"BUT!" Ashnard raised his hand. "If you think Heracles is such an issue…why don't we take a majority vote on it, yes? Come, my fellow royals…if you believe Heracles should be destroyed, please raise your hand." The King glanced around at those who opposed; Caelum, Midi, Enca, Sin, and Minstrel were opposed. "I see…and those who are okay with it standing?"

Those who agreed: Joya, Desierto, Iceburg, Bosco Seven, Bellum and…Fiore.

"W-What are they doing agreeing for it…!?" Wendy looked at anyone to see if they had an answer. She didn't understand why Hisui and Toma were on board with the Heracles project.

"They can't refuse." Tia clarified. "Unfortunately so…"

"Why not?" Cynthia pouted.

"Because then they'd look really bad. With all the stuff that went down in our countries I guess it never really occurred how much danger we put everyone else in…and as a result it gives Ashnard a window to do as he pleases because of our slip ups…"

"Fiore's political standing would be really bad if they opposed…" Magnus commented. "Which is why they had no choice in the matter."

"What bothers me is…" Heartless mumbled. "Is why this topic wasn't brought up when the meeting began…you'd think something like this would be one of the first things that come up, not in a situation like this…"

"So the Heracles project stands." Waltz clapped his hands before letting out a small chuckle. "Excellent. I believe that brings this International Meeting to a close. Now if everyone wouldn't mind leaving…I have some immediate repairs that need to be done."

"That's our king…" Nercon giggled to herself. "Always one step ahead of the rest…"

Hisui sighed heavily, hanging her head while returning to Fairy Tail's side. "I'm sorry, everyone…I guess I let you all down."

"Don't worry about it." Gray said with a reassuring smile. "It wasn't your fault…or the King's."

"That Ashnard…" Erza grit her teeth. "He's something all right…" With that, Fiore began to take their leave.

On the way out, Lucy just happened to glance to her left and caught Ashnard discussing with Nercon and Rubicante. Ashnard glanced at Lucy and just his gaze was enough to send a shiver down her spine and she immediately looked back forward. "Yikes…"

"Did you look directly at him?" Mira whispered.

"Unfortunately…" Lucy let out a heavy sigh.

"I could get nightmares from looking at that…" Cynthia whispered, and it lifted the mood slightly and brought laughter to a few of them.

"Was the Lucy Heartfilia?" Ashnard questioned. "The one said to be infected with the Lambda Virus?"

"I believe so." Nercon nodded. "I don't see any of the symptoms just yet…but it could prove to be…interesting whenever they do start to come around."

"What about the Protos Heis project?" Ashnard questioned. "Has it been deployed?"

"Several months ago." Rubicante confirmed. "Though it is unclear where it ended up due to a little…mishap in transport. It is in Fiore somewhere though, ready to exterminate when necessary."

"Perfect…" Ashnard nodded slowly before glancing back at the walking away Lucy. He was the only one who could see it, but thin black and red aura was around the celestial mage already; there was also a black line running up from presumably her back, but it was small and unlikely unnoticeable to the human eye. This brought a sly, knowing smirk to the corner of his mouth. "Things are progressing quite nicely…it should only be a matter of time now…"

.

Next time: New Recruits.


	6. Chapter 6: New Recruits

The snowy mountains in north Fiore, otherwise known as the home to Fiore's current number one guild: White Eclipse. Busy as always, this is the reason they were unable to deal with the affairs Fairy Tail had dealt with. While Fairy Tail was off in Joya, White Eclipse was dealing with their own affairs: training new recruits. That's right, many new mages wanted to join the prestigious guild, and they would be dubbed the rookies. With a few exceptions of course. Early morning right outside, there was a lady with short red/orange hair that reached down to her neck, orange eyes, and had a long sleeved coat and pants walked past several of the new rookies, giving a stern glare at all of them. This was Mary Crane, Kuro's teacher and one of the originals of White Eclipse. "It's time for the boot camp. Anyone want to get their complaints out of the way before we begin? You got one minute, rookies." Mary stated, grinning slightly because she could see through the nervousness the rookies tried to hide. Not to mention…the rookies were still in their pajamas, it was very early in the morning.

"I-I didn't think it would be so early…" One of the new recruits, Micaiah spoke. Micaiah was a somewhat short, female with long silver hair that reached down to the small of her back, tied together with a blue ribbon, yellow eyes…and was not as well-endowed as most females in the area; at least she had a rear to compensate. The woman was in her pajamas, rubbing her arms to keep cool in the cold mountain air.

"I-Is it me…o-or did this mountain just get a bit colder…?" The Fusion Make mage, Tyson Bryant spoke while shivering. Tyson was a well-built male with messy black hair and green eyes…unfortunately for him he was in nothing but a t-shirt and shorts, he looked like he literally just got out of bed…because, well, he did.

The next recruit was a tall male, reaching just over 6 feet with spiky red hair and brown eyes. This was Ralo Reiss, though he often preferred to go by Reiss. "I-It's not that cold…!" Reiss protested to Tyson's claim, forcing his frozen lips into a smirk just to get under the skin of the fusion make mage. Even with this claim, this didn't mean Reiss wasn't freezing to the core, especially since he had just as much clothing on as Tyson early in the morning.

"Reiss-kun…Ty-san…" An attractive red-head with red eyes pouted to intervene between what would be a verbal fight between Reiss and Tyson. This was Evelyn Harber, yet another new recruit to the establishment. "It's too early for this…!"

"I agree…" Saraya was the next rookie that spoke; a young woman with long dark blonde hair, a unique shade of beautiful purple eyes and blue lines that painted her skin in various locations. She was standing next to Anais, a female with mint green hair and blue eyes. Both of them were shivering in their slippers.

"Come on guys, it's not so bad out here…!" Perhaps the only one who was somewhat ready for the early morning workout; Jin, the younger brother to Jaxon, a current S class of White Eclipse. Though the resemblance between the two was highly similar, the difference was Jin had red hair, one yellow eye, and one black eye.

"That's enough talk." Mary cut everyone off, forcing all eyes on her. "Here's how we're opening this up, rookies. You're going to run up and down this mountain five times, all before Marlene is finished cooking breakfast. If you make it before she's done, congrats, you get to eat. If you don't, well, you've missed breakfast. Oh and one more thing…you're to do this without magic."

"W-What!?" Micaiah's eyes widened as she stared down the mountain path, remembering the trek she took up just to reach the guild. "T-There's no way I'm going to make that…look at these legs…"

"Don't worry Micaiah," Reiss said while patting the panicking female on the back. "I think you got more a chance than Tyson does."

"You won't last more than a lap with those chicken legs of yours, rich boy!" Tyson immediately shot at Reiss.

"Oh yeah!?" Reiss was about to get all up in Tyson's face. "You won't even last half the mountain, country boy!"

"I don't know why you're sitting here wasting time arguing when the training has already begun. I guess you two really just don't want breakfast." Mary said while tapping her boot into the snow, quirking an intimidating brow at Reiss and Tyson.

"Crap…!" When the two boys turned around, they noticed that everyone else had already began the first trek down the mountain, and they were following right after them in a hurry. Mary just shook her head and went back inside the guild building.

.

"Ah, I remember those days…" Luke chuckled quietly to himself while watching the rookies beginning to run up and down the mountain. "Reve's bootcamp…my legs were never the same after the first few times…"

Cygnus nodded in agreement, sipping down some morning coffee to get himself going. "Been up and down this mountain so much we practically know it like the back of our hands. These rookies are gonna learn it, too."

"I think they have some potential!" Aira chimed in. "If Mary doesn't break them first…"

"If they can't handle a few laps up and down the mountain, it's only going to get harder for them." Reve stated. "Besides, Mary's only getting started with them. If they don't even clear this, who knows what else she's going to have in store for them."

"Mary's tough…" Kuro commented while slurping down a bowl of noodles for breakfast. "It's not gonna be easy for them either way…"

"Bets on whose gonna drop first…?" One of the newer recruits, Roxanne Ericks chimed in. Roxanne had long black hair, orange eyes, and a model's body. Really, she had the cover for Sorcerer's Weekly quite often and was a little known for it, but that wasn't what she really known for. She was a new recruit with experience, unlike the rookies outside in the snow, which is why she was exempt from the bootcamp.

"Don't take bets on that! It's not nice…!" Marlene commented from the kitchen, and Roxanne just gave an indifferent shrug.

"Why don't we work out like that?" Another new member asked: Kanade Reia. Kanade had light purple hair she often tied back and gray eyes; also there was a scar visible on her leg. She, like Roxanne, was considered a veteran due to the experience she had as a mage prior to joining White Eclipse. She had just woken up so she was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"We do." Zalen said while pushing up his glasses.

"We got up a few hours ago," Reve stated. "We would've kept going but Mary needed it for the rookies, so here we are now."

"W-What?!" Kanade flailed her arms around. "Why didn't anyone tell me!?"

"That's on you." Reve said while giving a smirk. "You're a veteran, so it's on you to wake up in time for the early morning workouts."

"Can't believe you're only just NOW waking up…" Waiston spoke with a shake of his head.

"How lazy…" Jaxon added with a minor snicker.

Kanade's eyes were wide at how she just now noticed all of the others were actually up and awake at this hour. She then shook her head, sudden determination flaring in her eyes. "That's it! Next time I'm getting up early to train!"

"That's the spirit." Reve nodded.

"So, follow up question." Cygnus pointed to the new tower sitting right outside the guild; the Kid's Tower. "What are we going to do with those kids? I'm not babysitting anyone."

"We'll leave that to the rookies as well." Reve said while waving a dismissive hand.

.

Sometime later, the rookies were making their last lap up the mountain. They were pretty exhausted to say the least and who knows how long it actually took them. Tyson was the first one to finish, pushing the doors open while gasping heavily for air. His legs were quivering and he trudged into the guild hall. "I think I made it…"

Reiss was right behind Tyson, stopping at the door to catch his breath while hunched over. "J….just barely…" Reiss told himself before taking a whiff of the air; thankfully it was still breakfast time. Behind him, Jin, Saraya, Anais, and lastly, Micaiah trudged into the guild.

"A-am I alive…?" Micaiah collapsed to the floor, her spirit comically fading away from her.

"Oh, you just made it in time!" Marlene clasped her hands together. "Breakfast is almost over, so there's not a lot left so please hurry!"

"And once you're finished eating, meet me back outside." Mary commented from the couch. It was just enough for the rookies to groan while they went to go get their food.

"We're gonna die." Was the first thing Saraya had to say.

"You'll be fine." Cygnus laughed, believing the rookies were over exaggerating the pain of Mary's training. "Also, you guys are soon to be responsible for the kids! Just thought you should know."

"T-The kids too..?" Anaïs blinked slowly.

"What's stopping you vets from doing it?" Reiss questioned Cygnus with a quirked brow.

"Would you really want to be watched by this old man?" One of the kids spoke; Shinji Nakata. A young male with black hair and green eyes; he just grabbed a plate with some food while giving Cygnus an indifferent expression.

A tick mark appeared on Cygnus' forehead at Shinji's remark. "Old man!? I'm only in my twenties!"

"Sounds pretty old to me." Shinji responded with a shrug.

"I need you dead as soon as possible." Cygnus glared at Shinji.

To that, the young mage stood behind Micaiah while giving a sly grin. "Micaiah, right…? Help me out here, isn't he a little old?"

"Well…" Micaiah suddenly shifted a bit awkwardly before giving a cough. "20 isn't so old…it's still kinda young."

"You're all no fun." Shinji huffed before making his leave.

"Letting a kid get to you…" Heather made her comment from the corner of the room, shaking her head disapprovingly at Cygnus.

Meanwhile, a few other kids were grabbing the breakfast remains. They were: Sophie, a small girl with purple eyes and matching light purple hair often tied into two pig tails; Yayuya Senjin, another young lady, a brunette with brown eyes, wearing a black headband around her forehead; Yuji Ohira, a male with short red hair and red eyes; and lastly (for the time being) Daichi Akitaka, another young male with blue hair and orange eyes…and breakfast was the last thing on his mind as he was shamelessly staring around at all the women with large breasts in the room.

"This is all of them, right…?" Luke's question was full of hope while staring at all the little kids roaming around. "Because I'm not in the mood to deal with all of them."

"I think we have just a few more…" Draco said while scratching his head. "I dunno their names yet, though…"

"Great…" Roxanne let out a minor huff before looking down at Daichi who was staring up at her…or rather, her chest. "What do you want…?"

"Can I see your breasts?" Daichi asked as bluntly as possible.

"You…" Roxanne's eyes widened in shock and embarrassment. She wanted to yell at him, but what if he started crying…? So from all the embarrassment of the moment, the ravenette just vanished from sight.

"Okay, that's enough outta you." Luke narrowed his eyes at Daichi before lifting the kid up by the back of his shirt and carried him outside.

"Things are certainly getting a little livelier now…" Aira said with a soft laugh.

"More like noisy…" Selene commented while rubbing her temples in annoyance.

"Don't think you kids have it easy either." Mary placed her hands on her hips. "We've had people in the past just come here claiming their want to aspire as mages but turned out to be lazy, so we kicked them out. If you want to stay here, you're going to have to prove you want to. In other words, find a veteran or a rookie and challenge them to a fight, do I make myself clear."

"Y-Yes ma'am!" The kids all responded in unison. Mary already made quite the impression on them with how she was working the rookies…and they did not want to be worked so hard upon just joining.

.

.

Meanwhile, far away from both White Eclipse and Fairy Tail was Tartarus. The guild that lurked in the shadows was plotting heavily, all under the current guidance of Mard Geer. "All things are currently going according to plan. Soon, we will be able to act."

"What is this plan you have, Marde-sama?" Maggie Solfatara, the lava demoness, questioned with a curious brow. "

"I'm not going to spoil anything yet." Marde remarked, giving Maggie a soft chuckle. "But to know you're so eager pleases Marde Geer. There are still a few pieces needed before everything can be set."

"Wonderful…" That voiced belong to none other than Tayakata, once former member of Tartarus, now former member of White Eclipse. The demoness ran a hand through her raven locks while sauntering out of the castle. "Well, tell me if you need me for anything. In the meantime I think I'll go into a town and enjoy a nice spot of tea."

"How wonderful it is to have you back, Taya…" Maggie giggled deviously as the demon left.

"Excellent work on bringing back that slacker…" Sayla complimented Maggie with an indifferent tone. It didn't even sound like a pat on the back with the tone she used. "Perhaps now the story will become even more interesting, especially for those humans whom she used to be acquainted with."

"I'm not sure what's more pathetic…" Jackal had a pompous grin while eying Maggie, already getting under her skin with his tone alone. "The fact she lost, or the fact she had to resort to using a human weapon to bring Taya down."

"I'm real tired of your attitude." Maggie growled at Jackal, but he just waved a hand and began to walk off. To that, Maggie's body erupted in lava while a tick mark appeared on her forehead. "HEY! DON'T WALK AWAY WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU, YOU BLOOMIN'-"

"Enough." Marde didn't want to hear any more of this. "That is enough for now. I will call you all again when the time has come, understood? Now get out of Marde's presence." To that, the demons quickly nodded and left. Marde leaned his head against his fist and wore a smile the entire time. "Tick tock…time is running out, you disgusting humans."

.

.

Next Time: The Cilent.


	7. Chapter 7: The Client

"Pergrande did what!?" Makarov spat out his beer, quickly using his hand to wipe his mouth clean before staring at Erza.

Erza simply nodded to Makarov to confirm what she just told him. "Yes…Pergrande made a superweapon…one that destroyed a dragon in one shot."

"Politics aren't exactly my strongest suit…" Lisanna said while placing her index finger on her chin. "But…shouldn't something like that be approved by all of the other countries? I'd personally be a little afraid if something like that was unveiled here…"

"That was part of the issue." Mira sighed while placing a hand on her cheek. "Because of the incidents that took place here and a few other countries…they really didn't have a choice but to agree with such a monstrosity. It was a majority vote."

"So Pergrande now has free reign with that machine…" Makarov sighed. "This makes me feel a little uneasy that such a mobile monster has no restraint."

"Not only that…!" Natsu began; obviously still angry at how Ashnard played everyone at the meeting. "But that King Ashnard is an asshole! I really wanted to punch him in that smug face of his…"

"Yeah, you do that and put us in even more trouble…" Lucy rolled her eyes at Natsu's shouting, but really she sort of felt the same way despite her logical spin on things. "But he's not wrong…the way that king was speaking truly rubbed me the wrong way…plus he's really ugly."

"That's a blunt way of puttin' it…" Cana snickered.

"She's not wrong." Cynthia chimed in.

"What about that dragon you all fought?" Laxus questioned from the second floor, merely peering down below with a brow raised. "Any idea where it came from?"

"It wasn't any random dragon." Wendy sighed. "It smelled just like the Isle of the Dragons…which really worries me. There was talk of King Ashnard going there with Heracles to blow it up…but luckily he was talked out of it."

"The Isle?" Evergreen fanned herself and scoffed. "I don't believe for a second that after what happened there they'd willingly send a dragon over just to create some havoc."

"Exactly." Gray nodded in agreement. "It was a setup, and whoever set it up intended to have us take the blame. Those Joyian soldiers were tough, too…"

"I doubt that's the last time we'll see them…" Gajeel scoffed, unable to help but remember that smug grin on Tuba's face during their fight. Oh, next time he saw that fatass he was going to hit him good. "But anyway…that's all we got."

"You all did the best you could. For that, good job, and thank you for keeping as much control as you could." Makarov gave a firm nod. "Excellent work. Now, business as usual."

"Speaking of business…Has anyone seen Freed…?" Bickslow asked while looking around.

"There was a job specific request just for him," Laxus clarified. "It was a little odd, but he decided to go and get it over with before coming back here."

"I hope everything's all right…" Kinana said while wiping down a table. "You know, it's strange…but a lot of mage specific requests have been going around Fiore lately…could it be the same person?"

"That would be way too coincidental…and weird." Lisanna shook her head. "I'm sure it's nothing!"

"I suppose you're right…" The purple haired female gave a slight shrug before resuming her waitress duties.

.

.

[Several Months Ago]

Rylo and Evanee walked into a somewhat large room. It was mostly vacant minus the desk in the middle and all the empty…jars in shelves. "Is this the place…?" Rylo asked Evanee while glancing at her. It was clear even she wasn't entire sure if they were in the right location.

"I think so…" Evanee responded with a small shrug. "This is where the request said to come to…"

"I'm glad you could make it." The Client responded from his chair just behind the desk. He had his chair turned around so the two mages couldn't see him. "Rylo Yutaka and Evanee Carlise, the two strongest mages of Twilight Zone."

"That would be us…" Evanee gave a slight nod while crossing her arms under her chest. "What is it you wanted from us exactly?"

"Magic is quite a wonderful thing, don't you agree?" The Client asked while standing up from his seat, walking around the room with his arms crossed behind his back. "It's amazing to me how we as humans only understand a fraction of magic…how we can only use but a few types…and how there are only few in the world that are actually capable of using magic…"

Rylo tilted his head slightly. "What are you getting at…?"

"I contacted the two of you for a reason…I wish for you to help me with my research on magic." The Client stated before facing the two of them.

"And how are we supposed to do that exactly?" Evanee tapped her foot impatiently, wishing The Client would hurry up and get to the point.

"Do you see these jars?" The Client gestured to the jars floating around the room. "They are not jars…these are all in fact lacrimas for storing magic. And I would like for you two both…" Now turning to face the mages, The Client showed his face, grinning evilly to the two Twilight Zone mages. "To give me your magic." On that cue, two of the lacrima moved forward, shooting for beams that aimed for both of the Twilight Zone mages.

"Ev, watch out!" Rylo shouted. Both of them leapt to the side to evade the beams.

"Another freakin' nutjob…wonderful…" Evanee rolled her eyes before using her speed to appear behind The Client, grabbing him back the back of his head to slam his face into the ground, taking him out instantly. "Geez…"

"That was a little hairy…" Rylo said while adjusting his tie. "What do we do with him? Report him to the Council?"

"We're turning him in." Evanee nodded. "A nut job like this shouldn't be running around free…it'll only cause me a bigger headache…"

[3 months ago.]

Rylo was spacing out, thinking about the last mission he took for Twilight Zone before Evanee's sudden disappearance and the guild's disbandment shortly after that. But where was the magician now months after his home broke apart? The Underground Market. The name alone told all what the business was about…there were many requests all the time for taking out political officials, officers, even rubbing out mages such as Reve Volver, Erza Scarlet, Natsu Dragneel, etc. Just how did he get himself into this gig? Well, let's just say that it wasn't a choice he was forced into.

"Rylo-san~." A voice called out to Rylo to snap him out of it. This voice belonged to Leo Lange, a tall blonde male with hazel eyes. He was one of the operators within the Underground Market.

"Wha?" Rylo blinked, turned to Leo with a confused look. "What?"

"You were doing that thing again, where you space out. Thinking about that old dump again?" Leo questioned while running a hand through his hair.

"No." Rylo shook his head, completely denying the accusation. "Anyway, what did you need from me, Leo?"

"The boss is about to make an announcement." Leo clarified.

"Daz right." This voice belonged to the muscle of the Soricere Warehouse: Tiny. It was such an ironic name considering he was a huge man in a suit with a scar over his left eye and sideburns. "Now youz two better listen up good, ya got that? Dat include you too, X."

Tiny was referring to the female who secluded herself in the corner, X had dark emerald hair and pale yellow eyes along with a bit of an attitude. She was sharpening one of the many swords she had in her possession while glancing up at Tiny. "I'm listening." Her response was short.

"Good, everyone's here." The boss of the Underground Market spoke. This voice belonged to one surprising individual: Kemuri, the Sixth Wizard Saint. As far as everyone else on the outside was concerned, Kemuri was just a simple merchant…but truly, he was the leader of the Underground Market. "I've got an announcement to make."

.

.

[1 month ago.]

Council transport. This was the time where those who committed horrid crimes were being transported from the Council Prison in the HQ to the Council Stronghold by the warden himself, Ryusei; along with some captains such as Lahar, Doranbolt, and Correll. "Keep moving." Correll said while ushering people along.

"We've got an interesting batch of new inmates, don't we?" Ryusei commented before stopping one familiar face: Aiden Viscard. "Oh ho…? Aiden Viscard…you've been quite a thorn in Fiore's side with your little creations you know that?"

"Hah." Aiden merely laughed in Ryusei's face. "You can't hold back the will of science, I hope you know."

"Get this one out of here." Doranbolt shook his head. "He's done more than enough damage and will continue to do so if we let him stay free."

"This one's apparently dangerous as well." Lahar gestured to The Client. "We want these two locked up."

"Along with this guy." Correll pointed to a tall, bulky male with his hair hanging over his head, wearing prison garb. "Rail…the Ace of Silent Sanctum…we were lucky to nab this one. You won't be seeing this sunlight again, you know that?"

"…." Rail didn't say a word.

"Get moving, all three of you." Ryusei scoffed. The prisoners continued their trek…but then the ace of spades card appeared and in the next instant…boom. An explosion occurred, catching everyone off guard.

"What the hell was that?!" Doranbolt looked around within all the smoke, but he couldn't see a single thing with all the panic and shouting going around. Before he knew it, something clocked him in the back of the head and he fell over, unconscious.

"Ah ha…" Hyde chuckled while retracting his cane. "It's been oh so long since I've gotten the chance to write a new script. But it's time for this story to finally unfold!"

"Hmph…" The Client merely dusted himself off before walking off without a care. "Another chance to try this again? I'll gladly take this…only this time I'll do it right."

.

.

[Now.]

Freed Justine entered the office of The Client, closing the door behind him. He wasn't sure what to expect with the odd request tailored specifically for him, but those were questions that he hopefully was going to get answers to. "You're the client, yes…? This is the right location…?"

"Yes." The Client responded with a nod, facing Freed with what one could call an almost menacing grin. A few of the lacrima in the room were already full with magic, glowing specific colors that were almost distracting. "I'm so glad you could make it here today, Mr. Justine."

"What is it you need me to do, exactly…? What can I assist you with…." Freed trailed off, realizing that he didn't even know The Client's name and was hoping he would introduce himself officially.

"This won't take more than a few seconds, I promise. I just need one very important thing from you, Mr. Justine…your magic." The Client didn't even bothering answering Freed's question. Before the rune mage could react, a beam shot out from a lacrima behind him, draining of his magic.

"…!" Freed's eyes widened but he couldn't do a single thing. He collapsed on the ground and fell unconscious while a purple glow began emanating from the lacrima that absorbed his magic.

"Wonderful." The Client grinned before the lacrima shot a beam out at him, cloaking him in the same purple light. He then ran his fingers along the air, creating some runes with harmless effects just to test out the effectiveness of Rune Magic. "Absolutely splendid. Just as I suspected…very powerful runes. Now Fiore…we're going to play a game…and you're going to abide by my rules, whether you like it or not…"

.

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Next Time: Fight for Fiore!


	8. Chapter 8: Fight For Fiore

The sun shone brightly down on Fiore, the start of a normal day just like any other, the streets of Magnolia brimming with the usual chatter and excitement. Really, what could've gone wrong on a beautiful day such as this? Of course…such a beautiful peace couldn't last for long, this was just a given in Fiore. Fairy Tail was busy as always, though some members were out and about doing various things such as Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Erza, etc. Business as usual was still occurring, but things were shaken up as Freed suddenly dropped into the guild. "What the…!?" Elfman's eyes widened as Freed suddenly dropped into the guild with no word or warning.

"Freed?!"

Laxus, Evergreen, and Bickslow were the first to react and rushed to Freed's side. "Freed!" Evergreen cried out. "Are you okay! Freed!" Surprisingly, Freed was actually unharmed. There was not a physical wound on his body.

"He's breathing okay…" Bickslow said as everyone started to gather around. "He doesn't look hurt…but something seems different about him."

"Ugh…" Freed came to, realizing exactly where he was after a few seconds. "Back here…?"

"Relax, Freed. Tell us what happened." Laxus said while crossing his arms. "Does it have anything to do with that mission that needed you?"

"Y-Yeah…" Freed nodded slowly. "It…it all happened so quickly…he…he stole my magic…and the rest is a blur."

"He stole your magic…!?" Lisanna gasped.

"Slow down…" Makarov said. "Explain it slowly. What happened, Freed?" Oh, that was a question that was going to get answered quickly.

Jet ran into the guild, panting heavily before relaying an important message. "G-Guys…! There's something outside in the sky!" The speed mage pointed outside and everyone ran out, only to see a lacrima screen floating in the sky.

"Another one of these…?" Gajeel scoffed, growing annoyed with the number of lacrima screens that appeared in the sky whenever something bad was going to happen. "What psycho wants to take over the country this time!?"

The Client appeared on the screen, his face mostly hidden by the shadows of whatever room he was in, but there was no hiding the grin on his face. "Good morning, Fiore! Wonderful to see you, all of you. Especially you, you glorious mages!"

"What's this guy's deal…?" Levy mumbled the question with a small sweat drop forming on her forehead.

"That's the one…" Freed panted.

"I'm so sorry to have intruded on your morning, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to be keeping you within my grasp for the remainder of the day." The Client said while throwing up his hands. "We're going to play a game; you have no choice but to play along with me." These words alone caused an audible murmur to echo through the town.

"Who does this guy think he is…?" Cana grumbled while taking a sip of her beer.

"I have captured mages from Fairy Tail, Shaman's Haven, Blue Pegasus, Sabertooth, and even from the Council, and I have robbed them of their magic." To prove his point, The Client brought forth the lacrima that were brimming with the magic of others. "Not only this…but this will continue to spread unless someone dares to stop me. You mages are all fond of your magic right? Then FIGHT for it! Fight to save and protect the mage that is dear to you and all those you hold dear, because if you don't, you'll never have any magic ever again!"

"This guy is fucking insane…!" Gajeel grunted.

"Here's how this game is going to work…I see all of you mages are scattered across Fiore, which is perfect already. I've set up runes all over the country, and you're all going to try and find me. However, the runes will pop up and you will be forced to fight one another, and the loser will lose their magic and it will be added to my lovely collection. If the last person standing can make it to me and win, all the magic will return to everyone. If not…they Fiore will fall from within. This is the Fight for Fiore, and I'm anxious to see who will climb to the top…!" With that, the lacrima screen cut off and Magnolia, along with the rest of the country went into a panic.

Laxus scoffed before beginning to walk off without a word. Makarov noticed this and shouted towards his grandson. "Laxus! Where are you going!?"

"You know where I'm going, old man." Laxus replied without turning back. "I don't care about the other people he's hurt, but that bastard had the audacity to hurt one of my family members. So for that, I'm going to bash his skull in. I don't care who gets in my way either, I'll take them all down." With that, Laxus turned into a bolt of lightning and sped off from the scene.

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Wendy, Cynthia, and Carla were with Chelia just outside of Lamia Scale when the message from The Client was radioed to everyone in Fiore. The four girls stared with shock before looking at each other with widened eyes. "W-What's this all about!?" Carla shouted. "We can't fight each other, that's absurd!"

"Fighting everyone…" Wendy mumbled. She didn't want to think of running into someone horribly bad…or even fighting against someone from her own guild. "I wouldn't run into Natsu-san…"

"That would be rough…" Cynthia agreed before glancing at Chelia. "You should…"

"Don't worry about me." Chelia cut Cynthia off before pulling out a bow. "I've got this!"

"W-what is that?" Carla said while tilting her head.

"Raven made this for me." Chelia said while pulling on the bowstring, a wind arrow forming in the bowstring and she released it into the arrow. "I can't use magic…but he made me something that could use magic!"

"He's so sweet, what the heck." Cynthia gasped and squealed at Chelia's little story. "So we don't have to worry too much about you…but we should stick together. Who knows what could happen in this kind of setting."

"She's right…" Carla nodded in agreement. "If we stick together perhaps things won't be as bad."

"Right! Let's go, follow me!" Cynthia was determined to lead the way with the others following right behind her. But things weren't going to be as simple as the three young girls thought; as soon as Cynthia crossed an invisible line a rune wall popped out behind her, sealing the way back. "Ahh!?"

"Cynthia!" Wendy and Chelia ran up to the wall and attempted to break it down, only to be bounced back by the rules of the runes. "Oof…!"

"We can't get through…!" Cheila groaned. "Cynthia, are you going to be okay…!?"

"I'll be fine!" Cynthia reassured Chelia, Carla, and most importantly Wendy. "No one's getting my magic!"

"Cynthia…please be safe okay…?" Wendy placed her hand on the barrier, which didn't try to blow her away this time.

Cynthia placed her hand on the barrier where Wendy's was, giving a soft smile and a nod. "I promise. I won't be going anywhere…and if I do, I know you'll come save me."

"Like I promised." Wendy said with a soft smile, now giving a silent nod.

"I'll see you guys a little later, okay!?" With that, Cynthia ran off.

Still…Wendy couldn't help but have a knot in her stomach. In a situation like this, she was more than worried about Cynthia. "Cynthia…"

"Come on Wendy, we should get going…" Chelia patted Wendy on the shoulder, trying to ease the notable worry on Wendy's face.

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"Huh…?" Reiss was on the balcony of White Eclipse, staring up at The Client was delivering his message. "Fight For Fiore…? What the heck is this all about…?"

"People are fighting…?" Micaiah started up at the sky. "Why…? Should we get involved…?"

"Absolutely not." Mary objected. "It's too dangerous for you rookies to even think about it. You'll stay right here. Watch the kids."

"E-Eh…?" Evelyn blinked at Mary's orders. Anyone could sense the urgency in Mary's voice and knew it was better than to disobey her orders. "W-What about the veterans…? A-Are they…"

"They'll be fine." Mary had no worries about them. "They're all out and about as usual. But you rookies, or kids are NOT to step out of this guild right now. If anyone comes, I'll deal with them myself, understood?"

Though it was understandable why Mary didn't want them to fight, the rookies and kids couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of disappointment. A chance to fight yet they weren't going to be able to show what they were made of…well, yet anyway.

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"Milady, are you okay?! Sting rushed over to Minerva who was thrown into the guild suddenly, during The Client's announcement.

Minerva slammed her fist into the ground, scowling heavily. "That bastard…he took my magic as well…"

"H-He did!?" Yukino's eyes widened and her hands covered her mouth to hide the shock. "T-That's terrible…! W-We have to get it back."

"He won't get away with this…" Rogue shook his head before standing up, now turning to look at Sting and the others. "We'll have to split up."

"Frosch doesn't want Rogue to go…!" Frosch objected while clinging to Rogue's leg. "It's not safe."

"Heh…" Rogue's lips curved to a soft smile and he knelt down to pet Frosch on the head. "Don't worry, Frosch. I'll be back soon."

"I have faith in Rogue and Sting-kun!" Lector held up his hand before high fiving the crouching Sting. "We'll watch over the guild while you guys are out there kicking butt!"

"Of course you two will. You're in charge!" Sting gently ruffled Lector's hair before nodding to the others; Rogue, Yukino, Rufus, and Orga. "Okay guys, let's do this! We're going to get our Lady's magic back, and the magic of those that's been stolen!"

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"Jellal…" Meredy tugged Jellal's arm after The Client made his announcement. It was quite the daunting one for sure.

"Are we supposed to not intervene?" Ultear turned to Jellal who looked like he was pondering for the answer.

"I think that would be impossible by this point." Cobra added with a soft scoff. "He wasn't lying when he said he set up runes all over this entire country. There's no way out." As he spoke, his lips curved into a wide grin…he wanted to fight, and he wasn't even trying to hide this desire.

"I don't care for this…" Midnight yawned while sitting cross legged on the ground, arms crossed and his eyes closed. He actually started to fall asleep in the heat of this moment.

"It appears we don't have a choice in the matter." Jellal shook his head. As much as he didn't want to fight like this, if they were going to travel there was almost a guarantee that they were going to have to fight someone along the way…and they were going to be separated as well. There was no way around it. "Be careful…all of you."

"You don't have to worry about me." Cobra chuckled before waving a dismissive hand, sticking the other in his pocket before walking off. He was planning on having some fun…and that's exactly what worried Jellal the most.

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"A fight!?" Natsu's eyes lit up with excitement, fist pounding together as flames flared around his body. At the same time, he heard that The Client had the gall to hurt some people from Fairy Tail while he and the others were away, so the flare of anger was visible in his eyes as well.

"This sounds a little dangerous…" Lucy remarked, but she knew whatever she told Natsu now would just go in one ear and out the other.

"A fight spanning the entire country…" Happy crossed his arms, eyes closed while his head tilted to one side. "For the sake of magic…?"

"We've had more eccentric enemies in the past…" Lucy sighed. "But I'll do my best too! So…!" The blonde turned to give Natsu some good luck, but all she could see was the outline of his body in his former location. "E-EH!? NATSU?!"

"He's already gone…" Happy couldn't help but chuckle.

"I'M ALL FIRED UP!" Natsu roared while just sprinting down a random pathway at top speed, completely forgetting about Lucy and Happy. He realized there was seriously no way back when a rune barrier appeared behind him, sealing the path off. Did this stop him? Nope. He just kept going, planning to run through whoever his opponents were. Fight for Fiore was on.

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Next Time: The Fight Begins!


	9. Chapter 9: The Fight Begins

Fight for Fiore had officially begun. The mages of the country were thrown into battle for the sake of their magic and the magic of those they held dear…but of course there were more motives than just those two. The Client left one final message before allowing the Fight to begin. "The winner of any battle has the chance to kill, or spare their opponent. It matters not for I will take their magic anyway…and if a battle ends up taking far too long, I will personally decide the winner. Have fun, Fiore~"

Back in Fairy Tail, Levy had several books and maps open along with Gale Force Glasses, speeding through the books as quickly as she could in attempt to find a solution in the event things began going south. "Hmm…"

"What are you even looking for, Levy?" Droy asked while holding a chicken leg in his hand. There was no way he was going to go out there immediately as long as Levy remained inside.

"I'm trying to figure out if there's a way to save the magic of those stolen without having to confront that guy." Levy replied. "If it's true what he says and he has the magic of a lot of mages already, one person fighting against him will not win. Especially with all the powerful mages we have here in the country, the odds are made to stack against the winner…"

"Gihehe…" Gajeel cracked his knuckles as a wide grin formed along his lips. "You worry too much, shrimp. If you haven't noticed, there's a monster standing right here in this guild."

"Laxus already left…" Romeo pointed out.

"CAN IT TWERP!" Gajeel shouted at Romeo before huffing. "I don't need to take this. I'm going out there."

"Gajeel, you can't just rush out there…!" Levy tried to pull Gajeel's arm in attempt to pull him back, but with their size difference she just look adorable with her futile efforts. "We're going to need you for something!"

"That something better be fighting." Gajeel huffed.

"Fighting will be a part of it!" Levy promised. "Listen, Freed…do you remember where you went when you took that request?"

"Somewhere in south west Fiore…" Freed replied. "There was an old building, you couldn't miss it. You really think he'll still be there after this…?"

"Even if he isn't there must be a clue there! A clue that we're going to need your nose for, Gajeel!" Levy grinned while Gajeel just groaned; he couldn't believe he was being demoted like this. "Don't be like that! We're gonna need someone to fight for us!"

"Tch…" Gajeel rolled his eyes. "As long as I get to kick some ass."

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The Client sat in his chair, staring around at the soon to be filled lacrimas. There was a grin on his face as several screens appeared before his desk, showing all of the fights that were about to happen or were under way. "Looks like they all love their magic just as much as I thought. Dance little puppets, dance!" He laughed to himself as he managed to have Fiore enter a little civil war within itself, only at the end of it all he planned to be the only one standing.

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Natsu ran aimlessly. He had no idea where he was actually supposed to be going but he was going to put down anyone who dared to stand in his way; he was a man with a mission and he was already tough to take down as it was. It wasn't too much longer before a bolt of lightning dropped down on him, but his enhanced senses allowed him to react before the bolt actually landed on him. The Salamander leapt to the side, growling slightly as he looked forward to see who tried to smite him.

A male with blonde hair and red eyes stepped forward, wearing one of those vests that showed off his six pack. "So you're Natsu Dragneel? I've always wanted to fight off against you. I am Blaze Bolt, and I…!"

Before Blaze could even continue Natsu slammed his fist into the male's skull, driving him into the ground with nothing but his raw strength, resulting in an instant KO. "Get outta my way!" Natsu yelled before leaping back, now just blinking as he realized he took out Blaze in one shot. "Oh…"

"Natsu Dragneel has taken the first victory! How surprising!" The Client appeared via Thought Projection, examining the scene before giving a slight shrug. "Hm…not much of an encounter, was it?"

"You!" Natsu was prepared to fight, but stopped when The Client held his hand out.

"This is only a Thought Projection. I can't have you wasting your energy on this useless thing." The Client then snapped his fingers, a beam of light dropping down from the sky onto Blaze's unconscious body. When the light faded, The Client held his hand up and lightning began surging around it. "…How disappointing….but to be expected. I guess I can't expect the good stuff until later."

"You won't get away with this you bastard." Natsu growled, clenching his fist tightly.

"Won't I?" The Client's voice chimed before the rune barrier blocking Natsu vanished, and the Thought Projection faded away.

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"White Fury!" Eve threw his hands forward, unleashing a powerful blizzard in Sting's direction that threatened to freeze him to his very core.

The White Dragon stood his ground, arms crossed over his chest to soften the blow to the best of his abilities. He slid back, gritting his teeth in slight pain before leaping to the side and out of the attack. "White Dragon's…" Sting closed the gap between himself and Eve, slashing Eve across the chest with his hand. "Claw!"

"Ngh…!" Eve grunted in pain while staggering back a step, but after that he realized his body wasn't responding to the movements he wanted. "W-What the…!?" There was a stigmata on his chest, binding all of his movements.

"I apologize, Eve-san…" Sting clenched his hand into a tight fist, white magic radiating brilliantly from it. "But I have to do this! White Dragon's Iron Fist!" Sting then drove his fist into Eve's face to force him into the ground for a more brutal KO than he would've liked, but it had to be done.

"Sting Eucliffe takes victory!" The Client's voice echoed out before a beam of light rained down onto Eve, taking his magic before vanishing.

"…" Sting shook his head as the rune barrier vanished. "I'm gonna find that bastard…and I'm going to make him pay…"

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South Fiore. The waters of the beach were calm while the country was suffering an inner turmoil. Draco of White Eclipse walked across the sand with his arms behind his head. He was fully aware of what was going on and was on the lookout for anyone that came his way. It wasn't long before a rune barrier appeared behind him, sealing off the way back. "Oh?" The ivory haired male quirked a brow in interest. "Does that mean I get an opponent now?"

"Well, well…" Jaxon shook his head while crossing his arms, approaching Draco with a slight grin. "This is quite the turn of events, don't you think, Draco?"

"Oh…" Draco's lips quickly curled into a grin at the sight of the S class from his guild. "What a nice surprise to see you here, Jaxon."

"I hope you're not getting any silly ideas, Draco!" Jaxon said with a growing grin. "You're not going to be an S class…and if you haven't noticed, this not your element."

Draco blinked before looking at the water, a slight sweat drop forming on his forehead. "Huh…" Shaking his head, the male looked back at Jaxon before white flames began covering his body. "Well nobody said beating an S class was easy." He was ready for the challenge.

"Heh…" With small laugh, Jaxon let his arms dropped and he prepared himself for the battle to come. "You know the White Eclipse Tradition. The weaker opponent makes the first move."

"You don't have to tell me." Draco said before sprinting forward towards Jaxon, white flames wrapping around his dominate arm. "Ardent Spark!" Once Draco was close, he swung his blazing arm forward, aiming for contact against Jaxon's chest.

As Draco neared, Jaxon pulled his own arm back, lightning beginning to surge around the limb. "Thunderpunch!" Jaxon threw his limb forward to clash with Draco's, a thunderclap echoing throughout the beach; a shockwave booming out as the two fists collided, sand separating and flying everywhere as the two Eclipse mages did battle.

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In a small open field somewhere in the east, Rogue was squaring off against Cynthia. The shadow dragon inhaled before lurching forward, unleashing a funnel of shadows at the young dragon slayer. "Shadow Dragon's Roar!"

The roar was coming in too quick for Cynthia to evade, so she had to cross her arms and take the hit, sliding back a few feet while taking some moderate damage. "Ugh…" Cynthia groaned before staring at Rogue, shaking her arms. "I'm sorry we have to fight like this, but I'm not going to be losing!" With that said Cynthia lunged forward with red flames flaring around her fists. "Iron Fist of the Omega Fire Dragon!" Her fist landed against Rogue's chest, sending him flying backwards while burning his chest.

"Guh!" Rogue grunted before catching himself, sliding along the ground. The shadow dragon palmed the ground, digging his hand into it to forcefully halt his own momentum before staring at Cynthia. "I agree…it is regrettable that we have to fight in this way, Cynthia. But my Lady needs me, and I cannot allow anything to get in my way." After saying that, Rogue's body began engulfed in shadows and his hair spiked up. He entered his Shadow Drive, showing that he was completely serious in this matter. "You may be a strong opponent…" In the next instant, Rogue vanished, only to appear behind Cynthia with his blazing red eyes glaring at her. "But you are still inexperienced. You can't catch a shadow." Rogue then placed his hand on Cynthia's side, releasing a burst of shadows that sent the female flying.

"YAH!" Cynthia cried out as the shadows struck her, causing her to tumble along the ground before coming to a halt. She had no time to relax as Rogue then emerged from her shadow, wrapping around her body with his shadowy figure to constrict her.

"Shadow Dragon's…" Rogue was prepared to end it then and there, but Cynthia's red flames erupted from her body. The heat was too much and forced Rogue to release Cynthia to not be burnt to a crisp. "Tch…!"

"Twin Talons!" As soon as she was released, Cynthia swung two fiery kicks at Rogue, both of them landing and doing their job in getting Rogue off her. With a grunt, Rogue staggered backwards before glaring at Cynthia. "Sorry Rogue…but I made a promise to Wendy and I don't intend on breaking it…!"

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Waas Forest, just east of the northern mountains of Fiore. Erza Scarlet was cleaning out, easily defeating a groups of mages that she was trapped with. Speeding around in her Flight Armor, Erza also held her Flame Sword in her grasp. All the mages could see was a blur that left trails of searing flames that sent people flying with pained grunts. Erza came to a halt, looking at all the damage she did behind her. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to let you all get in my way."

"Bravo, bravo, Ms. Scarlet!" The Client's voice came from somewhere, but Erza was unable to pinpoint the location. "I'm looking forward to the moment you lose. Having such powerful requip in my possession will be lovely…"

"I don't know where you are…but I assure you I won't be losing. You've done too much damage as it is already." Erza snarled at The Client, wherever he was. But it didn't seem like he was listening anymore. The beams of light dropped down from the sky on all the mages Erza defeated, completely sapping them of their magic so The Client could make use of it. This just caused Erza to frown before shaking her head. She knew she was going to have to fight against Familiar faces sooner or later, especially those from her own guild. That was something she really wasn't looking forward too. With a heavy sigh Erza walked towards the rune barrier that was blocking her way…but oddly it didn't disperse. "What…?"

Sidney Castle appeared on the scene, arms crossed as he examined the scene Erza left. Behind Sidney was an identical scene, unconscious mages lying face down in the dirt after facing off against the Ace of White Eclipse. "So there was one left after all…"

"Sidney." Erza turned to face Sidney. It was just the two of them…and only one of them was going to walk away from this. "I must admit…I wasn't expecting to have to fight you. But this is fine with me…this time I can finally give you payback for what you did to Natsu."

"Are you still on about that…?" Sidney questioned with his usual disinterested expression. "You Fairies don't let go of anything do you?" With a slight shake of his head, Sidney merely crossed his arms while staring at Erza. He would've forgotten about the incident but it seemed that he just wasn't allowed to with everyone from Fairy Tail pestering him about it every time they encountered each other. "You know how this is going to end, don't you?"

"Yes." Erza pointed her blade directly at Sidney. Her expression told the opposite of what Sidney was thinking…as to be expected. "I'm going to be advancing forward."

Sidney didn't even respond to that comment. Instead he just stood at the ready as the wind blew by. "The tenacity Fairy Tail shows never ceases to surprise me with how…annoyingly hopeless it is. But I expected nothing less of you, Erza Scarlet."

"I'm glad I didn't disappoint you." Erza quipped with a sly smirk.

Sidney wasn't going to waste anymore of his words on pre-battle banter. "You should be aware of the tradition by now. The weaker opponent makes the first move."

"I'm aware…" Erza replied with a nod before the smirk on her lips grew ever so slightly. She was feeling herself right now. "Which is why I've been wondering why you haven't made a move yet."

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Next Time: Ghost of a Chance


	10. Chapter 10: Ghost of a Chance

Lucy ran alongside a flying Happy. The two of them were looking for Natsu but they soon realized that they wouldn't be able to find him under these circumstances. Who knew how far he had gotten by this point? And really, Lucy should've been worrying about herself than the others…who knows who she had the chance of running into with the country thrown into such an inner turmoil. "I wonder how everyone else is doing…"

'I'm sure they're fine!" Happy reassured with a wide grin. "Laxus and Erza are probably putting in a lot of work right now, so there's no need to worry!"

"Yeah…I guess you're right." Lucy gave a nod of agreement to Happy. "I just hope I don't run into anybody-" As she spoke, an arrow of wind zipped right past her, causing her to yelp in surprise as she leapt to the side. "….Strong…"

"Tch…" Raven grunted as he sneered at Lucy. "Man…you're pretty evasive for someone who doesn't pay attention to her surroundings."

"You're a little snarky you know that?" Lucy placed her hands on her hips while pouting at Raven. "I'm guessing you haven't seen Chelia, Wendy, or Cynthia, huh?"

"Not since I left Lamia." Raven shook his head before taking aim at Lucy once again, pulling back on the bowstring. "I'm sure they're fine, but this isn't about them. This is about you and me right now…and I'm not too keen on losing my magic." Several arrows of wind appeared on the bowstring and Raven released, sending these arrows soaring towards Lucy at incredible speeds.

Without missing a beat, Lucy pulled out one of her Golden Keys out and swiped it along the air. "Gate of the Archer, I open thee! Sagittarius!" On that cue, the cosplaying horse appeared with his own bow at the ready.

"I am here to assist, Moshi-moshi! You won't beat me in an archery contest!" Sagittarius already had several arrows ready and unleashed them towards the ones Raven unleashed; the arrows clashed before exploding in the middle.

"Star Dress: Sagittarius!" Lucy exclaimed as a golden light wrapped around her body to enter her Star Dress, now having her own bow at the ready. Together she and Sagittarius were going to drown Raven in an onslaught of arrows.

"Tch…" Raven rolled to the side before pointing his bow into the air. "Arrow Squall!" He released an arrow of a different element this time: water. The arrow of water soared into the air before falling back down in the hundreds, raining down on both Lucy and Sagittarius.

"Look out!" Without a second thought, both Lucy and her spirit unleashed a flurry of their own arrows to counter the ones raining in the sky. They were unable to deal with every single arrow but a large majority of the 'rain' was canceled out. Lucy and her spirit took moderate damage from the remaining arrows but otherwise they were okay. "Geez…that stung…"

"I wouldn't underestimate me." Raven said while taking a sort of cocky stance. "I've always wanted to go arrow-to-arrow with Sagittarius, so go ahead, make my day!"

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Rogue slid across the ground after tanking a fiery punch from Cynthia. Now that he was a few feet away from the female he had ample space to unleash a long distance counter attack. "Shadow Dragon's Rough Silk!" The shadow dragon pointed his hand forward, unleashing several thin beams of shadows from his fingertips that aimed to pierce through Cynthia to inflict massive damage if they all connected.

"…!" Cynthia eyes widened at the amount of beams coming in her direction. Without thinking too much about it she just swayed her body to the side; it wasn't the most effective evasive maneuver as several beams ended up grazing her leg or piercing her shoulder. She bit her lip to hold back the cry of pain before returning fire, slamming the ground with her fist to create a red magic seal under Rogue's feet. "Omega Fire Dragon's Eruption!"

Rogue's eyes wandered down to the seal right under him. He realized what it was a second too late and the seal unleashed an eruption of flames that sent him spiraling backwards, covered in harsh burns. "Gyah…!" Rogue hit the ground on his back, grimacing in pain as he tried to fight through it. He quickly stood back up and began to inhale once again before throwing his head forward and opening his mouth. "Shadow Dragon's Roar!" With that shout, another funnel of shadows released from his mouth and raced directly towards Cynthia.

Blue eyes narrowed and Cynthia actually began running forward her knees bent. She then took a massive leap over Rogue's Shadow Dragon's Roar while red flames blazed wildly around her feet. "Twin Talons!" In one swift motion, Cynthia aimed a dual axe kick at the top of Rogue's skull; direct impact was made and the Shadow Dragon fell backwards in KO, Shadow Drive fading away.

"Whew…" Cynthia let out a heavy sigh before wincing from the pain of her injuries. Rogue was no pushover…

"And it appears that Cynthia has taken victory over Rogue! How interesting!" The Client spoke before a beam of light dropped down on Rogue, taking away his magic before disappearing, and the Rune Barrier in the area faded.

Rogue groaned slowly before waking up, already having realized he lost. "I failed Sabertooth, I see…but you are a formidable opponent, Cynthia. I suppose I owe you lunch like we talked about before…"

"Don't worry, Rogue…" Cynthia shook her head at the shadow dragon and gave a smile. "We got this! I'll do my best to fight for you guys and for my own, I promise."

"Well…if anyone can get this job done, it may just be Fairy Tail…" Rogue said while rubbing his head. "But Sabertooth has a score to settle with this man as well…so don't think for a second you can count the others out. This man will pay…"

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Various places in Fiore were practically in shambles with everyone fighting against one another. Yukino had taken a few victories over some unnamed mages, coming out with only moderate damage overall in the end, but it was still quite exhausting. "Whew…" The spirit mage took a seat under a tree to catch her breath, using the time to look over her injuries. There was nothing serious to worry about but she sure was feeling worn down. "This is rougher than I thought it would…I wonder how the others are faring…" It was worrisome to not have an update on everything going on. Before she could continue collecting her thoughts the tree she was sitting under collapsed, the large trunk fell forward, just leaving her enough room to pull her knees in quickly and yelp. "E-Eeep….?!"

Ren leapt away from Lyon's Ice Make: Snow Tiger, a minor sweat drop on his forehead as he stared at the way it was easily able of cutting down that tree. "What a fearsome beast…I imagine that would've left quite a mark." Shaking his head, he pointed his hands forward. "Air Burst!" From his hands, a quick, but powerful burst of air shot out and collided against both Lyon and his Snowtiger.

Lyon was thrown back slightly and dug his heels into the ground to avoid being thrown off his feet; however his Snow Tiger shattered in ice shards. "Ice Make…" Lyon didn't miss a beat, now slamming his fist in his palm for yet another creation. "Dragonfly!" Elegantly tossing his hand forward, the ice make ace unleashed several dragonflies that flew towards Ren.

"Those two are fighting..." Yukino mumbled to herself, peering around the broken tree stump. They didn't notice her just yet, so now was the most opportune time for a surprise attack…even though she felt a little bad about it. "Gomen, Lyon-sama, Ren-sama…" A golden key was pulled out and held out to her side. "Gate of the Scales, I open thee. Libra!" A bell chime echoed out and the zodiac spirit appeared before Yukino. "Libra! Increase the field of gravity around them…!"

"As you wish." Libra nodded and tipped both of the scales she carried down. As soon as she did, both Lyon and Ren came to a halt, their knees bending and quivering as they fought against the sudden change in gravity.

"W-What the…?" Lyon looked around, struggling to keep on his two feet.

"Gravity…?" Ren grunted.

"I'm sorry to do this to the both of you…" Yukino said while emerging from her hiding spot, holding another key out during her approach to the two males; the key began to shine a radiant golden light. "But Sabertooth and Minerva-sama are relying on me, and I will do what I must to ensure victory."

.

.

Erza pointed her blade at Sidney, eyes narrowing as she removed her smug attitude for a moment to take Sidney seriously. She knew how strong he was and she was just going to have one hell of an uphill battle. "Well…?"

"You don't want me to make the first move." Sidney stated.

Despite her attempts to have Sidney move first, it wasn't working. So Erza just nodded instead. "Very well." With her Flight Armor equipped, she sped off, appearing as a blur to the naked eye. She had her Flame Sword in hand; once close to Sidney she aimed a blindly fast strike with her lit sword, aiming to slash Sidney right across the chest in one swift motion.

Sidney didn't budge when Erza came at him. He could see her movements easily and when she came in for the slash he merely shifted his torso to the side, completely evading the hit with as little effort as possible. Just before Erza could completely pass him, Sidney swung his let at the back of her head, his physical strength more than enough to send Erza crashing into the ground.

Erza let out a cry of pain before digging her swords into the ground, stopping her momentum forcefully. Without a second to spare she lunged forward once again, this time requipping the blade that paired with her Flight Armor along with her Flame Sword in the other. "Sonic Claw!" Speeding past Sidney once more, only this time a series of incredibly fast slashes were aimed at the White Eclipse ace along with a trail of flames coming from each swing. This technique was often used to overwhelm foes with her speed; Erza turned on her heel to see how effective it was on Sidney…and the result surprised her. "….!"

Sidney was untouched from Erza's attack. Only the flames from her sword managed to graze the ghost mage, resulting in small burn marks on his clothing and maybe on his skin. With a slight shake of his head, Sidney merely stepped on the ground. This action caused four tombstones to rise from the ground, towering above Erza while leaving only one way out: up. Sidney then leapt onto the top of a tombstone and pointed his hand down, releasing a rain of smaller, but damaging tombstones down on Erza.

"Agh…!" Erza had no way out. The rain of tombstones violently slammed down on her, causing her to grunt in pain with each collision. Bruises were already beginning to form on her fair skin from contact; a bright light wrapped around her body as she entered her Adamantine Armor, using this to shield herself from the rain of tombstones, but she couldn't stay in this position for long. Knees bent and Titania leapt high, keeping her shields above her head until she was out of the little trap Sidney set and now high in the air, where another light wrapped around her body. Erza entered her Heaven's Wheel Armor, summoning roughly 100 blades in front of her. "Taste my blades!"

Erza's swords began to rain down towards Sidney, aiming to skewer and impale him with no mercy. Sidney didn't move an inch; instead a magic seal just appeared underneath his foot. "Resurrection: Frankenstein." From the seal, a large cliché Frankenstein monster towering 20 feet into the air rose slowly. The monster was impaled by a large majority of the swords before toppling over and fading away. The remaining swords were dealt with by Sidney merely leaning to the side accordingly; the blades didn't even graze his clothing.

While Sidney was seemingly distracted dodging the blades, Erza flew forward with her blades crossed in an X formation. "Pentagram Sword!" Flying past Sidney, Erza unleashed a series of slashes that formed the shape of a pentagon. These were the first several hits of Erza's to finally land against the Ghost Mage, but it wasn't even a direct hit; Sidney blocked the blow by bringing up and flexing his arm. There was a noticeable gash on Sidney's arm and several others along his chest, leg, and side, but it didn't seem to bother the SS class all that much if at all…still Erza had a sly grin on her face.

"…" Sidney turned, his body turning transparent for a split second before returning to normal. He wasn't impressed with the trick Erza attempted to pull. "A blade that doesn't have to hit to do damage…but if there's nothing to hit, there is no damage dealt."

"Wha…" The red head's jaw dropped. Sidney managed to avoid her carefully hidden blade…it didn't have to make contact to do damage, but Sidney just outright avoided it all together.

"You're wasting my time." Sidney stated bluntly. "Either come at me with everything you've got, or just fall here."

Brown eyes glared towards Sidney before another light wrapped around Erza; The Giant's Armor. She planned to make Sidney submit to her in a contest of physical strength. With her bulky armor equipped Erza lunged forward towards the Eclipse Ace while rearing her fist back. "Haaaaaaa….!" She threw it forward, aiming for contact against Sidney's chest…but he caught her fist.

Sidney did slide back a few feet from Erza's strength, but he palmed her armored hand before employing a vice grip so tight she could feel it through her armor. "I know how you fight, and I can tell you that it won't work against me." Sidney's grip tightened on Erza's hand and her armor began to crack.

"I won't be losing here!" Erza shouted while desperately swinging her free hand at Sidney, but he just caught that one as well. The grip was now so tight Erza found herself falling to a knee while glaring up at the ghost mage, gritting her teeth in pain. "My…comrades need me…"

Shaking his head, Sindey's grip continued to tighten. "I told you this before we began, but you didn't listen. You're no match for me." Right after he said that, Sidney's might crushed the arms of the Giant's Armor, and his hands were now beginning to bend Erza's backwards. He was seriously going to break her arms.

Erza was desperate and needed to escape this situation. Several blades formed around Sidney and just fired off with the intent of him releasing Erza and backing away; he did just that, leaping away from Erza and the incoming blades that were distractions, however a few of them were surprisingly on point and cut his right leg and side…but again, the damage didn't bother Sidney too much. "Now!" Erza thought to herself, lunging forward while swinging her armored leg at Sidney's face. Sidney blocked this strike with his forearm and aimed his fist at Erza's stomach with so much force the armor around her shattered and her eyes widened in pain. Titania was thrown back, violently tumbling along the forest ground before hitting a tree, gasping for from Sidney's infamous gut punch.

Sidney's foot hit the ground again, yet another magic seal forming. "Resurrection: Phantoms." From the seal, three cliché phantoms rose and immediately flew towards the downed Erza. These phantoms were more dangerous than they appeared, for if they touched their opponent, it would drain the target of their magic.

Erza was still struggling to catch her breath after the wind was knocked out of her. She couldn't be pinned down like this so early…forcing herself to stand, Titania allowed yet another glow to wrap around her body, now entering her Morning Star armor with the two blades in hand. It was a little trick, but she actually began running forward as fast as she could, cutting through all three phantoms before coming to a halt to catch the rest of her breath. "I wonder how you'll handle this one…" Leaping high into the air, Erza placed her blades together, magic gathering on the tips of both blades before pointing them forward at Sidney. "PHOTON SLICER!" From the blades, a massive sphere of energy shot out. The target was Sidney and it was rapidly approaching.

"…" Sidney didn't bat an eye but he acknowledged the threat Photon Slicer made. So much that a magic seal formed under both him and Erza…and in an instant they swapped places.

One second Erza was watching her attack fly at Sidney, and the next she saw it flying towards HER! "Damn…!" Erza grunted in annoyance before crossing her arms, entering her Adamantine Armor once again. She felt a hand on her back, and her eyes widened. Sidney was already behind her, and by using his transparency he pushed Erza OUT of her Adamantine, allowing the armor to crumble while a completely defenseless Erza was thrown into her own Photon Slicer; the meeting of the two ended in a large explosion and a scream of pain from Titania. The dust settled, and Erza bruised and bloodied and in nothing but tattered undergarments, laid on the ground, slowly trying to push herself up. She glanced around her, only for her eyes to widen in shock once more.

"This is the end." Sidney summoned several scarecrows with jack-o-lanterns for heads. The scarecrows surrounded Erza in a circle and all grabbed their heads and pulled them off before hurling them at the downed Fairy. Once they all met in the middle…another massive explosion occurred on the spot. Dust and smoke settled after a few moments and Erza was face down in the dirt. "Like I said…you didn't stand a chance." The ghost mage shook his head and prepared to walk off…but the sound of a faint cough halted him.

"I…" Erza coughed. Her hand clenched into a fist and she ended up picking up some dirt from the ground. Slowly but surely, Erza began to pick herself up from off the ground, standing up hunched over, breathing heavily as blood trickled down her forehead. "I will not…lose…my comrades…are counting on me…! Second origin: release!" An explosion of magic occurred; the injured Erza still had fight left in her and she didn't plan on stopping until Sidney went down. Erza was now donning the Armor of Nagakami, giving Sidney a glare of determination that could pierce the soul of any mortal.

Sidney paused for a moment before meeting Erza's determination with another shake of his head. He didn't even budge at the legendary armor. "Of course…your last stand show of bravado and determination, as expected when you've reached your peak of desperation. I'm not Reve...I've nothing to prove against you, nor can you defeat me with even that armor. So I will only say this one more time. Erza Scarlet…

You're only wasting my time."

.

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Next Time: Shrouded Starlight.


	11. Chapter 11: Shrouded Starlight

Erza's last stand. Sidney pushed her to don the armor of Nagakami, and at this rate it was her only hope of defeating the Ace of White Eclipse. The armor was running at the cost of her own magic, so she had limited time to do this. Had any of her guild mates been watching, they would believe in her because she's Erza. But…this was Sidney Castle. To think he'd go down without so much as a fight was ludicrous. "I won't lose here…!" Titania screamed while swinging her lance forward, unleashing several crescent beams from the tip of her lance at Sidney, taking slow steps forward to close the gap between the two.

Even Sidney had little choice but to respect the Armor of Nagakami. He had to step away and lean to the side to avoid some of the crescent beams. He was unable to completely evade every single one, as several of them ended up grazing his body, but he showed not a single sign of pain despite how high the damage probably was. A normal mage by this point would've croaked no questions asked. "…"

"HAAA!" Once Erza was close enough she thrusted the tip of her spear forward, aiming to pierce right through Sidney's chest for a finishing blow. Sidney clasped his hands on the tip of the spear just before it hit him, the sharp edge digging into his hands. There was a brief power struggle for a few seconds before Sidney raised his foot to kick Erza in the stomach. A choked grunt of pain was forced from Titania as she tumbled along the forest ground once again before coming to a halt, using her spear as a support to stand back up.

"…It's time to end this." Sidney reached the end of his patience, and this battle was beginning to drag on far too long for his liking.

"I couldn't agree more." Erza gave a firm nod, now forcing herself to stand up straight. "I'll end this right now." The grip on her spear tightened greatly and she lunged forward once again, the tip of her lance sparkling brightly. "Nagakami Starlight!" Erza flew past Sidney while swinging her lance, 'stars' appearing right after her swing that exploded violently, noticeable to anyone nearby or far away; the brilliant explosions shook a small section of Fiore, and Erza could only hope that her piercing attack was enough to win…

Sidney was no fool; he could sense the danger Erza's last attack had to offer and he wasn't going to be foolish and merely just tank it. The Ghost mage clasped his hands together, a magic seal forming under him and his body was suddenly covered by a defensive urn. Nagakami Starlight was an exceptionally powerful attack and pierced through his urn and struck him. The blinding explosions covered Sidney from view…when the smoke and light faded, Sidney was still standing tall, his defensive urn completely shattered into pieces and his body looked bruised but he only winced at the end of it all. "Was that your strongest attack?" He needed to know for clarification.

"…" Erza was completely speechless. She was going all out and she had yet to even bring Sidney to so much as a knee. She wasn't even sure if she was actually hurting him at this point. Chocolate orbs shrunk in what was shock and maybe fear as Sidney completely tanked the strongest move in her arsenal.

"I thought so. Now then…it's time for me to show you mine." The ghost mage tugged on his scarf to show his signature show of respect. Sidney clapped his hands together once more, now floating in a seated position with his legs crossed. Four magic pillars appeared Erza, two black and two white, shooting into the endless sky. The four towers combined into one and shot up into the endless sky with Erza right in the middle; the black and white pillar was Eclipse magic, special to very select mages of White Eclipse. The tower then exploded violently, the power immeasurable. The only sound amidst the violent rumbling was Erza's cry of pain that slowly died down as the explosions slowly faded away…when it was all over; Erza was face down in the dirt, the Armor of Nagakami broken apart around her. She was done.

"And Sidney Castle takes victory over Erza Scarlet, how interesting…" The Client spoke before a beam dropped down onto Erza, sapping her of her magic. "Getting some good magic early, now this is something I like to see."

"…" Sidney said not a word. He took a step forward, ignoring the pain Erza managed to cause and just walked away as the rune barrier disappeared.

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Lucy and Sagittarius stumbled backwards from Raven's onslaught of arrows. Despite being so young, Raven was most definitely capable of holding his own against Lucy and her sharp shooting spirit. "Guess he wasn't getting around…." Lucy said while rubbing the back of her head. "Come on, Sagittarius!"

"We can overcome this foe, moshi-moshi!" Sagittarius saluted before taking aim at Raven once again, unleashing several arrows within the blink of an eye towards the young wing mage.

"Sorry, but I'm not losing here…!" Raven shouted while countering Sagittarius' arrows with his own. Now it was time for his counter attack; Raven formed several magic seals in front of him: red, blue, green, yellow, black, white, and brown. "Fury Blast!" On the cue Raven began unleashing several arrows that shot through the seals, becoming the elements of water, fire, earth, lightning, darkness, and light. These arrows aimed to swarm Lucy and her spirit, exploding violently with each respective element, various explosions occurring all along their battlefield. It was hard to tell if any of his shots were accurate enough due to the smoke and debris flying form each one. After Raven fired all shots, he stared into the smoke, waiting anxiously for the result…and a single arrow flew through the smoke, striking Raven right in his chest. "Guh…!" That one shot was enough to take him down. The wind mage collapsed on his back in defeat.

"Agh…" The smoke cleared and Lucy was covered in burn marks and bruises. She sent Sagittarius away due to his injuries and she ended up limping towards Raven. "Wow…you're kinda tough…"

"Thanks…you too…" Raven sighed. In the next instant a beam dropped down from above and sapped him of his magic…he blinked as he could feel a part of himself just vanish from his being. "W-What…?"

"Your magic…! Is it really gone…!?" Lucy asked with widened eyes.

"….My bow is still here…but I can't even do anything with it…" Raven replied. "I didn't think that guy was seriously capable of this…"

The rune barrier around them faded. Lucy clenched her hand into a fist and nodded at the young male. "Don't worry, we'll put a stop to this, that I promise you!"

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Yukino and Ren were sent flying backwards from Lyon's Ice Make: Ape. The icy creation beat its chest ferociously before standing in front of its creator, waiting for his next order. "I know Sheri isn't going to be too fond of hearing about this…" Lyon commented while dusting off his outfit. "But even if you are her fiancé, I cannot hold back…and you're more threatening than you originally appear." The last part was directed towards Yukino. "I'm afraid I cannot allow myself to lose to either of you."

"I see we're on the same page…" Ren said while standing back up. "Unfortunately for you, I will not be losing to anyone less handsome than I, so for that I apologize, Lyon…and to the fair Yukino, I wish I didn't have to bring harm to beautiful maiden such as yourself, it is truly regrettable…"

"Em…" Yukino sweat dropped, not particularly caring about the monologues the two males were giving. She could already tell where they were coming from because she felt the exact same way. The spirit mage quickly pulled out one of her silver keys, throwing it up into the air. "Gate of the Swan, I open thee! Deneb!" A bell chime echoed out and the celestial spirit, Deneb appeared. The edgy black swan slumped over while staring at the shocked Lyon and Ren.

"I know what you're thinking…" Deneb mumbled. "If he's the gate of the swan, why isn't he white…?"

"Uhm…" Lyon gulped silently the black swan.

"Not the first thing I expected, no…" Ren swallowed quietly.

"D-Deneb, please, finish them off…!" Yukino pleaded.

"Yeah…" Deneb didn't sound very into it but he was going to do what he had to anyway. He took off, his surprising speed catching Lyon and Ren off guard. Deneb flew in a triangle formation, lightning beginning to surround the two mages. Before they could react the triangle ended in a vicious explosion of lightning that spread out several meters. When the lightning faded both Lyon and Ren were down for the count. "There…they're down…just like me…"

"A-Ah…thank you, Deneb…!" Yukino praised her spirit to raise his…well, spirits, before calling him back. The rune barrier around the three of them faded away and Yukino was declared the winner by The Client.

"The Celestial Spirit mages takes it!" The Client chuckled before beams of light dropped down on both Ren and Lyon, sapping away their magic. "Ice Make and Air magic…I suppose I could make some use of this…"

Yukino clenched her hand into a fist as The Client had the nerve to think lightly of someone's magic. "How dare you think so lightly of someone's magic like that…they've spent their life working on it and…" It was pretty clear she was just talking to the air at this point, but even so she had to vent her anger. "Lyon-sama…Ren-sama…I'll fight to make sure your magic rightfully returns to you, that I swear…"

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Jaxon and Draco's battle was at its peak; both Eclipse mages were bruised and battered, but Jaxon was on the winning end of this bout for sure. "Come on…surely you can do better than that…" Jaxon taunted the blaze mage in attempt to push him to use his stronger techniques. "At this rate I'll just be moving on a little sore…"

"Tch…" Draco wiped the blood away from his mouth with his arm, grunting in annoyance at Jaxon's words. "Don't worry…it's about to get hot." A sly grin crossed the lips of the tanned male, red eyes glinting with anticipation. The earth began to rumble and a white pillar of flame erupted from the ground right under Jaxon's feet.

"…" Jaxon just narrowly saw this coming and quickly rolled to the side as the pillar of white flame shot into the sky, incinerating the sand within a few foot radius. The S class immediately replied by shooting his hand forward, a blue magic seal appearing before his now open palm. "You should cool down. Rain Needle!" From the seal, sharp droplets of water shot out to clash against the blaze mage.

Draco crossed his arms, grunting as the sharp water made contact with him. Draco slid back across the sand while taking the entirety of Jaxon's attack. Once it was over, he dropped his arms, letting out a heavy exhale with that same grin on his face. "Nova." Draco's strongest spell; the sun seemed brighter than usual and the heat in the area rose drastically, and now Jaxon would find out way. Draco formed a large sphere of white flames equaling the size of a meteor in the sky, and that sphere rapidly dropped down from the sky and Jaxon was its target.

"Huh." Jaxon blinked and looked up. There was hardly any time to react so the sphere landed on the ground, resulting in a brilliant explosion of white flames that shook the earth. Jaxon was thrown into the ocean due to the sheer ferocity of the Nova.

"Whoa…" Even Draco was surprised with the outcome of his attack; he didn't expect Jaxon to fly into the water… "Does this mean I win…?" He questioned with a cheeky grin. But it was far too soon to pat himself on the back, for the clear sky above soon became cluttered with dark clouds. "Uh…?" A torrential downpour ensued and the ocean began to rage slightly.

Jaxon rose from the ocean atop a miniature tornado, covered in serious burn marks and bruises. He didn't look too pleased, however. "Well…this has been fun. But I think we've been doing this for a little too long." With a swipe of his arm, the weather mage created several tornados that scooped up the water in the ocean and rushed towards Draco before he could even react.

"Gaaah!" Draco cried out as the ripping tornados ran right into him. The wind and water was sufficient enough in snuffing out his flames before he could even summon them. The blaze mage was on his hands and knees, coughing up some water while trying to stay conscious.

"Now for the finisher…" Jaxon inhaled, gathering a myriad of elements within his mouth. "Bellow…of the Weather God!" Throwing his head forward, the S class unleashed a funnel composed of the elements directly towards Draco. The Blaze mage could do nothing in time and took the hit directly, rolling across the ground until coming to a halt on his side, unconscious. The rain stopped, but the cloudy sky still remained. "I think that's a good backdrop for the current situation…"

"Jaxon wins!" The Client didn't even sound bored yet, he was just enjoying watching all these fights and reaping the benefits. The beam of light dropped on the unconscious Draco and took away his magic just as it did with all the others.

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Next Time: Second Round Storm.


	12. Chapter 12: Second Round Storm

Gajeel and Levy carefully made their way out of Magnolia with Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen. Freed was leading the way to The Client's original hideout in hopes they could find some clues on how to stop him…or even stop him right then and there if they were lucky enough. Gajeel was just itching for a fight, however. He could sense the entire country duking it out and meanwhile he was just stuck with this kind of duty. "We better run into someone soon, because if not I'm gonna lose it." Gajeel grumbled while crossing his arms.

"You're gonna get your fight Gajeel…" Levy reassured Gajeel with a nervous smile. She could tell he was getting worked up and needed to release some pent up aggression. "But for now, let's just work on finding this guy…! The sooner the better, I don't want to imagine him with all the magic Fiore has to offer…"

"That would truly be a catastrophe…" Freed said with a heavy sigh. He still felt partially responsible for this and no amount of convincing seemed to be working on him.

"We'll stop him…if we don't, I'm positive that Laxus will." Evergreen said while patting Freed on the shoulder. "So chin up, alright? That mopey expression really isn't a good look for you, Freed."

"She's right buddy, kyaha…" Bickslow chuckled. "You're fine, this ain't your fault!"

"…" Still, the rune mage remained silent.

"You're killing me with this…" Gajeel let out the groan Freed probably wanted to. "If I don't get a fight in the next few minutes I'm gonna kill someone…"

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Chelia, Carla and Wendy ended up taking a longer route than most…where they were going wasn't entirely clear, they were still in the middle of the country so they were in an open plain. "I hope we can meet up with Cynthia soon…" Wendy mumbled.

"You're awfully worried about her…more than usual…" Chelia pointed out with a concerned look of her own. "Did something happen?"

"No…" Wendy shook her head. "But I have a bad feeling that…"

Before Wendy could finish, Chelia sensed a shift in the wind. "Look out!" She then shoved both Wendy and Carla forward, just in the nick of time as a rune barrier formed to separate them.

"Chelia!?" Carla blinked while looking at Chelia.

"Eh…?" Cygnus walked into the scene while rubbing the back of his head. "The little girl? I'd be looking more forward to this if you still had magic…"

"Ah, so this is where it came from…" Orga strolled in before looking between Chelia and Cygnus. "Huh…these little guys? I suppose I can use this as a little warm up…." As he said this, black lightning began to surge around his body. "I won't be going easy on either of you."

"Just the way I like it…" Cygnus stared at the lightning god slayer with a cocky grin, a purple aura beginning to emanate from around his body. "You just might want to stay out of this, kid…"

"Chelia…" Wendy whispered. "Are you…"

"I'll be fine." Chelia nodded confidently before pulling out the custom made bow Raven helped make for her. "I don't need magic to put up a fight…!" Pulling back on the bowstring, several arrows of wind were released directly towards the two males. They avoided them, but both Orga and Cygnus could feel the slice in the air left in its wake.

"Huh…" Cygnus blinked slowly before looking back at Chelia. "I think you just cut off some of my hair…"

"I'll be fine." Chelia said with a nod. "You two keep going!"

"R-Right…" Wendy gave a reluctant nod and began to run off with Carla. Her main concern was finding Cynthia first before anything else.

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A small, wooded area was shaken violently by the force of an epic battle. Luke Cloud and Sting Eucliffe were exchanging fierce close combat blows, shockwaves echoing out from each collision. Sting was throwing white magic infused punches at various locations on Luke's body, just aiming for any open spot to deal as much damage as he possibly could. "Come on, Luke-san!" Sting exclaimed with a grin. "Don't tell me that's all you've got!?" Some of Sting's punches landed, while others clashed against Luke's fist or just missed entirely.

"I'm just warming up, Eucliffe!" Luke replied with a wide grin; his fists were covered in darkness while he squared off against Sting. Luke's punches were like Sting's; missing, clashing with his opponent's, or landing their mark. Both males were stuck in place as the heated exchanged continued, neither of them backing down from the assault.

Sting then leaned back against one of Luke's incoming punches, now swinging his hand down in a claw-like slash. "White Dragon's Claw!" It was a direct hit, which caused Sting to grin.

"W-What the…?" Luke's fist stopped just short of Sting's face. His body was trembling as he attempted to move, and now he understood what happened; the stigmata on his chest halted all movement and made him a sitting duck. "You clever…"

Before Luke could continue, Sting reared his leg back with white dragon slaying magic wrapped around it. "White Dragon's Drill Kick!" In one swift motion he slammed his foot right into Luke's chest, packing enough force to send him through a tree. Sting then drew his head back and inhaled, while magic swirling around his mouth in a vortex. "White Dragon's Holy Breath!" Throwing his head forward, the guild master of Sabertooth unleashed a massive beam of light from his mouth that raced directly towards Luke.

By the time Luke recovered from Sting's kick, the Stigmata on his chest was gone and he was able to move. This was when Sting unleashed his Holy Breath upon the Copycat, which merely caused him to grin. "Come on, that's nothing…!" He exclaimed while forming a pitch black sphere of darkness within his palm. "Black God's Bomb!" Hurling the obsidian sphere forward, watching as it collided with the Holy Breath only to break through and strike Sting, creating a massive explosion against the White Dragon.

Sting let out a grunt of pain while being flung back, rolling violently across the ground before placing his hand on the ground, sliding to a halt with a grin on his lips. "Not bad, Luke-san…I guess those rumors were true after all…" He then stood up, a white glow emanating from his body; this glow turned brighter, sliver adding into the mix. "Eizen-san…lend me your strength…!" Using the power he attained from Eizen back on the Isle, Sting entered White Sliver mode.

"So…finally kicking it up a notch, are we…?" Luke grinned at this before a black and white aura began to appear around his body; activating his Black God's Sword and White God's Shield to give him an offensive and defensive boost. "Good, now that we're done warming up…let's take this to the next level."

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Juvia and Blues were locked into battle, water flying everywhere with their failed or successful attacks. Both water mages slid back before coming to a halt, glaring at each other despite the injuries they both sustained. "I've been a little jealous of you as of late…" Blues admitted while standing up straight, hair spiking up as a dark blue aura wavered around his body; Blue Drive.

"Eh…?" Juvia blinked, unsure of what Blues was talking about.

"Back on the isle…" Blues stated, having a flashback to the fight against Gaius. When the group was unable to defeat the Dragon…when Blues lost his best friend and Juvia was the one who defeated the Dragon. "It made me feel pathetic…to fail as a Dragon Slayer and watch you beat that Dragon…and how you saved all of those infected ones back then as well…"

"Blues-san…" Juvia blinked slowly, unsure of how to feel.

"So that's why, on my pride as a Dragon Slayer…I have to beat you. Even if it costs you your magic, I have to win!" Blues suddenly roared before throwing his head forward, unleashing a spiral of dense, scalding water towards Juvia that was strong enough to break a hole through steel.

"…!" Juvia crossed her arms, taking the brunt of Blues' roar while sliding back several feet. Blues' water was different than regular water, which was why Juvia was unable to just Water Body her way through it…if she did that she ran the risk of actually being eaten by the water dragon slayer. "Juvia has people counting on her, too…!" Juvia shot back at Blues, thoughts immediately shifting to her beloved Gray. "Especially Gray-sama, Juvia must fight to ensure his magic stays!" The water mage then raised her hands over her head, creating a sphere of water between her palms; Juvia then threw her hands down, sending the sphere crashing into the earth where it became a huge tidal wave racing across the land towards Blues.

"Tch…!" Blues' eyes narrowed at the incoming tidal wave racing towards him. It was approaching so rapidly he had little time to actually react and just did his best to not get swept away. The powerful waved crashed down on Blues and he was 'washed up' lying on the ground for a moment before standing back up. "Already…time to put an end to this charade…"

"Juvia agrees…" Juvia nodded firmly. She was feeling her limit approaching anyway so she had to be quick about this if she wanted to move onto her next fight with magic to spare. The aquatic mage raised her hands up once again, gathering water and the moisture in the air. Once she gathered enough, Juvia threw her hand forward, unleashing a massive cyclone of water that ripped apart the ground it travelled over. "Water Nebula!"

A white aura exploded around Blues, mixing in with his blue aura; his dual mode: White Water. Pulling his arm back, the dragon slayer created a sphere of water, the core filled with blinding light. "White Water Dragon's Holy Nova!" The dragon slayer then thrusted his arm forward, unleashing a massive beam of holy water that shot directly towards Juvia's Water Nebula. The two were closer than they should've been for the collision of these two attacks; the stalemate only lasted seconds before both attacks collapsed on one another, resulting in a near catastrophic explosion that shook everything within a mile radius.

The end result was a gentle rainfall that fell down on the two combatants. As the smoke cleared…both Juvia and Blues were on the ground, lying on their backs in KO. "Oh, what have we here…" The Client had to observe the result of Juvia vs. Blues, somewhat surprised to see that it ended with a draw. "A tie? How interesting…but this is quite fine. I still reap the benefits either way." There was a chuckle from The Client before the beams of light rained down on the unconscious Juvia and Blues, taking away their magic just to add to the Client's own rapidly growing collection.

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Gray just finished dealing with a few mages, panting softly from the magic usage. It wasn't anything substantial but just enough to warrant a few moments of rest. He wasn't going to be getting those moments as one particular foe slid into view: Leon Shi. "Great…" Gray sighed heavily while keeping his eyes on Leon….but Leon wasn't didn't notice the scene just yet. He was too busy chasing a butterfly that caught his attention. "Huh…?"

"I'm gonna get ya…!" Leon said while reaching out for the butterfly, only to trip over a rock and tumble before coming to a stop in front of Gray. "Ooof…!"

"Geez…" Gray rubbed the back of his head. "You should be paying attention to your surroundings..."

"Oh, Gray!" Leon hopped up, giving a wide smile to the ice mage. "Didn't expect to run into you here! What a surprise!"

" _Does he even know what's going on…?"_ Gray thought to himself as he stared at the seemingly oblivious Leon. He noticed a few marks on the acid dragon's body that showed signs of either a scuffle or just a few bad falls from chasing butterflies. "Oi…Leon…you're aware of what's happening in Fiore, right…?"

"Yup!" Leon gave a firm nod. "It's pretty bad, actually…I hate to think what would happen to my nakama if they lost their magic…it is really important to them, after all….and I see that we're currently the only two people around in this area…"

Gray nodded slowly, sliding into his Ice Make stance in preparation for battle. "That's right…and I have to make sure I don't lose my magic so I can bail out my nakama in case they didn't make it. So for that, I'm gonna have to beat you."

"Gray." Leon's cheerful expression faded, a more serious one now crossing his face. "I'm going to tell you something I told the last person I came across…you don't have to worry about anything. Because I'm going to make you my nakama…and as your nakama, I promise you that I will save the magic in Fiore!"

Gray's eyes widened at Leon's proclamation. Leon was a strange one for sure, especially since he was a White Eclipse member…who was offering his friendship to Gray as a means to strengthen his own resolve. "You're…I don't even know." The ice maker shook his head and a cold mist began to flow from around his body. "But I can tell you one thing, Leon Shi. I'm not going to lose…and I don't lose to the same person twice, either."

"I knew you'd have that response…" Leon had a sly grin on his lips before a green aura exploded from around him; Acid Drive. The acidic aura around his body began corroding the ground he was standing on, and he just faced Gray with a determined expression. "I'll fight for you after I fight you." Acid swirled around the male's fist and he lunged towards Gray with a shout of determination.

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Next Time: When Wills Collide


	13. Chapter 13: When Wills Collide

The sun was still shining brightly over the battle ridden country of Fiore; it was the afternoon now; the fighting had been going on since morning and it was still going on just to give an idea of how long Fight for Fiore had been going on. Hours and Gajeel still had yet to have a single fight, and it was really started to get to him now. In fact he was ready to throw down with Bickslow or Evergreen to get his irritation out. "Come on, I'm starting to get bored here!"

"We're almost there…! I think…" Levy said in attempt to calm Gajeel down.

"Just a little further…" Freed confirmed. "It was down this path…" He went to point in the right direction, however just as he did, a rune barrier began to form, and it wasn't his doing. "W-What the…!?"

"Freed…!?" Bickslow questioned on instinct.

"That's not Freed…" Evergreen confirmed. The rune barrier covered a wide area but there was not a person in sight. "Is this from that guy…?"

"No…" Levy shook her head. "I don't think so…there's something different about these runes…"

Gajeel held his arm out, stopping Levy from walking forward. "Wait…" The iron dragon's eyes narrowed, pierced features scanning the area for a few seconds. It was then his red eyes caught a black vortex swirling around just a few feet before them. "What the hell…?"

The black vortex's size began to increase before a flash of light occurred, temporarily blinding everyone. When the light faded, there was a mysterious figure in a white coat, their hood covering their face. "…"

"A white coat…?" Levy blinked. "I've seen that before…I think we all have…"

"Whew…" The figure exhaled heavily before moving their hood off their face. It was an unfamiliar face to them. Wes: the 12th rank in the 13 Commandants of Pergrande; his appearance was a little altered, however. There was a misty black aura wrapped around his being and his person was already covered in bruises and injuries, yet he seemed to be operating at 100%. "It's been a while since I've had a jam session! Why don't we rock out!?"

"What the!?" Levy's eyes widened; Wes exactly matched the description Lucy had told her about some time ago after leaving the Isle. "B-But I thought this guy was dead?!"

"Pssh, you can't kill the jam!" Wes exclaimed before holding his hand up, water beginning to surge around his arm before taking the shape of a guitar. "Now then, let's rock!"

Meanwhile…somewhere nearby, another mysterious figure in a white coat was overseeing the incoming fight against Wes. In their hands was an open book leaking mysterious letters along with the same misty black aura that surrounded Wes. A sly smirk crossed their lips as they spoke. "People are often forgotten one way or another…whether it be through the sweet embrace of death, or the memories that just slowly fade away. But time…time never forgets…"

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The Client sat comfortably in his chair, looking around at all the lacrima that contained magic stolen from others. It was quite the rainbow of a collection and he couldn't enjoy it more. "How wonderful…" The Client whispered while snapping his fingers, commanding several of the lacrima to fire at him all at once, infusing him with the magic of several mages. He could feel the varying power enter him all at once, and it was almost a little too much for his body to handle. The Client had a violent spasm and he grit his teeth before the pain vanished and he slumped over, panting heavily. "Yes…" He breathed out. "I can feel the power of all these mages…their magic is truly something else. Some better than others…but it will all be mine in due time. No mage is going to come out of this situation…"

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"Okay, Luke-san…" Sting said with a wide grin as the white-sliver aura radiated from around his body. "I'm going to give this my all, so I don't want to see anything but your best, understand!?"

"Heh…" Luke rubbed the bottom of his nose with his index finger before giving a smug grin to Sting. "You'll get nothing but my best, Sting. But I'm glad you're giving it your all, because you're not gonna get past me without it."

"Heh…." Sting's lips curved up before he pulled his arm back, sliver light wrapping around the limb. "Here I come! Iron Fist…of the White Sliver Dragon!" The white dragon leapt forward and threw his fist towards Luke with incredible power behind it. Luke crossed his arms just before impact, but a beam of white sliver shot out as soon as collision was made, forcing Luke to slide back several yards.

"Gnk…" Luke grunted lowly as he was forced back. He was going to prepare a counter, but by then Sting was already leaping high into the air for the overhead advantage.

"Time to finish this! Sabertooth is counting on me, and I do not intend to let them down on my title as guild master!" Pointing his hand forward, a sphere of white sliver formed before turning into a massive beam that shot down towards the ground at a violent velocity. "WHITE SLIVER DRAGON'S HOLY NOVA!" Once making contact with the ground, the beam of magic erupted into a large dome of white sliver that covered a large radius, completely obliterating everything nearby. Sting landed on the ground, panting heavily from the use of magic while peering intently into the smoke to see if his attack was strong enough to finish off the copycat of White Eclipse.

As the rumbling ground settled and the dust began to clear, there was a figure standing within the smoke…it was a heavily damaged Luke; one covered in bruises and damage marks…but he was still standing, hunched over and panting heavily. "H-Heh…t-that was something else…" Luke admitted with a pained grin. "But now…it's my turn…" He swiped his hand horizontally, creating a black and white magic seal underneath Sting that resembled the White Eclipse guild mark. "Secret Slayer Art: White Eclipse!" On that command, beams of black and white god slaying magic rose up into the air with Sting right in the middle; the white dragon let out a cry of pain until the attack slowly subsided and he fell to his stomach, breathing heavily while staring up at Luke with blurry vision; this match was decided.

"Looks like the man of many magics has escaped yet again." The Client almost sounded disappointed that Luke managed to worm his way out of a loss yet again. But he was a patient man and figured it was only a matter of time. For now, he settled with Sting's magic.

"Geez…" Luke exhaled while rubbing the back of his head. "I'm gonna feel this in the morning…" He then glanced down at Sting, who didn't seem like he was in the mood for words at the moment. "Awkward…right…so…I'll see you around…and we'll have another bout without such a hefty cost next time." With that, Luke just left.

"…heh…" Despite losing, there was a small grin on Sting's lips. "Sorry, Lector…but I guess White Eclipse had the upper hand this time…but next time…"

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"Gravity God's Impact!" Cygnus swung his fist in a downward motion at Chelia, however the former god slayer's evasion caught him off guard.

"Pardon me…!" Chelia leapt up, using Cygnus' head as a footstool. She then preformed a front flip with the momentum she gained from leaping off Cygnus and twisted her body around while taking aim at the Gravity God. "No hard feelings…!" She pulled back the bowstring before releasing a gigantic wind arrow that struck Cygnus right in his back.

"Gah!? What the hell!?" The Eclipse mage was thrown off his feet from the force of Chelia's attack, landing on his butt with a thud and a large mark on his back. "That little bow and arrow stings…!"

"Doesn't it!?" Chelia chirped before turning to take aim at Orga…but she froze because the lightning god slayer was already before her with his fist raised, black lightning surging around his fist. "Eep…!"

"Lightning God's Knuckle!" Orga exclaimed while slamming his fist right into Chelia's gut. The impact was enough to force Chelia off her feet and send her flying right into the rune barrier with a powerful echo.

"Agh…" Chelia attempted to stand, but her breath was short and the lightning made her body feel numb and slow to respond.

"Not bad, big guy…!" Cygnus grinned before taking this chance to increase the gravity around Orga, making the bulky male's knees buckle. "But how about I show you how a Gwydion rolls!" Cygnus then lunged forward whilst unleashing his sword, Rebellion. "Take this!" Cygnus swung his sword diagonally across Orga's chest…or rather, that's what would've happened had the Sabertooth giant not stopped the blade with his hand, blood leaking from the cut. "….Oh."

Orga grimaced slightly at the wound, but it was worth it to bring Cygnus in close. The god slayer then released his signature lightning that conducted through the blade, giving Cygnus one hell of a shock due to the fact he was a demi god. Before the eclipse mage could pull away, Orga aimed a kick at the Eclipse mage's chest to send him staggering back right into Chelia. "Now…" He pointed his hand forward, gathering lightning within his hands before throwing them forward, unleashing the massive beam of obsidian electricity directly towards Chelia and Cygnus. "120mm Lightning Cannon!"

"Oh shit…" Cygnus' eyes widened at the large beam of lightning rushing his and Chelia's way.

"Aheh…I didn't expect to get far anyway…not like this…" Chelia mumbled while shutting her eyes, a soft smile stretching on her lips. "Go on Wendy, I'm sure you'll make it far…" And as soon as she uttered that, there was a massive explosion on contact. Both Chelia and Cygnus were lying on their faces in the ground.

"And Orga wins!" The Client exclaimed as beams dropped down on Chelia and Cygnus. Cygnus' magic was taken…however The Client instantly realized that Chelia literally had nothing. "What…? But wasn't that item magic…?" Baffled and slightly annoyed, he shrugged it off and made due with what he could take as the rune barrier vanished so Orga could keep going.

"Mmmgh…I sure wish…I could still self heal…" Chelia's vision was blurry, but she could still see that there magic within the bow she was using. "H-Heh…just as I thought…" Her head then hit the ground as she lost consciousness.

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An explosion of ice and acid occurred; both Leon and Gray were thrown in opposite directions before sliding along the ground. Leon didn't miss a beat, cheeks inflating as acid swirled around his lips in a miniature vortex. "Acid Dragon's WAVE!" From his mouth, pure destruction in the form of acid shot out, corroding the ground it traveled over while racing towards Gray at dangerous speeds.

"Ice Make: Cocoon!" Gray crossed his arms, ice wrapping around his body in a defensive manner. Unfortunately for him the acid ate away at the shell quickly, leaving him to deal with some acid burns and the brunt of the attack. Gray was thrown violently along the ground before coming to a halt, keeping his hands on the ground. "Agh…Ice Make: Geyser!"

Leon was dashing towards Gray, not wanting to give the icy fairy any leeway. His charge was cut incredibly short when a geyser of ice rose from the ground to encase him. His acidic aura began eating away at it instantly, but it was still taking far too long for him to even get a limb free. "N-Ngh…"

"Ice Make:…" Gray spread his hands apart, forming a bow and arrow composed completely of ice; he pulled back on the bowstring, taking aim while Leon was still focusing on trying to get himself free. "Super Freeze Arrow!" Gray unleashed the bowstring and the arrow flew towards Leon at incredible speeds; an icy explosion occurred on impact, sending Leon soaring backwards until he hit the ground, sliding roughly on his back before hopping up. "Still standing!? How durable is this guy…!?"

"That hurt, Gray…." Leon said while dusting himself off. However the signs of damage were evident and he was slowed a little by it, but it wasn't going to slow him down. "But if you want me to stay down, you're going to have to hit me a lot harder than that!" Leon exclaimed before forming two green spheres within his hands. "Acid Dragon's Corroding Missile!" Leon then threw both spheres forward, one after the other; each sphere ended with a moderately sized green explosion.

"I'll be sure to do that then…" Gray mumbled as his shirt flew off, Devil Slaying tattoo beginning to stretch along his arm. With a simple swipe of his arm, the temperature in the area dropped instantly and Gray froze the incoming spheres of acid and made them shatter harmlessly.

Leon kept running, leaping into the air as acid swirled around his fist. "Acid Dragon's Steel Fist!"

Gray drew his arm back, allowing purple ice to form around it, and it swung it forward to clash with Leon's. "Ice Devil's Frozen Impact!" The two fists collided, entering a fierce stalemate before a large explosion occurred with the two mages right in the middle.

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Avani Kanemoto, the ninth wizard saint, was busy carrying some groceries back to her guild. Unfortunately she went shopping when The Client began this Fight for Fiore, but at the same time, luckily for her, she had yet to run into anyone either. The town of Onibus was coming into view, which was good; if she could get home before encountering anyone, all the better. "Ooh…" She flinched slightly, placing a hand on her stomach while giving a soft frown. "I know, it's dangerous…but don't worry, I'll be safe…" How reassuring this would've been had a rune barrier not formed in front of her at that very instant. "Ah…!?"

"Huh!?" Cynthia slid to a halt just in front of the barrier, flailing her arms around in a comedic manner as she tried not to run right into it. She let out a sigh before turning to Avani, tilting her head curiously. "Eh…? You're my opponent…? But aren't you…" She paused, remembering seeing Avani in the Council Meeting during the Isle of the Dragon incident. Avani was a Wizard Saint, and this caused a slow grin to creep up on the lips of the young ambitious girl. ' _If I could beat a Wizard Saint…_ ' She thought, but at the same time Avani looked like such a nice woman.

"Oh man...!" Avani huffed before setting her grocery bag down, rubbing the back of her head as she stared at Cynthia. "I have to fight a kid…!? I really don't want to…"

"Man…" Cynthia sighed. The guilt of having to fight someone like Avani was now getting to her despite having the idea of toppling a Wizard Saint. "Now I don't wanna fight you either…but my comrades are probably without magic and in need of my help…so I have to fight you!"

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Wendy paused from her current location, staring into space for a moment. "Huh…?"

"Wendy?" Carla stopped, looking over at Wendy with a confused look. "Are you okay…?"

"Yeah…I'm fine…" Wendy nodded slowly. "I just felt an ominous change in the wind…it's very unsettling. Ah, come on, let's keep going…"

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Next time: Grounded Lunacy.


	14. Chapter 14: Grounded Lunacy

Natsu continued running, like he was in a hurry and couldn't even think about stopping. That was partially true since he wanted to mow down anyone and everyone that was standing in his way. "Come on, where are ya!?" The dragon slayer shouted out to anyone who may have been nearby. Just his luck as a rune barrier formed right in front of him and he smacked right into it, comically sliding down the wall before hopping back up. "Who's there!?"

"Yare yare…" None other than the Wizard Saint, Anri. Looks like even she stepped out of Black Phoenix to get some action. "Natsu-chan, how wonderful it is to see you here~"

"Eh…?" Natsu blinked once before shaking his head, flames erupting around his body. He wasn't exactly in the mood for pleasantries, but at the same time he remembered Anri's title as a Wizard Saint and he was more than willing to challenge her for this. "This ain't so bad…sorry, but I'm going to have to make this quick!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Anri waved a dismissive hand while a grin crept onto her lips. "But come on, Natsu-chan, we may never have this chance again, and I've been waiting to fight you for a while you know~ So please, give me something to be excited about~"

"Heh…" Natsu nodded; Anri was right about one thing: it wasn't everyday anyone ever had the chance to take on a Wizard Saint…and this would make a great story to brag about to Gray later. The flames around Natsu grew more intense as his lips curled into a smirk. "Fine by me!"

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"Watch out!" Wes exclaimed while strumming his guitar, taking sporadic steps around the field. Each strum brought forth a geyser that erupted from the ground, striking Gajeel, Levy, Bickslow, Freed, and Evergreen. Freed was taken out instantly while Ever and Bickslow sustained heavy damage. "Come on, feel the beat!?"

"What the hell is this guy…?" Gajeel groaned in pain before standing up, quickly shooting his arm forward as it morphed into an iron pole that made contact against Wes' side. Impact was strong enough to send the Commandant to the side a few steps as a girlish yelp of pain. "And why is he such a fruitcake!?"

"That was pretty girly…" Levy said while shaking off some of the water on her.

"Really, I don't think my voice goes that high…" Ever stated.

"Okay, enough!" Wes lost his temper at everyone poking fun at how high his voice rose when he was hit. A few strums were given to his trusty guitar and arrows of water formed before him, now shooting towards the conscious Fairy Tail wizards.

Bickslow was up next, bringing forth his dolls in a horizontal line. "Line Formation!" The six dolls gather seith magic within their mouths, unleashing several spheres of said magic to clash with the arrows of water Wes sent towards them. There was a massive explosion in the middle once the two magics collided.

Wes brought his arm up to protect his eyes from the smoke. "Man, what a party crasher!" He exclaimed with a groan. But in the next instant he looked, Bickslow was right in front of him with his mask of, eyes glowing a fierce green color as he locked eyes with Wes.

"We don't have time for you, baby! Now be a good boy and listen to me!" Bickslow was aiming to have complete control over Wes' soul. It was only a matter of seconds….

"Hey, get off me you old man!" Wes shouted while swinging his guitar at Bickslow's side with force; the impact sent the Raijinshu member crashing into the ground in an unconscious state, leaving the other's wide eyed.

"He resisted Bickslow's eyes!?" Levy shouted. "But isn't that impossible…!? Unless…"

"Unless…" Ever started. "He doesn't have a soul…?!"

"But how can that be?!" Levy questioned.

"Man, who cares about the details?! Let's just have a good time!" Wes exclaimed while strumming his guitar again, unleashing several beams of high pressurized water towards the trio. They were all hit and sent spiraling backwards until they hit the ground, sprawled along the surface with bruise marks covering their skin.

"Ugh…" Levy groaned before pushing herself up, panting heavily while tracing her finger in the air to spell the word: hole. "Solid Script: Hole!" The letters formed under Wes, simulating a pitfall that trapped the Commandant.

"Wha!?" Wes was temporarily stuck in the hole Levy created, desperately trying to free himself. "You can't interrupt the jam session like this? Let me out!"

"Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun!" Ever took into the air with her fairy wings spread out, swiping her fan horizontally to unleash a multitude of bullets that flew down towards the trapped Wes. All that was heard was Wes' girlish cries of pain as the bullets rained down on him, creating a large cloud of smoke.

"Did she get him…?" Gajeel leered into the smoke since it fell too quiet for his liking.

Suddenly, Wes emerged from the smoke with incredibly dense water covering his already hard guitar. He slammed it down on Ever's chest, sending her rocketing into the ground with a slight rumble afterwards. "Man, you guys are great! Too bad you pass out too early, the main concert hasn't even begun yet!? How can you guys keep up!?"

"This guy is getting on my last nerve…" Gajeel growled before pounding both fists together, raising one arm into the air as it turned into a gigantic, jagged iron blade. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Iron God's Sword: Karma Demon!" In one swift motion Gajeel brought his arm down right onto Wes, the blade itself cutting deep into the earth while creating a tremor that shook everything within a few miles. Gajeel then withdrew his arm, panting heavily as he stared in Wes' direction.

"O-Oh come on…I just…wanted to rock out again…" Wes wept as his form began to disperse, and on that cue his body faded and the rune barrier around them was dispelled.

"Gajeel!" Levy rushed over to Gajeel who was on a knee, looking him over to see if he wasn't too hurt. "Are you okay? Can you still move?!"

"I'm fine…" Gajeel grunted before forcing himself to stand up. "Where the hell did that guy come from…?"

"What do we do about the Raijinshu…?" Levy asked.

"They'll be fine…" Gajeel replied before walking off. "This way, right? Come on, shrimp, we're almost there."

As Gajeel and Levy walked off, the male watching them closed his book while letting out a slight sigh of disappointment. "It seems the Remembrance of Time is still incomplete…no matter, all will be fixed…in due time." With that, the mysterious Commandant vanished without a trace.

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The Client could feel the vibrations of Gajeel's attack from his hideout. "What on earthland…?" He blinked slowly, bringing up a lacrima camera only to see Levy and Gajeel slowly approaching his hideout, along with the unconscious Bickslow and Evergreen. "I see…I can't have you finding me so quickly, no." First, he took Bickslow and Evergreen's magic for himself…then, he began packing up. "It's far too soon for this little game of mine to come to an end…"

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Lucy and Yukino were in a standoff; the two celestial mages holding their key rings close to each other. This was an unfortunate encounter, for the loser would lose their ability to summon spirits for who knows how long, and they both had the drive to fight for their fallen comrades. "I'm sorry it had to come to this." Lucy said with a frown. "I wanted to fight you again, Yukino…but not like this."

"I agree, Lucy-sama…" Yukino gave a nod. "But Sabertooth and the others are counting on me, just as Fairy Tail and the others are counting on you. I just ask that we can make this a good fight, ne?"

"Of course." Lucy nodded before a bright light wrapped around her body. When the light faded she was standing in her Stardress: Leo.

"Stardress…" Yukino mumbled before a sly grin stretched onto her bruised lips. "You know, Lucy-sama…you are not the only one who's capable of this power." A similar bright light wrapped around Yukino's body; when that light faded Yukino was donning an entirely new appearance: a black and white scaly dress that left part of her chest exposed, a circlet with fins appearing on her forehead. In her arms: a sword and shield forming in both of her hands. "Stardress: Pisces."

Lucy's eyes widened in surprise at Yukino being able to use Stardress as well; she was not expecting such a feat to say the least. But at the same time, this only made things more interesting…she couldn't help but give a grin as she and Yukino stood in their respective Stardresses. "This is a surprise…! But opposing Stardress or not…I'm not going to be losing this, Yukino."

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Reve stared at his opponent, the wind blowing just enough to cause his hair to waver. There was that cocky grin on his lips once again, nothing but confidence flowing through the S class's mind. "So, here we are again. This time, things are going to play out a lot differently. I hope you're ready to taste the bitter sting of defeat."

Gildarts let out a hearty laugh before rubbing the back of his head. "I see you're still as lively as ever, Volver! I hope you've gotten as strong as your ego, otherwise this won't be very fun for either of us." The joking expression of the Fairy Tail ace then shifted to a serious one. "You should know this by now, but I've always wanted to say it myself. The White Eclipse tradition is that the weaker opponent moves first, right? Then make your move, gunslinger."

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"I'm sorry about this…!" Cynthia shouted out at Avani as her signature red flames flared around her body. "But I have important people who need me to fight for them…so I can't hold back no matter what." After she said that she sprinted forward with trails of red flame extending from her arms; she aimed to run past Avani while slashing her with wings of flame.

 _"_ _This child…"_ Avani crossed her arms, defending herself against the blow but her arms were scorched from the impact. She hissed quietly in pain before glancing down at her stomach. "I'll protect you." She whispered before turning towards Cynthia and raising her fist up, earth scales forming along her arm. Avani then punched the ground, creating a green seal above Cynthia that began dirt and rock to snuff out her flames. "Earth Dragon's Rockslide!"

'Who is she talking to…?' Cynthia questioned to herself with her sensitive ears picking up Avani's whisper. There was not time to think about this as the dirt and rock began raining down on her. Cynthia's flames were beginning to snuff out due to the force of them while she was taking damage in the process. "Gah…! She's a dragon slayer too!?" Questions aside, Cynthia had to act fast before she was pummeled into submission. She just leapt forward once again, reigniting her flames while taking aim at Avani. "Twin Talons!" Cynthia swung her flaming feet forward, aiming two consecutive roundhouse kicks at the Wizard Saint. One struck Avani's shoulder and the other was a direct hit to the elder woman's skull, forcing her head to snap to the side while she staggered back a step. Cynthia landed on the ground, preparing herself for what may have been coming next.

Avani's head turned back, blood slowly trickling down her forehead from Cynthia's kick…the usual look in her green eyes faded for something a little more lifeless. Something in her snapped with that impact. She lunged forward with pieces of earth wrapped around her fist; she slammed said fist right into Cynthia's chest, the force more than enough to send the young girl tumbling violently along the ground. Avani wasn't done there, she inhaled, sharp rock swirling around her lips in a miniature vortex. "Earth Dragon's Roar…."

Cynthia slid along the ground, placing her hand flat on the surface to slow her momentum. She didn't even have the chance for a counter attack as Avani unleashed her roar right after. Arms crossed and Cynthia took the brunt of the roar; the sharp rock cut deep into her arms and sides, but she refused to cry out in pain. "Ngh…" After the roar, she felt her knees quiver yet she still stood. "I guess she's not a Wizard Saint for nothing…" Cynthia grumbled before leering at Avani. She could tell something was different about the woman but she was unsure what…instead she inhaled before unleashing her own roar, the funnel of crimson flame consuming the opposition. Avani slid across the now charred ground while Cynthia began to close the gap between them for a move she believed would finish it. "You're not the only one who can use Earth!" The young wizard reared her arm back, pieces of sharp rock forming along her arm and at the same time flames blazed around it to deal extra damage.

Avani looked like she had the same idea, a blade of earth forming along her arm. She lunged towards Cynthia with a crazed look in her eyes. "…."

Cynthia was going to slash Avani right in the stomach…but as she neared Avani she realized something. The stomach, the way Avani was talking to herself earlier. She wasn't talking to herself…she was… "…!" Cynthia couldn't do it. She couldn't follow through. So that's why at the last second she shifted aim from Avani's stomach to her side, cutting deep into the woman's body. There was a special after effect from this slash however it wasn't going to activate for a while. As for Cynthia, Avani cut deep into her side and she fell to a knee, grimacing at all the blood leaking. "O-Ow…" Before she knew it, her body started to turn to stone, starting from the wound. "W-What…!?"

"…." Avani merely grinned as Cynthia's body began turning to stone against her will. Before Cynthia could even utter another word, she was completely encased in stone. "Sleep tight, dear child." Avani whispered before leaning down, delivering the sweet kiss of death to the girl's forehead. The stone statue that was Cynthia Rose crumbled into bits and pieces of rock…

"Oh ho!" The Client exclaimed. "How surprise! We have our first kill, from a Wizard Saint no less!" But the way Avani killed Cynthia…obtaining her magic was impossible now. A double edged victory that left The Client annoyed he missed out on something so exclusive….but did he enjoy the thrill of watching people die.

.

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Wendy stopped in her tracks, feeling like half of her heart was just ripped from her being. Her eyes widened and she looked around frantically. "C-Cynthia!?"

"Wendy…?" Carla stopped, looking at Wendy with concern. "What's wrong…?"

"D-Didn't you feel that…?" Wendy looked over to Carla. "I hope I'm wrong…but Cynthia isn't okay…"

.

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Next Time: The Greatest Clash.


	15. Chapter 15: The Greatest Clash

In Radioactive Decay, Minoru Kanemoto, the guild master was having a meeting with Satoshi. Satoshi had some tea in his hand, looking around the guild mates Minoru told to stay inside. "Ya know…that wife of yours hasn't come back yet, and she's been gone for a while."

"I noticed." Minoru replied. He wasn't exactly too keen on Satoshi's company, but he was actually beginning to grow worried about his wife. "It's been a little too long…"

"You're going out to search for her in these conditions?" Satoshi questioned.

Standing up, Minoru began to make his way out of the guild. "I have to, that's all. Our discussion will have to wait another day, so you have my apologies for that."

"Understandable…" Satoshi tipped his hat as Minoru began to exit. "Shame, though. We were just starting to get to the interesting part. Ah well…I suppose it can't be helped right now. Some things just have the worst timing…"

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Natsu dove down from the sky, rearing his arm back with flames blazing around his arm. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" With momentum on his side, he aimed to slam his fist right in Anri's face to crush the Wizard Saint into the ground.

"Come on, Natsu-chan!" Anri exclaimed as antimatter began to swirl around her hands; it was controlled so far because the last thing she wanted was to erase one she'd wished on fighting for so long. When Natsu brought his fist forward the Wizard Saint did the same, the two colliding in a brief power struggle that sent a shockwave booming out.

The two mages leapt back after the collision, but Natsu was the one who continued to stay on the offensive. He slid across the ground before coming to a halt, planting his hand on the surface before lunging forward once again with flames wrapped around his body. "Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" Natsu slammed himself headfirst into Anri's gut, causing the Wizard Saint to slide back several yards from the force of impact.

Even Anri was unable to hold her ground and coughed violently as Natsu slammed into her. Natsu's momentum eventually came to an end and he was still against Anri's stomach. "Now it's my turn." The Saint spoke while raising her hands above her head, interlocking her fingers together as antimatter formed around her hands; in the next instant she swung her conjoined hands harshly on Natsu's skull, crushing the fire dragon into the ground, creating a small crater from impact.

Natsu let out a cry of pain while falling into the ground, blood now trickling from his forehead. His entire body felt sore from just one direct attack from Anri, but what else was he expecting from a Wizard Saint? "I'm not…done yet…!" Natsu quickly lunged up, aiming a fiery upwards kick at Anri's chin. "Fire Dragon's Claw!"

Another direct hit; Anri was just tanking everything Natsu threw at her. She wasn't one for defense and that may have been her folly; a reckless glass cannon. Anri stumbled back from Natsu's attack before rubbing her burnt chin, giving the Salamander a wide grin. "I expected nothing less. But it's time to bring this one to an end, don't you agree?"

Natsu wasn't much for talking now, but he completely agreed with Anri's words. Now standing back upright, he raised his hands over his head, creating a large spherical blaze within his hands as lightning also began to spark dangerously around his body. "Exactly. Dazzling Blaze of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" In one motion, Natsu swung his arms forward to send the large blaze rocketing towards Anri.

"That's what I'm talking about, Natsu-chan!" Anri grinned while pointing her hands forward, antimatter forming within her palms. She released a powerful beam of said magic towards the incoming blaze, watching as the two entered a brief power struggle before Natsu's Blaze was overpowered, the beam of antimatter shooting right through the fire and right to at the Salamander.

"…!" Natsu's eyes widened as the beam pierced through his move. Before he knew it there was a massive explosion on contact. When the smoke cleared from the explosion, the might Salamander was down for the count, eyes pure white from KO.

"And the mighty Natsu Dragneel falls." The Client's voice echoed out as the beam dropped down to take Natsu's magic, and the rune barrier surrounded the two faded.

"Whew…" Anri let out a heavy exhale before wincing heavily from her injuries. "That was almost something else…he almost had me for a second there. I hope for a rematch sometime, Natsu-chan~ " She then stretched and yawned, scratching her side as she began to walk off. "But that's enough for me today. I'm going home."

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Bacchus and Jaxon, the two S classes of both Quatro Cerberus and White Eclipse respectively, were both throwing hands. Bacchus was already inebriated and gave Jaxon no quarter, swinging a variety of palm strikes at the Eclipse mage. It was difficult for Jaxon to evade due to the fact Bacchus' style was unpredictable. "Come on! Not wild enough!?" Bacchus shouted while aiming a palm strike at Jaxon's chest to send him staggering away.

Jaxon let out a grunt of pain while he was forced back, panting softly from the use of magic up until now. Bacchus' drunken attitude admittedly annoyed Jaxon. "I think you need to chill out and think about your actions." Jaxon swiped his hand down diagonally, causing the temperature to drop immensely. Snow and ice began to rain down, slowly encasing the drunken mage in a shell of ice.

"H-Hey?! What's the big idea?!" Bacchus said while beginning to smack the ice surrounding him with his palms, but he only managed to slow it down only slightly. Seconds passed and the Drunken Falcon was completely frozen with a shocked expression on his face.

"Much better." Jaxon let out a slight sigh of relief before encasing his arm in lightning. He swung the limb forward, unleashing the bolt of lightning towards the frozen Bacchus. A thunderous explosion occurred and the shell of ice shattered, sending the S class flying backwards. "Time to clean these streets up. Tornado Alley!" And with a twirl of his finger, several mini tornadoes appeared, all of them closing in on Bacchus to finish him off.

Bacchus was shaking off the previous impact with some pieces of ice still on his body and lightning sparking around him. He managed to bring himself to a standing position glancing around at the mini tornadoes coming his way. "Whoa…now this is getting wild!" The Drunk exclaimed before lifting his leg up, only to harshly bring his foot back down to the ground, creating a shockwave that spread out from his location, completely dispersing the tornadoes and blew Jaxon off his feet and backwards. "Time to finish this!" Bacchus shouted while rushing forward, gathering magic within his dominate palm. "Chop Hanging Palm: Under Moonlight!" Before Jaxon could even recover fully, Bacchus swung his palm upwards at the weather god's chin for a devastating impact. The Eclipse mage fell onto his back in KO, lying on the ground motionless.

"And the Drunken Falcon is the winner of this match!" The Client's voice echoed as the usual beam dropped down to take the unconscious Jaxon's magic. Things were going accordingly and he couldn't be happier.

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Yukino swung her sword down at Lucy for what would've been a devastating slash. Lucy quickly leapt to the side to avoid this, sliding along the ground before coming to a halt. The Fairy Tail wizard then allowed Leo's Regulas light to surround her fist before leaping at the opposing celestial mage while rearing her arm back. "Regulas Impact!" Lucy's fist was then thrown forward, but instead of making contact with Yukino's face like she intended, she hit Yukino's shield instead, feeling the impact go back up her arm. "O-Ow!?"

"I'm sorry, Lucy-sama!" Yukino shouted while shutting her eyes, not wishing to witness her own actions. She bashed her shield into Lucy's face to disorient the blonde; a successful impact as a now dazed Lucy stumbled backwards, unable to keep a track on her surroundings. In the next instant Yukino brought her foot forward into Lucy's stomach with force to knock the wind out of her and knock her over. Yukino then began to slow approach Lucy while throwing her shield down. "I'm sorry….but I must…"

"Ouch…" Lucy had to take some time to catch her breath after Yukino knocked it out of her. She then realized at this moment how deep Fight for Fiore truly ran, and how the true foe wasn't just The Client alone. Using what strength she could muster, Lucy quickly brought her hands together, a blinding flash emitting from her.

Yukino immediately covered her eyes from the flash, dropping her sword while taking a few steps backwards. "B-Bright…!?"

Lucy had to finish this now. She sprang up, allowing the same light to shine around her foot this time. "Regulas…Lucy Kick…!" And the decisive blow was a swift upwards kick aimed right for Yukino's chin; the impact was more than enough to send Yukino off her feet and into the ground on her back. She could see Yukino trying to move again but to stop this she literally got on top of Yukino to stop her. "Yukino, stop this…! Don't you see what's happening!?"

"W-What!?" Yukino looked up at Lucy. She still had the battle-hungry look in her eye.

"This fighting…it's already bad it's turning us against one another…but look at yourself…! One of us was about to get seriously injured…" Lucy stated; it was then she saw the look in Yukino's eyes fade upon having the same realization. She then removed herself from Yukino to sit, feeling all of her muscles aching at once. "I felt it too…I want to save everyone's magic, but I didn't realize how much into the fighting I've been getting…"

Yukino nodded slowly while sitting up. "Yes…I'm so very sorry, Lucy-sama. I lost sight of myself in my own goal of saving everyone…I wonder if everyone else feels the same way…" Before she could say anything else, the beam dropped down on her, causing her eyes to widen as her magic was sapped and she reverted back to her regular, tattered clothing. "M-My magic…?"

"The winner of this match was Lucy Heartfilia. Spirit Magic? I can't say it's the most useful…" The Client spoke, and his tone just irritated both mages.

"How dare you…?" Lucy growled, however she realized The Client couldn't even hear her anyway despite her anger. "Yukino…please don't worry…" She placed a hand on Yukino's shoulder to reassure her that everything would be all right. "We're going to get your magic back…along with everyone else's. This mad man will pay."

Yukino was fighting back the tears and failing. She could only give a nod as tears streamed down her cheeks. "O-Okay…I believe you, Lucy-sama…"

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"Shall we begin, Volver?" Gildarts said while cracking his knuckles. "I could use the warm up; it's been a little bit since I've stretched out these old rusty muscles. Take it easy on an old man, would ya? Hey, I'll even make this easy for ya. If you can get a shot to my forehead I'll call this your win!"

"I wouldn't make this easy even if you begged. But I'll gladly take the shot between your eyes, it's how I imagined finishing you off anyway." Reve scoffed before a magic seal formed on his hand; within a heartbeat he pulled out a sawn off shotgun, the magic seal on his hand boosting the speed of which he drew the gun. Quickdraw; before any normal mage could blink, Reve pulled out and shot his gun, several beams of magic shooting towards Gildarts. "Spread Shot."

While any normal mage would have trouble reacting to Reve's incredible quick draw, Gildarts just gave a small grin. "So you have improved." The Ace of Fairy Tail merely placed his palm out, a large beam of Crash Magic shooting out; the beam easily overpowered the Spread Shot and continued to fly right towards Reve.

"Tch..!" Reve sucked his teeth in aggravation before rolling to the side to avoid the beam, not even taking a second to look back…because the monster himself was approaching. Gildarts reared his arm back, now preparing to aim a single punch at Reve's chest, a punch capable of making any normal wizard crumple…but Reve brought up his arm to block it. Gildarts' fist crashed against Reve's arm and the gunslinger was sent skidding back a few yards. "…"

"Huh…" Gildarts looked at his fist before looking at Reve, who was still in the defending position. "Usually they fold over after that….you alive?"

Reve was silent…biting his tongue harshly because in reality the bones in his arm were destroyed after taking such an impact. Seconds passed before Reve let his arm dangle like the useless limb it now was for the time being. "Is that it…?" Reve slowly questioned. "I didn't…even feel it…" It wasn't a lie…the broken arm was just numb the second Gildarts hit him. "Now…how about we try one of these…" Around Gildarts, a variety of 100 different guns appeared. "Devil's Wheel." And on his cue, all 100 guns began to open fire.

"Whoa…! Not bad…!" Gildarts shouted while bringing his cape up to defend himself from the onslaught of bullets. Even he could feel that at a rate like this, anyone else would normally be pinned down, but Gildarts was just buying time. Despite the damage he actually was taking he was obviously fine; he slammed his fist into the ground, sending out a wave of Disassembly Magic that spread out and the guns all ceased fire all at once before falling to pieces. "You've improved, Volver, I'm impressed." Gildarts showed the damage he took but he was clearly fine despite this.

Reve couldn't believe this. It was basically a replay of the last time they fought during the Fairy Tail vs. White Eclipse tournament. Even with all of his improvement, Gidlarts was still essentially a monster compared to him. "Son of a…"

"Guess it's time to wrap this up…" Gildarts cracked his knuckle. There was the sound of a gunshot echoing from the distance. Clive swayed to the side and a bullet made impact with the ground completely shattering it. "Oh, clever…" In that instant, Gildarts took off again, planning to close the gap between them once again for a blow that would without a doubt finish off Reve, and when he was close…boom.

Reve's eyes shifted from green to colorless; his Foresight ability. He was able to see Gildarts' movements before the ace was even able to move; the barrel of his shotgun was pointed directly at Gidlarts' forehead and a magic bullet was sticking right out of it. "…Bang."

Gildarts blinked slowly. How close it was…his fist was a few mere centimeters away from Reve's stomach, and oh how that would've finished him off. "How about that." Gildarts pulled back and shrugged, shaking his head to remove the bullet. "Looks like I underestimated ya a touch…"

"That's…what I thought…" The fight was not long…but it wasn't often Reve was pushed to an extreme do or die situation. But…that patented smug grin on his lips was there in full force. He technically defeated Fairy Tail's ace.

Right on that note, the beam dropped down on Gildarts to take away his magic. "Reve Volver wins, how surprising." The Client spoke, but he didn't seem to mind this outcome whatsoever and the rune barrier faded away.

"I'm getting too old for this anyway." Gildarts said while turning around, picking up his bag and began walking off. "These kids are gonna take care of it." He sure did have a lot of faith in the younger generation…and he was going to take his loss humbly and find the nearest bar to have a few drinks. At least now no one had to worry about him accidentally breaking everything…for now.

"Fuck…" Reve cursed while falling to his knees, the adrenile flushing from his system. His left arm was currently useless and his entire body still ached just from that single blow. He still had a long way to go until he actually had a chance at beating Gildarts…the gap between them was still larger than he thought.

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The doors to The Client's hideout were busted open. Gajeel pulled his arm back and gave a grin. "Knock knock! We're comin' in!" He shouted, planning to give The Client no time to react to the abrupt entry.

"This has to be the place…" Levy said while looking around carefully. "This place is just radiating with so much magic…it's a little daunting…"

"Some of it feels familiar…" Gajeel said as they started to walk inside. It was just a straight corridor into what was presumably The Client's office. "Better get this back to where it belongs…." And Gjaeel threw his fist forward, sending his arm forward to break down the door and leap right after it. "HEY YOU!" He shouted at….no one. The room was completely empty minus the desk right in the middle. "…?!"

"He's not here…!?" Levy gasped. "But…how could he have left so quickly…!?"

"He was definitely here…this place reeks of some weird scent…" Gajeel confirmed. "But where did he go…? It's hard to pick up with all the magic floating around, it all smells like people we know…"

Levy went to The Client's desk, pulling up a lacrima screen of all the magic that had been taken thus far, and where it was going. Her brown eyes gleamed in determination as she planned to use this to pinpoint The Client's location. "Give me a few minutes. I'm going to track this man down."

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Next Time: Without Magic.


	16. Chapter 16: Without Magic

Back in the Fairy Tail guildhall, those who had fought and lost returned to get their injuries treated and rest. "Hold still please…" Mira said while tending to the injured such as Erza, Freed, Evergreen, and Bickslow. "You all have it really bad….and Wendy's not back yet either, so you have to take it easy."

"Yeah…" Erza gave a slight nod before wincing in pain. She still couldn't believe how easily Sidney dealt with her at her strongest.

"Yeesh…" Cana said while glancing at everyone around. "You guys really don't look so good. What happened?"

"Sidney." Erza responded.

"I don't even know what happened…" Freed said while rubbing the back of his head. "Someone attacked us…I think Gajeel and Levy went on ahead, which was the better choice."

"This Fight for Fiore business is really messing everyone up…" Max said while rubbing his head. "It's getting really dangerous outside…" Speaking of, when the doors opened Natsu and Gray both happened to limp inside, arguing with one another over something.

"Pfft, so what?!" Natsu growled. "You lost to Leon!? I beat him once, and I was beaten by a Wizard Saint! So I'm totally the stronger one!"

"You probably went down in one punch you liar!" Gray snarled before they both collapsed from their injuries, just lying on the guild floor in pain. "Ow…"

"Ouch…" Natsu grumbled.

"We have two more…" Alzack shook his head before going over with Warren to help up the two rivals, but the injured Juvia pushed past Alzack to help Gray. "You two are out too? That must mean some powerful wizards are taking part like we thought…"

"Yeah…" Natsu merely just gave a nod before looking around. "So is Wendy back yet? I could use some healing…"

"You idiot…" Gray grumbled. "If Wendy was here, she wouldn't have her magic! So we'd still be in the same position!"

"Oh…" Natsu coughed. "But wait…that must mean she's still out there then, kicking ass!"

"Presumably so…" Makarov said with a nod. "But I still worry; I fear that there are those who do not care about the meaning of such a young life…"

"Who else is still out there…?" Warren asked.

"Lucy, Wendy, Laxus, Gajeel and Levy are doing their own thing hunting down that madman…I don't think Cynthia has come back either so I assume she's still out there fighting too." Lisanna replied from the top of her head.

"Cynthia too…?" Natsu's eyes narrowed. It was a little odd for him since her scent vanished some time ago…but he wasn't worried he knew Cynthia could handle herself. "Either way…once I'm rested I'm going back out there!"

"Don't be rash, Natsu." Erza spoke. "We don't have magic, what are we going to do without it against those who still do?"

"So?" Natsu scoffed. "That's not gonna stop me from pounding that bastard's face in!"

"You just don't learn after anything, do you? Even with no magic you're still raring to go hit someone…" To that, Freed could only shake his head.

"It is Natsu…" Kinana remarked while cleaning off the bar. "But what are we going to do? I don't think this little farce of a 'tournament' won't be lasting much longer, it is the afternoon and it's been going on since morning…"

"Our only options right now are to wait." Erza said with a nod, making it sound as though they weren't given any other choice. "We still have plenty of threats out on the field."

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Aira stumbled through the front doors of White Eclipse along with a few others; Waiston, Kuro, and Jaxon; just a few of the White Eclipse mages who ended up losing in Fight for Fiore and had to return home without magic. "Ugh…" The blonde groaned before collapsing to the floor.

"O-Oh…! We've got a few more coming back…!" Reiss shouted over to the infirmary before rushing over to help Aira up along with a few others. "Geez…you guys look terrible…"

"Now's not the time…" Jaxon scowled at Reiss' comment. How unfortunate that the main healer was also down and out. They would be recovering the old fashioned way… "Who's running the first aid?"

"Micaiah and a few others are in there doing her best; some of the kids are helping out too." Tyson replied. "C'mon, we'll help you in there." The Fusion Make Mage nodded before leading the way to the infirmary. Inside, Micaiah was taking a break, sitting on a chair while wiping some sweat from her forehead. "Oi, we got a few more for ya."

Micaiah glanced towards the injured veterans that limped into the room and took seats on the beds, letting out a minor sigh. "You guys all had it pretty rough too, huh…?" She then glanced towards Sophie, Anais, Saraya and Yaya. "Mind sticking around to help a little more?"

"Of course." Saraya gave a nod. "You've been doing so much work for the injured already…we don't want you to push yourself too much, Micaiah-chan." She then walked over to Kuro, managing a soft smile. "Are you okay?"

"Sore." Kuro replied, but he seemed sour about it; obviously because his magic was gone.

"I hope you don't mind me taking over the medical treatment…" Micaiah told Aira while holding a staff over her. "Now hold still…this isn't much, but it will get rid of any major injuries." A soft light emitted from the Healing staff to tend to Aira's wounds.

Aira sat up, wincing slowly while looking at Micaiah's face; it was clear the silver haired maiden was growing exhausted. "How long have you been at this? You should really rest. We'll be fine."

"No way, I'm fine." Micaiah shook her head. "I can keep this up for a while. Cygnus and Draco are fine too, but Sophie and Yaya helped a little bit with that too…"

"I don't understand why everyone is taking part in this event." Sophie stated plainly while using one of her own healing spells on the injured veterans. "It seems dangerous and rash."

"It's more than that." Aira shook her head. "We were fighting to keep a piece of ourselves and save the pieces of the others who lost them. Magic is very important to mages, and to have it stripped of you is terrible. Like right now…I could be helping heal all of you, but I can't…and I'm the one you all depend on to heal when things get bad…it was all I started with when I joined this place…"

"Magic is…a part of us…" Sophie repeated, tilting her head somewhat curiously. The little girl was a little infamous around the guild for having a blank expression as her only expression; it was a little strange honestly. "But you know…I don't think there are people that care so much about saving other people. There are some people who just want to fight and seriously hurt…and without magic, you'd become susceptible to these people…and if you didn't come back home, that would not be good. So I think it's stupid."

"She's not entirely wrong…" Yaya shook her head. "BUT! It's easy! Somethings are worth the risk, isn't that right? So yeah it's dangerous, but you gotta do it to protect those you care about, right?"

"Guess she's got the idea…" Cygnus said with a pained chuckle before looking at Sophie. "You really gotta lighten up, kiddo."

"Hm…" Sophie mere paused before shrugging.

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"Seems like things are getting pretty rough out there…" Selene commented from the couch, but she had a frown on her lips. She was still worried about Takeru since he had yet to return after setting out.

"Just another idiot sending this country into chaos…." Heather remarked while keeping her nose in a magazine. She wasn't too interested in even trying to fight in Fight for Fiore and instead stayed home to not get involved. "It's surprises me how easy it is to get everyone to panic, it's a little irritating actually."

"Oh please…" Selene turned to Heather, giving the poison dragon slayer a sly smirk that almost lightened the atmosphere. "Aren't you at least worried about Revey?" The bluenette then playfully nudged her guildmate.

"…I don't know what you're talking about." Heather replied while keeping her nose in the magazine article.

"We've still got a few out there." Zalen remarked from a table, adjusting his glasses slightly. "Sidney, Luke, Reve, Tak, Leon, Kanade, and Roxy. I can't imagine this little fiasco lasting too much longer though…the day's more than half over. There can't be too many mages left around."

"Uh…guys…" Tyson pointed out the window. "I think we've got some company outside…and I don't think they're here for a little chat." The person he was referring to was none other than Evanee, who stood outside in the snow, and she didn't look like she was going to spend too much time waiting.

"What is she doing here…?" Reiss questioned before moving outside slyly to try and fight her. "Don't worry, I got this!" Reiss then charged Evanee with his fist pulled back. "Don't think I forgot about you!" The rookie swung and Evanee merely moved her body to the side to avoid it; she then slammed her own fist into Reiss' chest, sending him flying into one of the walls with comical stars circling around his head.

"Dumbass…" Tyson sighed while shaking his head.

"Reiss-sama…!" Anais could sense that her beloved was hurt and immediately rushed to his head, looking over the tall male for any injuries. He was just knocked out cold.

Idiot..." Mary said before walking downstairs standing at the now open doors, now speaking to Evanee. "What do you want? We're busy in here."

"I want your strongest mage out here now." Evanee demanded and it didn't look like she was taking no for an answer.

"Everyone's either busy or down…she has really inconvenient timing…" Tyson said while rubbing the back of his neck. "Rich boy over there definitely isn't one of the strongest here by any means."

"I heard that…!" Reiss awoke from his KO'ed state to yell at Tyson.

"I was hoping you would!" Tyson shot back.

"If he's not here, I'll just beat down everyone until he arrives. How does that sound?" Evanee then began to crack her knuckles. "One of you better at least be able to help me stretch, otherwise this will be a waste of my time."

"There won't be any need for that." Sidney appeared in a puff of smoke. The only damage on his person was still from his battle with Erza but he still seemed to be fine despite that. "I've been waiting to fight you for a while now anyway."

"There you are." Evanee huffed before shaking her head. "You just saved me from a boring time."

"I'm sure you're familiar with the tradition by now." Sidney stated. "Weaker opponent moves first."

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"Well, well…" Luke said while approaching Lucy, a grin plastered on his lips. "What do we have here…?"

"Luke…" Lucy rolled her eyes slowly before narrowing them. "I didn't expect to have to run into you here…"

"You should honestly be worried about that." Though he wasn't trying to toot his own horn here…Luke totally was. "Because we both know…that you've never beaten me. Not once…and you won't here."

Lucy grit her teeth, clenching her hand into a tight fist. Luke wasn't wrong…in the past he defeated her three times. They hadn't fought after that, they were close as of late, but now that was thrown out the window. Out of respect for each other there was going to be no holding back…and that worried Lucy. "That will change." Is all she had to say. She didn't have time to spend worrying about what would happen, she needed to get past Luke and save the magic of everyone who had fallen thus far; she did make a promise after all.

"You think so?" Luke responded while quirking a brow. He'd seen what Lucy can do and it was better than previous, but even he was unsure if that would be enough for her to defeat him now. "Very well…let's find out, shall we?"

.

.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Kanade was just finishing off her fight. She downed her poor opponent, but there was a bit of a crazed grin on her lips; she had more than enough of fighting weaker mages and needed a fight that was worth the adrenaline pumping through her system. In the next instant she plunged her hand through their chest and ripped out their heart. "WHITE ECLIPSE OR SECOND PLACE!" She screamed before bringing the still beating organ to her mouth and bit down on it, blood spurting everywhere.

"Well…" The Client was not expecting such a violet end to this bout, however he didn't really have any complaints; he did enjoy the thrill of the life or death situation some people were put in due to his little game. "It seems Kanade has won this now bloody bout! There aren't too many mages left, but I've got all the magic…I can only wonder how this is going to turn out!"

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Jellal had a trail of unconscious mages behind him, his hood still covering his face. Once he found a safe place, he sat down and activated his lacrima communicator, contacting Meredy and Ultear who both had some damage marks on them. "Is everyone okay?"

"We're fine…" Meredy said with a nod. "We've only been fighting unless confronted…we still can't seem to find where this guy is located, though."

"As for the others?" Jellal questioned.

"They've been fighting to their hearts' content…" Ultear replied with a roll of her eyes. "But I'm sure they'll return before too long. I know they're not trying to lose their magic and could care less about the other's that have lost theirs."

"I see…." Jellal nodded before standing back up. "I'm going to continue to fight to see if I can run into this man. Though people may not appreciate who it is that restores their magic, I can at least be one step closer to repentance…"

"Please be careful, Jellal." Meredy pleaded.

The heavenly saint gave a slight nod. "I will be. You two stay safe as well." With that, he turned off the communicator off and continued to walk. He had some injuries but he wasn't going to let that slow him down, he had a job to do.

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Next Time: All or Nothing.


	17. Chapter 17: All or Nothing

Lucy donned her Stardress: Taurus, planning to engage Luke in close combat. With the enhanced strength the outfit gave her, she began swinging at Luke, aiming powerful punches and kicks at any open spot she could on his body. "Come on, don't you dare hold back on me!"

Luke found himself on the defensive quickly, weaving through some of Lucy's punches, but he could feel the sheer power of each punch or kick as it whiffed him. There were some punches he had to block and he winced from each one; they hurt like hell. "Shit…" He grumbled before being forced to return fire; darkness and light wrapping around his fists and he began to fight back, his punches clashing with Lucy's. "Hold back? Please, I couldn't even imagine doing that!"

The two were now locked in fierce close combat, neither of them giving an inch and shockwaves boomed out from each collision. Each hit of Luke's that hit Lucy caused her to grunt and she nearly fell back, but she was holding her ground. Lucy then swung her leg at Lucy's face, but he blocked it with his forearm, leaving her stuck; this situation felt oddly familiar to her and because of that she began to sweat slightly. "Eh…"

"Maybe next time?" Luke quipped before slamming his white god slaying fist into Lucy's stomach, the impact sending her soaring backwards until she hit the ground roughly on her back and slid for a few seconds before coming to a halt.

"Gah…!" Lucy cried out in pain before bringing herself up on her elbows, keeping one eye shut while staring towards Luke. As she thought, this battle wasn't going to be an easy one whatsoever. Standing back up, the celestial wizard brought her whip forward and aimed it at Luke and the ground near him; impact caused the ground to split in two and a shockwave to boom out.

"Gyah!?" Luke had to dive to the side when Lucy brought the whip down, but the overall power of the whip caught him off guard and the shockwave forced him to tumble violently along the rocky terrain before coming to a stop on a knee. "This definitely would've been one sided some time ago…" The Eclipse mage spoke before standing back up, panting somewhat heavily from the overall exhaustion, he, along with a few others had been fighting all day. "But either way, I think it's time to bring this little bout to an end…I'm getting really tired…"

"I agree…" Lucy nodded, though before she could do anything else Luke snapped his fingers, creating a yellow magic seal under her feet. Brown irises widened as she immediately knew what this meant, but her exhausted body was not reacting in time and she was zapped, a strangled cry of pain escaping her. After the seal faded Lucy just hunched over sparks dancing around her body occasionally. "….." And she just collapsed, form reverting to normal as she laid on the ground with her eyes closed.

"That old trick never fails…" Luke let out heavy exhale, rolling his shoulders as the stiffness began to set in…Lucy sure did pack a punch and if he wasn't careful she would've had him there.

"And the winner is Luke Cloud!" Yet again, The Client was just waiting for Luke to lose even still, but for now he'd take what he could of Lucy's magic.

"Now where to next…" Luke turned but in that instant a bolt of lightning nearly dropped down on him from above; he rolled to the side and looked forward, shoulders slumping. "Oh hell…"

"Having fun there?" Laxus questioned with his scowl while keeping his arms crossed. "You look like you've been at it for a while. You should rest…here; let me help you with this little dirt nap." That scowl then turned into his cocky grin as he stared down the exhausted Luke, though Laxus wasn't exactly looking that fresh himself. He'd seen his share of tough fights here and there.

"This isn't gonna be fun…" Luke rotated one arm while staring down Laxus. "But I ain't going down without a fight. Bring it on, Dreyar!"

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Everyone currently at White Eclipse was silent while watching the battle between Sidney and Evanee, otherwise known as two aces that people had to respect based on the aura they gave off when casually standing around. Evanee swung her fist at Sidney's chest, but he blocked it with his forearm, sliding back along the snowy ground without making so much as a grunt. Sidney then immediately returned fire by holding his hand out, unleashing a volley of tombstones at the opposing female.

Evanee brought her arms up, defending against the tombstones while being forced to step back along the snow. Eventually she decided she had enough and uncrossed her arms while unleashing a burst of magic that shattered the incoming rock. She then inhaled before lurching forward, unleashing a stream of vicious toxins that threatened to poison Sidney if he even made so much as the smallest contact with it. "Fornax."

Sidney remained silent as the cloud of toxins steadily approached him. He was unsure of what the cloud was capable of so he slowly reached out with one hand; as soon as his hand touched the cloud he felt it burn and eat away at his skin with a violent hissing noise. "…!" And to that, he realized that he had to escape the incoming fumes before it was too late.

But by then, Evanee already enacted the next part of her plan. With her palm extended, fire magic began to spew from her open palm and set the toxins ablaze; the result of the flames and toxins meeting was a large explosion that nearly blew off the section of the mountain White Eclipse was standing on. Those watching where almost thrown off their feet and back into the guild hall…while the smoke was still around Sidney, Evanee finally fell to a knee. She came into the battle fresh against an injured Sidney and even still she was being pushed hard. "Agh…" She grunted, panting heavily while staring into the smoke.

"Is he okay…!?" Anais exclaimed in worry.

"I wouldn't worry about Sidney." Zalen said with a firm nod of his head. "It'll take a lot more than a little explosion to keep him down…"

Zalen's words about his older brother held true. When the smoke cleared Sidney was also seen on a knee, presumably panting heavily underneath his scarf from the magic usage throughout the entire day. "…" Silently, the Ace of White Eclipse stood up and placed two fingers in his scarf, beginning to tug at it.

"I'm not here for your respect…" Evanee grumbled with strong irritation.

"I'm not giving it to you." Sidney said as…the scarf began to come off.

"Everyone back away." Waiston demanded, causing a few others to look at him with confusion.

"W-What's he doing…?" Aira couldn't help but stare, mesmerized by the sight of Sidney actually taking off his scarf. So far, the only people that knew what was under Sidney's scarf were Zalen, Reve, Waiston, Kuro, Mary, and the late Calium, so this was a new discovery for everyone that knew him.

Evanee narrowed her eyes before placing her arm out once again, encasing Sidney within a cube of water. With a quick clench of her hand into a fist, that cube was then set to explode…however it did not. Instead, the water began to funnel right into his mouth. "…?!" When that water faded, Sidney's mouth was finally revealed…and what an inhumane mouth it was. There were sharp, jagged teeth on the sides of his mouth, spreading to nearly the back of his cheek.

"AH WHAT IS THAT?!" Micaiah nearly shrieked while taking a step back, pointing at Sidney.

"W-WHOA…" Reiss' eyes widened at the sight of Sidney's revealed mouth.

"Yikes…" Was Sophie's response. She was perhaps the only one who wasn't taking a step back out of the initial shock until Yaya pulled her back.

"Now ain't that some nightmare fuel…" Tyson said while rubbing the back of his neck.

"This battle was over before it started." Sidney continued to inhale, drawing forth the raw magic that was scattered all over the battlefield from the fight and that was just in the air. Once doing so, he pointed his head towards Evanee before unleashing a massive beam of all the pent up magic he gathered; the beam cut through the snowy round while racing towards the former twilight Ace. Evanee had no defense for this and was forced to take the beam directly, a massive non-elemental explosion occurring on the spot, shaking the very foundation of the mountain. When all that smoke cleared, Evanee laid in the broken ground, defeated.

"He won…!" Aira exclaimed.

"Geez…" Selene had been watching from inside, rubbing the back of her neck at the sight of Sidney's mouth. "I won't be unseeing that for a while…"

"It's disgusting…" Heather stated bluntly.

Meanwhile, Daichi's eyes lit up with a sort of excitement and determination. "I'm totally going to take him on." It was rare for the mischievous kid to be serious about something like this, however he did have his mind set to it.

"And Sidney Castle wins! I expected nothing less of the Ace of White Eclipse." The Client's voice echoed through the mountains, causing those who had lost to go on edge as the beam dropped down to take away Evanee's magic.

Sidney bent down, picking up the scarf he dropped and tied it around his mouth once again, giving him the appearance most were used to and preferred. He then grunted softly while turning around and made his way back inside. He wasn't saying it, but it was a little noticeable that he was out of magic and his time for fighting was over. "Get back inside." He somewhat demanded.

"Do I, uh…go to heal him…" Micaiah questioned hesitantly, holding her Mend staff in her grasp. She took a step forward but Mary shook her head.

"No, don't bother. He prefers the old fashioned way of healing; you'd only be wasting your time and get brushed off at the same time." Mary clarified.

"I-I see…" Micaiah pouted a little bit, but there was nothing that could be done. "I guess he's done fighting for now…that only leaves a few more of ours left…"

"Right…" Mary nodded before ushering the others inside, leaving Evanee face down in the snow unconscious. "I do hope she leaves after waking up, I'm not too fond of having unwanted mages at this doorstep…"

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"Hyah! Yah!" Kanade swung her fists around at Jellal, who was making use of Meteor to speed around the area. It was incredibly difficult for Kanade to land a hit on such a speedy mage who managed to stay just out of arms reach; meanwhile Jellal was landing shots here at there at her, causing the eclipse mage to growl lowly in annoyance. "Damn it, hold still…!"

If he had jewel for every time he heard that in a fight…either way, Jellal was not going to do that. He could tell taking a hit from Kanada would be a heavy one. After a few seconds of flying around, Jellal came to an abrupt stop in front of the female, placing one hand around his wrist, open palm now facing the eclipse mage. "Heavenly Palm!" And from his palm, a large beam of heavenly body magic shot out to consume Kanade while all she could do was cross her arms in defense. There was a cloud of smoke where Kanade stood and Jellal planned to keep moving, however he could do no such thing as there was ice binding his ankles to the ground. "Ice…?"

In the next instant, the injured Kanade swung her fist at Jellal's ribcage. It was in this moment that Jellal was going to learn the might of Kanade's physical strength. Direct impact was made and Jellal was sent flying, sliding along the ground on his back before coming to a halt. "I finally got you." Kanade had a wide grin of self-satisfaction.

Jellal sat up, feeling pain shoot through his body. "Ngh…!?" Yup, there was no doubt about it. Two of his ribs were easily broken by Kanade's punch, and the frightening part about it was that there was no magic involved whatsoever; that woman just had a scary amount of physical strength. "She's powerful physically…I have to keep my distance."

"You'll find that long range doesn't bother me…" Kanade said while cracking her knuckles, that grin of hers widening. She then slammed her fist into the ground, not only shattering it with ease, but a blue magic seal formed directly under Jellal, shooting up to encase and damage the heavenly saint.

"…!" With Meteor quickly activating yet again, Jellal sped off, narrowly avoiding the glacier than rose and raced towards Kanade once again, flying past the female while delivering a punch to her kidney.

Kanade coughed violently, falling to her knees as blood spurted from her mouth from the blow. Her body shook but she brought herself back up quickly, giving another grin while Jellal was impressed she was still standing. "Don't look so surprised…" Kanade said while teetering back and forth before standing her ground once again. "I'm used to this pain…after all; pain is just weakness leaving the body."

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Levy was still working on tracking down the flow of magic that would hopefully lead them to The Client's whereabouts. It had been quite a bit of time so Gajeel made himself comfortable on the turning chair. "You got anything yet?" He questioned while staring up at the vacant ceiling.

"Uhm…" Levy's eyes narrowed at the lacrima screen before her. She was making some progress but the breakthrough hadn't come quite yet. "I think…just a little longer…"

"Ah…" There was an impatient sigh that passed through Gjaeel's lips.

"I don't understand…" Levy mumbled while looking through some files. "The magic should all be going to one location if that's the case…but at the same time it looks like it's going to separate locations with no distinct source…"

Meanwhile, Gajeel just had a series of question marks over his head as Levy began to mumble things that he didn't understand in the slightest. "Can you find him or not?!"

"Eh…" There was a sweat drop on the bluenette's forehead at the question presented. "No…wait…! I think I did find something…! And I think I'll be needing your help for this…wait, hold on…" And those eyes of her widened at what was on the screen. "Oh no…this…this is unbelievable! We have to hurry back and tell the others!"

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Next Time: Those Who Remain.


	18. Chapter 18: Those Who Remain

Luke was essentially on the end of his rope, but he still had some more fighting to do. Laxus Dreyar was his opponent now after he just beat Lucy yet again, and if he were to be honest with himself…chances of victory in his condition were incredibly slim, however this was no excuse for him to not give everything he had left. "Welp…" Luke let out a heavy, pained sigh before looking towards the youngest Dreyar. "Let's make this quick, shall we…?"

"Gladly." Laxus nodded before clenching his fist; on that silent cue lightning shot up from the ground to send Luke soaring into the air if it was a direct hit. Immediately after this, lightning surged around the dragon slayer's body before shooting towards Luke in a follow up attack.

"Gah!" Luke cried out before rolling quickly to the side as the ground exploded from under his feet. After coming to a stop in a crouched position, Luke placed his hands forward, creating a circular mirror before him. The bolt of lightning bounced off the mirror and shot back towards Laxus, though that was just the decoy since anyone should've known a dragon slayer's own element wouldn't work against them, but at the same time it was Laxus' own magic so consuming it was impossible. The mirror then shattered into hundreds of smaller shards of sharp glass, now all shooting towards Laxus at a rapid pace. "Mirror Shard!"

"Tch…!" Laxus stood in place, allowing his own rebounded bolt to strike him. He couldn't help but smirk at this; he gave himself a slight sting. But that grin faded and turned into a small scowl at the incoming shards coming his way. Laxus brought his arms to his sides while unleashing a massive discharge of lightning. This discharge took out a large majority of the shards, though some were able to pierce through and strike Laxus, drawing forth some blood.

"Not done yet!" Luke exclaimed while leaping forward with White God slaying wrapped around his leg. He swung his leg in a roundhouse kick motion, aiming for Laxus' temple, though the lightning dragon was able to block this hit with his bulky forearm. Despite his block, he was forced back a little bit from the opposing mage's strength.

"You're like an annoying little gnat that I can't hit for some reason…" Laxus grunted.

"What can I say?" Luke shrugged before placing his hands at his sides, creating a white sphere in the empty space between them. "White God's Holy Ray!" No time was wasted as Luke threw his hands forward, unleashing multiple piercing rays towards Laxus that aimed to strike him from every angle.

Laxus bent his knees, lightning beginning to surge around him once again. He took off, using his Lightning Body to appear as a bolt of lightning; he planned to finish this now while evading the incoming rays, but he wasn't entirely successful in doing so. The piercing rays held true to their effect and hit Laxus within his Lightning Body state, inflicting some damage on him, but the S class fairy persevered despite this and reared his fist back once nearing Luke and threw it at his fist at the mage's forehead…only to vanish in the instant just before impact.

"Wh…" Luke's eyes widened as what was about to be a painful blow just…didn't occur.

And that was because Laxus slipped behind Luke at the literal last second, hands raised and interlocked above his head, lightning sparking dangerously around his conjoined hands. "Jaw of the Lightning Dragon!" Laxus swung down in the instant Luke turned; the lightning hammer was brought down on Luke's skull, crushing the copycat into the ground with an explosion of lightning. When it all died down, Luke was lying face down in a small crater, sparks occasionally dancing around his body; the copycat was finally down.

"And at long last, Mr. Copycat goes down!" The Client was delighted at Luke's defeat. As the beam dropped down, he obtained several types of magic from Luke Cloud.

"Tch…" Laxus' lips curled into a frown. He was aware defeating Luke gave The Client more magic than he should've ever had, but that was a minor price to pay for having to defeat him in the long run. "Those two'll be fine." He was referring to the unconscious Luke and the nearby KO'ed Lucy. With his coat still wavering in the wind, Laxus turned and walked off while wincing, the damage he took in his bout with Luke and previous bouts was slowly starting to build up…but he planned on making it to the very end.

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On the other hand…Reve wasn't having so much luck. With only one working arm, that made it increasingly difficult to fight stronger opponents…such as the crazed Avani he happened to run into. Normally Reve wouldn't mind facing off against such threats, but with his broken arm you could imagine even he was cursing under his breath about his luck now of all times. Even so, he wasn't going to back down from this fight, he was already feeling lucky with Gildarts earlier! With a pistol in his hand, he was taking various shots at Avani from afar. "I already got an Ace, might as well put a Wizard Saint under my belt too!"

Avani still had the same look in her eyes from when she killed Cynthia in cold blood. Arms were crossed as Reve's bullets struck her body, a feral growl of pain passing through her lips before she brought forth a defensive wall of rock and earth to defend herself from the bullets. She then stepped on the ground, sending a series of sharp stalagmites racing towards Reve. "…"

Reve quickly rolled to the side as the incoming stalagmites grew near, but one scraped his side and nearly pierced him, resulting in a grunt of pain to escape as he winced from his injured arm. "Damn…" He grunted before looking up, only for his eyes to widen briefly as his attention was mistakenly divided between his injuries and his opponent. Avani slammed her fist into Reve's chest with enough power to send him tumbling violently along the ground before coming to a halt; the S class was now gasping for air while using one good arm to push himself back up. "Alright…" He groaned before dropping his pistol, now bringing forth his trusty six chambered magnum, but he wasn't planning on wasting all six of those bullets on Avani. Click. Bang. The first bullet was released from the magnum, covering an incredible wide radius while flying towards Avani at a breakneck pace.

The first bullet was far too fast for Avani to react to. The Wizard Saint crossed her arms as the large bullet collided with her, throwing her off her feet after the massive explosion that followed. "AGH!" Avani gripped the ground roughly to force her momentum to a stop, just in time as Reve fired off the second bullet, the one he believed would finish this bout. Avani inhaled before throwing her head forward, releasing an Earth Dragon's roar to collide with the bullet; the two blasts collided before ending in a large explosion that shook everything within a few kilometers.

There was a smoke cloud that lingered, but Reve's eyes shifted to his Thermal Eyes, allowing him to see through smoke clouds and detect people based on their heat. He could see Avani clearly though the smoke, but there was one thing he couldn't see: the incoming javelin made of earth soaring right towards him. Reve already took aim, but before he could fire the javelin pierced right through his side; eyes widened and returned to normal as he slowly fell over, blood spurting from his mouth as he dropped to the ground, dropping his magnum. Reve was defeated.

"And Reve Volver goes down!" The Client exclaimed before the beam dropped down to take his magic. "Yet another falls to the crazed Wizard Saint. I certainly hope you keep this attitude all the way through, otherwise it would all be for naught…"

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Roxanne was facing off against Kagura, the both of them pretty injured from fighting all day thus far. Kagura kimono was tattered and ripped in various places and there were bruises along her fair skin. Roxanne wore a tattered white dress with a large gauntlet on her fist; the ravenette leapt forward while throwing said gauntlet forward at Kagura; the ace mermaid brought Archenemny up to defend against the hit but she underestimated its power and she ende dup tumbling backwards before catching herself. "Ugh…"

"I'm ending this…" As for Roxanne, her appearance then altered due to her Phantom Soul takeover; he skin darkened and red pentagonal shapes adorned her skin in random spots. Roxanne held a blood red sword that shifted between tangibility. "I don't have plans to lose to you." Was all Roxanne had to say on the matter. Who knows how long they'd been fighting but it was soon to come to an end.

Kagura kept Archenemy held up, eyes narrowing at the female Eclipse mage before her. "I didn't come this far just to lose. So I will make this one quick for you." Knees bent, and she rushed forward along with Roxanne, the two swinging their blades at each other in unison while sliding past each other. There was a long pause before Roxy was the first to fall, reverting back to her normal appearance…it looked like Roxy missed Kagura completely, but that was not the case in the slightest. The strongest mermaid paused, eyes widening in sheer pain as the blade from the spectral mage didn't inflict any physical wounds, but instead tore apart several muscles inside. A choked grunt of pain escaped Kagura as she collapsed to the ground on her side. A draw.

"And these two fierce beauties have managed to fell one another." The Client spoke before just taking their magic. Who knows how much magic The Client had at this point, but it was well past the threshold of dangerous.

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Bacchus was slamming his palms down on a defending Takeru, keeping the Shadow Dragon of White Eclipse pinned down to one location. There was that wide drunken grin plastered on Bacchus' lips as he kept hammering down on Takeru. "What's wrong? This too wild for you Eclipse mages too!?"

Takeru grunted in pain, keeping his arms crossed over his head to soften the relentless blows from Bacchus. He wasn't going to be able to keep this position for much longer and he planned on finishing this quickly, but he just needed the perfect opening. "Come on…be drunk and slip up…"

"Time to finish this!" Bacchus put all his strength into one final palm strike, and this was the opening Takeru was searching for.

"Finally…!" The shadow dragon entered his Shadow Drive in the moment Bacchus drew his arm back, now easily evading the strike the Drunken Falcon put his all in. Due to missing, Bacchus ended up losing his balance and nearly fell over; this was Takeru's chance. "Shadow Dragon's Roar!" From Takeru's mouth, a funnel of shadows shot out and struck Bacchus' side, pushing him into a boulder that shattered.

"Gwah…!" Bacchus cried out; it was the last noise he made until Takeru's Roar faded away; when it was over Bacchus was out cold. He was going to have one hell of a hangover later, that was for sure.

"And Takeru is the winner!" That said, the beam dropped down to take away Bacchus' Palm Magic, though The Client wasn't entirely sure what he was going to do with it considering the other types of magic he had at his disposal at the moment.

"I can tell we're getting close to the end…" Takeru grumbled to himself before pinching his nose. "Ugh…I hate the scent of alcohol, how do people drink that stuff willingly…?" He began to walk away, resisting the urge to gag due to the strong smell.

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"Come on, wake up…" Lucy huffed while gently kicking Luke's side. She didn't even know who handed his ass to him but clearly she missed it and was a little upset after the fact. "You couldn't have been hit that hard…"

"Ngh…" Luke slowly came to, feeling a migraine in his head after that last strike. "Shit…..can you please be quiet? My head is killing me…"

"I'm not even speaking that loud…" With a sigh, Lucy knelt over to extend her hand. "Here, let me help you up."

Luke took Lucy's hand and stood up, only to wince after. "We both look pretty horrible…ha…" He gave a pained chuckle before crossing his arms. "Not even a trace of magic left…funny…"

"It sucks." Lucy stated bluntly before dusting her hands off and turning around. "Now I'm back to feeling like I can't do anything…"

"Yeah…" Luke let out a heavy sigh before glancing at Lucy, eyes narrowing upon noticing the black line running up along her neck. He assumed it was just a bruise, but it was far too dark for that. "Uh…you got a little something…?"

Blinking, Lucy turned around to stare at Luke confusedly. "What?"

"Wait…hold on…" He was gonna bring out a mirror but duh, he had no magic! So instead he grabbed one of the shards on the ground and held it up to Lucy's face. "Turn a little bit and you'll see it."

She found this strange, but she complied nonetheless. Turning slightly, Lucy then looked over her shoulder only to notice the black line running up it. Eyes widened and she let out a shriek while comically leaping away. "W-WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?! GET IT OFF ME!"

"Yikes." Luke then dropped the shard. "You might wanna get that looked at…how long as that been on there…?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Lucy flailed.

"C-Calm down…! It'll probably go away soon…!" This was his attempt at reassuring Lucy it would be fine, but for some reason deep in his gut, he felt it wasn't going to be. "It doesn't even look that bad…it's not that noticeable. Just wear a scarf or something…"

Lucy's eyes then narrowed, giving Luke a slight death glare. "In the middle of spring!?"

"…Yeah. I'm just limp back to my guild now…" Luke said with a nervous grin before making his exit.

"Baka…" Lucy huffed. Arms crossed for a brief second before there was a pulse in her head resulting in a slight headache. She'd been getting a lot of those as of late… "O-Ow…I guess I should be heading back too…"

.

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"Guys, guys…!" Levy burst into the Fairy Tail, panting heavily, but she had a grin on her lips. It looked like she finally came across that breakthrough.

"Levy!?"

The bookworm was panting heavily, but she didn't even take a moment to rest and sit down. "I figured it out!"

"Wait, why isn't Gajeel with you? Did something happen to him?" Lily questioned.

Levy shook her head rapidly. "He's fine, he just went on ahead. But there's no time to explain right now, so I need Warren to contact the other guilds…!" She then pulled up a lacrima map of Fiore, pointing to the glowing locations scattered in various sections of the country. "We need everyone to attack these spots!"

"But…my telepathy can only go but so far…" Warren said with a heavy sigh. "I don't think I can contact everyone at once."

"Uh…" Levy glanced around before pointing at Jet. "Jet! Take Warren around so he can contact everyone, and make it snappy!"

"R-Right…!" Jet wasn't going to question whatever it was Levy had in mind, he was just going to trust her. "Warren, let's get going!"

"Levy, what's all this about…?" Erza tilted her head while asking the question.

"I didn't say it?" Blinking, the bluenette took it all back a step. "I said I figured it out! The way to stop this Client guy, and for everyone to get their magic back!"

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Next Time: Fight With All Your Might!


	19. Chapter 19: Fight With All Your Might!

"The Wizard Saint, huh…?" Laxus quirked his brow at the sight of the injured Avani. Clearly the two of them had seen better days, but right now even one of the Wizard Saint's wasn't going to stop Laxus in his rampage on making it towards The Client. But there was one thing about Avani's scent that bothered him…there was the blood of an all too familiar wizard on her and it somewhat made him sick. He wasn't going to assume the worst, but with the way Avani's eyes were looking it wasn't exactly easy to say otherwise. "…For your sake, you'd better hope that girl is back at her guild safe and sound. Otherwise this really won't be pretty for you."

"…" Avani remained silent. The blood of one little girl was on her and it didn't looked like she regretted the decision.

Laxus' eyes narrowed, having found his answer right then and there. "…The Wizard Saints are about to be minus one seat." Lightning coated Laxus' body and he was off, closing the distance between himself and Avani within a heartbeat while his arm was pulled back. "Iron Fist of the Lightning Dragon!" The S class swung his lightning coated fist forward, making contact as Avani slid back across the ground. Even though Laxus hit, he didn't feel as though he REALLY hit her. "…?"

Avani's arms were crossed, scales of earth having formed along the limbs to nullify the lightning Laxus had. Earth magic would always be superior to Lightning magic. She lowered her arms, just giving Laxus a crazed grin that almost begged for him to show even more of what he could do only for it to be futile. "…."

"Tch…" Laxus cracked his knuckles, spotting the obvious challenge Avani was presenting him. "I've taken hits from Jura before and in an even worse condition. Don't think for a second that you're any better." The Lightning Dragon then popped his jaw opening, releasing a potent bolt of lightning that raced along the field towards Avani, ending in a vicious explosion of lightning. "Roar of the Lightning Dragon!"

The explosion of lightning occurred, but the way it ended was not how Laxus was expecting. There was an odd inhalation sound echoing in the air as Avani was actually consuming the lightning. When she finished making a snack out of Laxus' lightning, the element began sparking around her body in conjunction with the earth-like scales already on her skin. "…!"

And there was Laxus with one annoyed expression. "You gotta be fuckin' kidding me…" This was starting to become not his day.

"Roar…" Avani pulled her head back, gathering her newfound lightning and earth in a vortex around her mouth. "Of the Lightning Earth Dragon!" Throwing her head forward, a funnel of potent lightning and razor sharp earth raced towards Laxus, absolutely obliterating the ground it traveled over.

"Shit…" Laxus allowed lightning to spark around his body, gathering directly above him into a large sphere that continued to grow with each passing second. "Raging Bolt!" The sphere of lightning raced to clash with the dual roar of opposing elements. There was a strong stalemate before the Raging Bolt was broken through, causing Laxus' eyes to widened. The last thing he saw before the dual roar hit him was that he was overpowered…

.

.

Kanade threw another punch at Jellal; a punch that he regretfully blocked. Kanade's sheer strength was enough to nearly break his arm while sending him skidding backwards across the ground. "This woman is exceptionally strong…" He thought to himself. Had he not blocked her strike, perhaps he'd be in an even worse position right now; it was already somewhat hard to breathe with his ribcage being broken with a single punch.

Despite the hurdle she was proving to be, it was clear that Kanade was reaching the end of her rope. Jellal was no easy opponent and most of her energy went to whiffing a few punches due to his speed with Meteor. But this time she intended to finishing things with a single blow. A magic seal formed on her fist, enhancing the physical strength of that one fist; she was putting everything she had into this blow. "I'm going to finish this in one strike." Her tone was a warning, and Jellal had no doubt that if she managed to hit him, he'd be in a bad condition. "HAAAH!" Knees bent, and the Eclipse mage lunged forward with her arm reeled back, and once close she swung it directly at Jellal's face.

…Only for it to be caught. That's right. Jellal didn't evade or block this time, he blocked the hit, and much like before he regretted it. He felt the force of impact reverberate through his arm and his entire body; however, he held his ground firmly and tightened his grip on Kanade's fist. "My apologies, but I'm going to have to advance with most of my bones intact." He then threw Kanade to the side, allowing her to roll along the ground. While Kanade was busy recovering, Jellal raised his hands above his head, drawing forth the shadows of everything in the area to create a large black sphere. "Altairus." Without another word, he hurled the sphere towards Kanade.

"Ugh…" A groan of pain escaped the warrior after being tossed. She brought herself up, but by the time she did Jellal already threw the Altarius sphere at her, leaving her with no choice but to defend. She crossed her arms in a vain attempt to soften the damage, but the incoming explosion was far too much for her to handle and she was easily thrown off her feet away and away, landing roughly on her back in KO.

"Whew…" Jellal let out a sigh of relief; he managed to defeat a dangerous mage and he still had some magic left to spare. If he was going to end up fighting The Client, he knew that whoever he came across next would receive nothing but one of his strongest spells.

.

.

Leon and Takeru were going at it. Two of Fiore's strongest dragon slayers clashing head to head with the same objective on the line: saving magic. "Shadow Dragon's Claw!" With shadows engulfing his hand, Takeru swung it directly at Leon's chest.

"Acid Dragon's Steel Fist!" Leon's fist swirled with corrosive acid and it swung it in time with Takeru. The two of them clashed, a shockwave booming out from the collision of two powerful mages; the soon to come shockwave sent them skidding back across the ground, however neither of them were giving the other any space. "Acid Dragon's…" Leon's cheeks began to puff out even as he slid back.

"Shadow Dragon's…" Takeru mimicked Leon's action, his cheeks also inflating.

"ROAR!"

The two dragon slayers unleashed their respective roars; the funnel of shadows and acid collided for only a few seconds before exploding violently, nearly toppling all the trees in the area. Takeru growled lowly before entering his Shadow Drive, using the power boost to rush down Leon once again, a purple magic seal forming in front of him. "Shadow Shadow's Rough Silk!" From the seal, thin beams of shadows shot out, aiming to pierce right through Leon with no remorse.

Leon crossed his arms as a weak defense against the incoming beams of light, activating his Acid Drive to give a boost in durability. The beams still pierced right through him and drew blood, causing him to growl in pain. Leon had a high pain tolerance so he took all of what Takeru had to offer before returning fire, leaping forward with a dangeorous amount of acid around his body. "Acid's Dragon's Explosive Fist!" Leon swung his fist violently at Takeru's chin for a roaring uppercut, the force more than enough to send the shadow dragon skyward. Leon wasn't finished there; right after that he opened his mouth, once again gathering acid, and now poison in his cheeks, activating his Poison Acid dual mode. "Poison Acid Dragon's Corroding Beam!" Leon released destruction in the form of a wave of poison/acid that raced towards the defenseless Takeru. It was a direct hit, and the explosion caused Takeru to just fall from the sky. Was it over…?

"…" Takeru was fading in and out of consciousness. Was this it? Was this as far as he could go against Leon? To think, he made a promise to Selene that he would get the lost magic back and that he would win. Leon was the hurdle that was going to prevent him from keeping this promise…or would he? Takeru was not one to give up; he was as tenacious as they came. Eyes snapped open and the second he hit the ground, a white aura exploded from around him: White Shadow Mode. "This isn't over, Leon! Not by a long shot!" He exclaimed before lunging towars Leon with increased speed, black and white swirling around his fist. "White Shadow Dragon's Fist!" Right into Leon's chest. Takeru's punch sent Leon soaring backwards until he managed a weak recovery on his feet, but Takeru was only just beginning. "ROAR…" Takeru inhaled, gathering a large amount of light and the shadows from anything nearby in his mouth. "OF THE WHITE SHADOW DRAGON!" Lurching forward, White Eclipse's Shadow Dragon unleashed a massive beam of shadows and light towards Leon with the intention of finishing him off right then and there.

"…!" Leon's eyes widened for a moment for his body was not reacting to what he wanted to do, and as a result…he was consumed. There was no cry of pain as the dual roar struck his person and he hit the ground on his back, just looking up at the sky with his heavily damaged body. "I can…still…"

Takeru stood over Leon with his hand extended, glaring towards the Acid Dragon. "It's over, Leon…"

"What will you do, Leon Shi?" The Client spoke while watching the two guild members. "You can give up now and give me your magic…or you can keep fighting and die…I'll take your magic either way. Which one will you pick?"

"…I choose…" Leon then gripped Takeru's hand suddenly and tightly, a green aura quickly washing over the Shadow Dragon slayer. "The third option."

"W-What the…?" Takeru blinked slowly as he felt Leon's remaining magic enter his body.

"All right, Tak…the rest is up to you. There aren't many fighters left, so I know you can do it…" Leon said with a slight nod and his usual wide grin.

Takeru nodded slowly, clenching his hand tightly. "Right, I won't let you down…" The raven haired male nodded and made his way off. "I'm saving this for you, bastard…" To that, he was referring to The Client.

Speaking of The Client, he was seething in anger at Leon's last second move. He managed to beat the system. "….Fuck you…."

.

.

Wendy sat on a part bench, covered in cuts and bruises from her own share of fights. Carla was still with her, scooping around the area for any remaining fighters. "I don't think many people are left…"

"Still no sign of Cynthia either…" Wendy sighed. "Her scent is lingering around, so she must be near…! Oh no, what if we have to fight…!?"

"It'll be fine, Wendy." Carla reassured Wendy with a pat on the shoulder.

"Wait…" Wendy took a sniff of the air before her brown eyes lit up in excitement. "I can smell her….!" And she was…not completely correct. Avani trudged into the park, now staring down Wendy with that same look she gave Cynthia. "H-Huh…?"

"What's wrong, Wendy…?" Carla questioned, extremely worried since Wendy was now beginning to shake in place.

"That's….that's her blood…" Wendy's voice trembled as her eyes widened. Her bad feeling from before was correct; the worst occurred to Cynthia and it was salt in the wound that Wendy wasn't even there to save her. Slowly moving herself from the park bench, Wendy stared Avani down. "You killed my best friend." Her brown eyes slowly shifted to that somewhat feral reptilian look.

"I'm going to make you pay."

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.

Next Time: Vengeance.


	20. Chapter 20: Vengeance

A few members of White Eclipse were making their way up the mountain past the guild building. A message from Jet told them to go up there for whatever reason, there were no details since he was in a rush. "Man…I just wanted to relax and lie down…" Luke groaned while trudging along the snow. "Having no magic really blows…"

"What the hell are they having us climb up this mountain for anyway…?" Cygnus grunted while placing his hands behind his back. "They didn't even tell us anything, just "hurry up your mountain, it's important!" like it meant anything…"

"I know." Aira was a little peeved, but mostly at herself for being so careless. Eyes averted down to the snow. "When I first came here, I just wanted to be useful with my healing magic…I know I don't fight as much as I could, but I still did everything I was able to help everyone."

"We lost magic that was taught to us…" Waiston said while kicking a rock, grumbling with his hands in his pockets. "It, ironically, burns me up inside. No doubt Reve feels the same way, which is why he probably didn't come with us…"

"I don't blame him…" Jaxon shrugged. "I feel the exact same way, but sitting around not doing anything doesn't really fit well with me as of late…"

"Ah…" Luke let out a heavy sigh. He was perhaps the only person in the guild to not have exactly 'learned' his magic. It was all copied from several mages whom he had fought, and to be without that…? It felt foreign to him. "At least you guys have had magic to learn. For me, I've just copied it all, so I haven't really had a sense of learning magic aside from adjusting to all of it…"

"Don't be stupid." Jaxon said while slapping Luke on the back. "You've done more than make enough of a name for yourself even with the magic you've had, Mr. Copycat. So stop thinking that way, damn it."

"Fine, fine…" Luke merely shrugged. "Either way…I hope that bookworm knows what she's talking about…"

.

.

Carla stared wide eyed at both Wendy and Avani as Wendy confirmed that the Wizard Saint was Cynthia's murderer. Jaw hung open as she slowly glanced back at Wendy. "A-Are you sure…?"

"There's no mistake…" Wendy nodded slowly, clenching a hand into a tight fist. Her body was shaking uncontrollably as she tried to keep her calm, but it wasn't working. "Cynthia's scent vanished earlier today…and the only trace of it now is on this woman. I…I don't know why you would do such a thing…Cynthia just wanted to help everyone…she just wanted to fight…she was the nicest person on the planet…" Wendy's eyes began to become filled with tears as she thought about Cynthia. "A-And you…YOU TOOK HER AWAY!" Her voice rose and she lunged towards Avani in a blind rage, pulling her arm back in the process.

"W-Wendy wait…!" Carla attempted to stop Wendy, but it was far too late.

"Sky Dragon's Claw!" Wendy violently swung her hand at Avani, sharp currents of wind following the slash. But in that moment, Wendy understood one of the reasons why Avani was dangerous…she was pregnant. No doubt Cynthia realized this at some point too, but this didn't stop Wendy from attacking.

Avani brought her arm up, allowing marble and stone to cover the limb to increase her defenses. She did end up sliding back a little bit from Wendy's rage-filled strike, but she was still within arm's reach to unleash her own counter. Her free arm was thrown forward, several 'branches' of stone extending from her fist. The Earth Dragon's Branching Fist struck Wendy from close range, landing multiple hits that resulted in cries of pain from the sky dragon who was thrown backwards at the end of it all, landing on her back with a harsh thud.

"Oof…" Wendy cried out, bruises nor forming on her skin from dealing with solid rock. "Ngh…"

"Wendy, you have to calm down!" Carla cried out. "I know you're upset, but…"

Avani wasn't wasting any time and preferred to be spared the melodrama. The lightning she consumed from Laxus prior began to surge around her body once again and she slammed a fist into the ground, creating a magic seal above Wendy that dropped down electrified boulders with the intent to crush her under them.

"Watch out..!" Carla shouted.

"I know…!" Wendy had a second to get her thoughts straight, but that didn't mean her anger subsided. Looking above, she saw the incoming boulders preparing to crush her. Wendy leapt back before pulling her arms above her head. "Sky Dragon's Wing Slash!" From her arms, spirals of wind shot forward, carrying the boulders Avani created right back at her. "That lightning…Laxus-san too…?" But unlike Cynthia, Laxus was still alive, which made Wendy question even more what possessed Avani to kill Cynthia?!

The incoming boulders were blocked by the dome of marble, stone, and dirt Avani formed around her. Though the last one shattered and managed to hit her, resulting in a grunt of pain as she staggered backwards. With a growl, she threw her fist forward, releasing a potent bolt of lightning that raced towards Wendy, and it was a direct hit.

Wendy let out a scream of pain as a result from impact, falling to a knee as a result. Sparks danced around her body, which was feeling numb and unresponsive to her movements. "I…I can't move…" Wendy whimpered while Carla was stuck frozen in fear.

Avani slowly approached while her arm morphed into a large stone hammer, one that she was going to use to bash Wendy for a decisive victory. She raced her arm and swung horizontally…impact was made, but not in the way she expected. "…?!"

Omega flames erupted from around Wendy's being, mixing in with the aura of azure wind circling her body. The Omega Sky Flame Dragon used one flat palm along with her opposing arm to halt Avani's finishing blow, holding her ground firmly. "But I don't think you heard me. I won't take your life, because it's wrong to do so…but I'm going to take vengeance." Those eyes of her flashed nothing but determination. Wendy's cheeks began to inflate, gathering omega flames and wind within her mouth. "Roar of the Omega Sky Flame Dragon!" A point blank funnel of wind and omega flames directly at Avani, launching her backwards due to the overall force.

"GWAH!" Avani let out a cry of pain while roughly rolling along the ground before coming to a halt on a knee. Suddenly, an electrified stalagmite rose from the ground and pierce her side, sending a powerful shock throughout her system.

Wendy screamed out in pain while falling to a knee once again, eyes wide from the sheer amount of pain coursing through her body. She could not bring herself to move for a moment, and with Avani turning her arm into a blade of earth, this looked like it was going to be the end for her too… "I…" She coughed up some blood as the crimson liquid also leaked from her pierced side.

Avani walked forward slowly, planning to finish this quickly. …It was then that one particular wound exploded. The slash Cynthia created on her side earlier erupted in searing omega flames, causing Avani's eyes to widen as she just recalled that incident the moment it occurred. "….!" The wound burned too much that the crazed Wizard Saint had to take a knee, gripping the now cauterized wound.

"Cynthia…" Wendy's eyes softened slightly. Somehow her best friend was still looking out for her, even now. Wendy forced herself to stand back up, raising a hand as she began to gather flames and wind within her palm, preparing for one final strike. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Omega Shouha Tekuusen!" Arms were thrown forward, a massive twister of high pressure wind and scorching hot omega flames was unleashed towards Avani; the wind fed the omega flames, making them even stronger and caused the twister to grow as a result, now shredding through the ground as it made way towards Avani, who had no immediate defense…rather, no defense for it at all. She was consumed within Wendy's strongest spell. The aftermath was Avani lying in the dirt with her eyes close in KO. "I…I did it…" Wendy let out a heavy sigh as the fire around her receded and she immediately brought a hand to her side, wincing at the wound given.

"And Wendy Marvell is the victor! Against the crazed Wizard Saint no less. Shame, I wanted to see how far she could've truly made it, but no matter." The Client had no problems in sapping Avani of her magic just like all the others.

"You did it, Wendy…" Carla was proud to see how strong Wendy became over the last few years. There was a nod of approval, but at the same time a frown tugging her lips…Cynthia was really gone. "W-What do we do now…?"

"We keep going…" Wendy nodded slowly. "I have to win this for Cynthia now…till the very end…" She was definitely stronger. Before, she would've been shedding tears, but she wanted to wait until this was all over to cry, because that's what Cynthia would've done.

.

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"Only three mages remain…" The Client chuckled to himself. "Wendy Marvell, Takeru Tenebrae, and Jellal Fernandes…" As he listed off the remaining three competitors in his game, he was cycling through all of the magic he stole. Within such a short time he was growing accustomed to all of the power he acquired, which was just making him even more of a threat. One that needed to be dealt with immediately.

.

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Takeru vs. Wendy; located within one of the few partially ruined towns. Yet another White Eclipse vs. Fairy Tail matchup, but this was for more than just guild pride. The magic of Fiore was riding on this bout, along with the promises both sides made to one another, and they sure as hell weren't backing down towards the end of it all. Takeru brought out his shadow katana, aiming several slashes at the annoyingly evasive Wendy. His sword whiffed each and every strike, causing him to grit his teeth. "Come on, hold still for like two seconds!"

"As if…!" Wendy shouted back. Despite her successful evasion, it was extremely difficult for her to keep it up since she just came from a fight and her body still wasn't responding as fast as she would've liked it to. She managed to evade one of Takeru's slashes and aimed her fist at his chest, a cyclone of wind following directly after to blow the opposing dragon slayer off his feet.

"Tch.." Takeru flipped, catching himself on his feet while digging his heels into the ground to halt his forced momentum. Cheeks inflated yet again, unleashing a high powered funnel of shadows at the young dragon slayer. "Shadow Dragon's Roar!"

Wendy crossed her arms to defend against the roar, only to realize that the target wasn't exactly her, but instead the ground at her feet. There was an explosion that sent her soaring into the air, where she began to teeter between consciousness. "…"

Takeru saw this as a chance to finish this battle here and now; leaping up, he had shadows swirling around his open palm and he aimed to put Wendy down "Shadow Dragon's…."

 _"_ _I can't give up…not here…I have to keep going for Cynthia…!"_ Wendy's eyes snapped open, a pink hue replacing her normal brown color. Crystal-like scales began to form around her wrists, ankles, extended from her shoulders, and her hair turned pink; Dragon Force. Before Takeru could reach Wendy, she flipped while kicking her leg down, unleashing a fierce cyclone of wind. "Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!"

"Huh!?" Takeru was caught off guard by Wendy's sudden recovery. He was sent rocketing through a ruined building and into ground, a crater forming on impact and there was a Takeru-shaped hole in the center of that crater. "I think that crushed a few bones…" He grunted before pulling himself from the pit, staring at Wendy who just landed. She was teetering, meaning she would not be able to keep up fighting for much longer.

"Wendy, don't push yourself…" Carla pleaded. "You can barely stand…"

"If it were Erza-san…Natsu-san…Lucy-san…Gray-san…or Cynthia, they'd stand…" Wendy replied while taking a single step forward, wincing in the process. "I have to keep…"

"Sounds like you need a nap, kid…" Takeru grunted while throwing his hand forward, unleashing the shadows he gathered in the form of a ripping vortex that hurtled directly towards Wendy at a breakneck pace. "Let the grownups handle this ordeal! Shadow Dragon's Shredding Claw!"

"I…I'm spent…" Wendy's body was no longer responding to what it was she wanted to do. She wanted so badly to dodge and keep fighting, but she was exhausted and injured to badly to continue. The ripping tornado of shadows blew Wendy away while a scream of pain escaped her. When the shadows faded, Wendy was lying on her side, hair color normal, scales receding, and her eyes shut. Her body reached her limit and she was knocked out.

"Wendy…!" Carla hurried over to Wendy, kneeling down to check if she was okay. Wendy was just unconscious, still breathing regularly.

"Damn, what the hell are they putting in kid's cereal nowadays?" Takeru said with a groan while rotating his shoulder. "Whatever breakfast she's been having, I want some…"

"And the winner is Takeru!" The Client's voice rang out as the beam dropped down on Wendy to take her magic. "Now only two of you remain, I'm oh so curious to see which one of you will be making it to the final round to face off against yours truly."

"Oh don't worry…" Takeru said while clenching his fist. "I plan on taking you down." With that, Takeru began walking off, but not before giving the KO'ed a nod of approval. He had to admit, if he took another hit, he would've been done for.

.

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"So…" The wind blew Jellal's cape as he stared down Takeru. "You are the last fighter remaining, I assume…?"

"That's right…" Takeru nodded slowly. "I know how strong you are, Jellal. But that isn't going to stop me…" Black scales began to form along his arms and face, signifying the activation of Dragon Force; a black aura now wavered around the Shadow Dragon slayer as he stared down Jellal. "I have an oath to fulfill, and a battle to win."

"I understand your conviction…" Jellal nodded before his golden aura flared around his body. "But in order to take another full step in my atonement, this is something I must do. Meteor!" Jellal was soaring off, immediately closing the gap between himself and Takeru while throwing a punch towards the chest of the opposing dragon slayer.

Takeru crossed his arms, grunting as Jellal's blow sent him skidding backwards along the rocky ground. Almost immediately, Takeru returned fire by lunging forward, aiming a fierce shadow infused roundhouse kick at Jellal's side, which happened to strike his already broken ribs. "Shadow Dragon's Slash!"

With the direct hit, Jellal let out a cry of pain before skidding to the side, holding his injured side after wincing in pain. A magic seal formed before Jellal with a star in the center, releasing several beams of Heavenly Body magic that raced towards Takeru at incredible speeds. The Shadow Dragon had no chance to defend against them and was forced to take them all, being thrown back as a result. "I apologize, but I must end this now!" Jellal's hand was emanating a golden aura; once the heavenly sinner thrusted his hand forward, a massive beam of said magic shot out towards the recovering Takeru.

"Ah..!?" Takeru's eyes widened as the beam came his way; exploding on him the second contact was made. He wasn't thrown off his feet…his body stood tall, but he just collapsed, exiting Dragon Force with his hair creating a shade over his eyes. He failed. "D-Damn it…" There were tears beginning to stream down his cheeks. He failed to uphold his oath.

"Whew…" Jellal let out a heavy sigh while falling to a knee. He wasn't going to keep this going for much longer, he knew that much.

"And the winner of Fight for Fiore is Jellal!" The Client beamed, and the beam dropped down to take Takeru's magic…but Jellal used Meteor at the last second to grab Takeru and escape the beam, now remaining hidden from The Client's view. "What the hell!?"

"What's your game…?" Takeru didn't glance at Jellal but it seemed he acknowledged the saint's actions.

"I can sense a powerful magic within you…" Jellal whispered. "I will need some assistance in defeating this man, for he is far too powerful. If I was in the best condition, I could do this on my own…but I don't have much magic left in me…" Jellal extended his hand to Takeru. "We have but one chance to save the magic of Fiore, and I have a plan to do so…will you assist me…?"

"I wanted to do this on my own…" Takeru admitted with a grunt. But if there was still a chance he could help everyone like he promised Leon and Selene, then he was damn sure going to take that opportunity. He realized that defeating The Client was more than just him…He took Jellal's hand and shook it firmly. "I'm in. Let's kick this guy's ass. But with just the two of us? What do you plan on doing…?"

It was then that a small smirk slowly began to creep up onto Jellal's lips. "The Client said we were only the last two fighters in his little game…but I believe know a few people who still happen to have magic on them."

.

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Fight for Fiore will be coming to an end! What is Jellal's plot?

Next Time: Invoke Magic.


	21. Chapter 21: Invoke Magic

The skies above Fiore were dark and cloudy, signifying an incoming storm. The Client stood on the rooftops of Magnolia, a wide grin on his face. He acquired just about all the magic in Fiore and he didn't even have to lift a single finger. He just had to wait and watch as the mages took out one another in the hopes they would be the one to save the country from this tyrant who wished to wield all of Fiore's magic for himself. Jellal arrived on the rooftops, staring at The Client's back. "So, you're the last mage remaining?" The Client questioned before turning around, giving Jellal a wide grin. "What else to expect from a former Wizard Saint?"

"I'm not here for idle talk." Jellal spoke as a gentle breeze passed by. "I'm here to put an end to this charade."

"But of course…" The Client gave an understanding nod. "After all, you fought all day just to make it here to me. You know, once I obtain that Heavenly Body magic of yours…I don't think there will be a mage in the world that can stop me. And with the runes I've set in town, I don't believe anyone will be able to interfere…not that they'd be able to anyway."

"We'll see about that." Jellal said while shifting into a battle ready position. The final battle was here and it was all up to him to restore Fiore's magic. What an ironic situation…with their battle silently announced to start, Jellal quickly swiped his hand horizontally, causing the rooftops to shatter and break violent; he was attempting to bring The Client down with the last few remaining spells in his arslyenal, and he would be holding nothing back. "Abyss Break!"

"Whoa…!" The Client's eyes widened as the rooftops began to shatter, but he wasn't worried. Wings sprouted from his back and took him into the air; the Fairy Magic taken from Evergreen was coming into play. With Abyss Break completely avoided, The Client then returned fire, unleashing a multitude of bullets down at Jellal. "Come now, don't tell me that's all you've got!"

"Tch…!" The saint grit his teeth in slight annoyance. He didn't expect The Client to evade his attack, but with all the magic he had up his sleeve, it should've come as no surprise. With the bullets of Fairy Magic raining down on him, the golden aura exploded around his body and he took off to the sky to meet with The Client in the air, zig zagging along to make himself harder to hit.

"This is my domain now, don't you know?" The Client spoke with a widening grin; arms raised and quickly threw them down, releasing two whirlwinds that converged into one, now raising towards Jellal at a rapid pace. "Sky Dragon's Wing Slash!"

"Guh!?" Jellal was speeding forward too quickly to stop his momentum. As a result he was caught within the fierce gale, now being thrown back down towards the rooftops. He stood back up, but as soon as he did The Client was running forward with the strength enchanment magic Kanade had, now aiming a powerful punch at Jellal's face. Oh. He knew that punch and he didn't want to take another one of those. He quickly shifted to the side, but The Client's knuckle grazed his cheek and created a cut; the slight contact was also enough to send Jellal tumbling down the roofs onto the stone road below, wincing in pain after he landed. This situation was not boding well for him…

"Don't tell me this is all you have to offer? I must say, I'm starting to get a little disappointed…" The Client touched down on the ground; the clouds overhead began to darken and a heavy downpour ensured.

"Rain…?" Jellal mumbled before standing back up, once again swiping his hand forward to unleash arrows of Heavenly Body magic directly at The Client, all of them converging onto the villain at once for a moderately sized explosion. Jellal could only wait to see if his attack was a success.

"So close." The Client's voice came from the smoke. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning dropped down from the sky onto the sinner to smite him from above. A scream of pain escaped Jellal's throat and considering he was wet from the rain, he only took more damage from the bolt of lightning. With smoke wavering from his body, Jellal fell onto his back.

"Ngh…" The injured saint attempted to sit up, but several blades conjured from Erza's requip magic stabbed into his clothing, keeping him pinned to the ground.

"So, so close…" The Client grinned while holding a blade to Jellal's neck. "But your efforts just were not enough!"

Jellal's hair created a shade over his eyes…but that didn't hide the tiny smirk that was barely visible on his lips. "I had a feeling this may happen…but I came prepared…"

To that, The Client tilted his head curiously. "What…?"

"Takeru, now…!" Jellal exclaimed.

On that cue, Jellal's shadow moved out from under him. Takeru emerged from the darkness, pointing his arm forward with was radiating with acid and shadow magic. "This one's you, bastard! Shadow Dragon's Acidic Beam!" From Takeru's arm, a powerful beam of shadows and acid shot out, corroding the ground it traveled over as it struck The Client, sending him soaring across town with the sheer force of it. After that, Takeru fell to a knee and over from magic exhaustion.

It didn't take too long for The Client to recover after such a powerful blow. He returned, looking just as pissed off as he was hurt. Jellal was still pinned by the swords so he intended to finish this quickly. "Lightning Dragon's…" Lightning began to surge around The Client's body before…it cut out completely. The magic was gone. "W-What the…!?" The runes around town also began to disperse slowly…this was going out of The Client's control. "W-What's happening!? Where is my magic going!?"

.

.

"Giehehe…" Gajeel withdrew his Iron Dragon's Sword after just having shattered several lacrima hidden in a forest in the south. These Lacrima contained several types of magic that belonged to many mages along the country, Laxus and Freed included. "Looks like Levy was right on the money…that magic had to go somewhere, and that amount of magic going into a body all at once without breaking it down was very suspicious…"

.

.

"Steady…" Chelia closed one eye shut while her tongue stuck out her mouth, taking aim at several lacrima floating around in the east. She pulled the bowstring back on her magic bow and let several arrows of wind fly; each arrow shattered a lacrima and the magic returned to Raven, Sting, Lyon, Rogue, Minerva, Kagura, and Bickslow.

"I feel my strength returning…!" Lyon exclaimed with a wide grin, the cold chilling aura Ice Makers were known for radiating off his body.

"You're totally the best, Chelia!" Raven said with a firm nod and a thumbs up. "I didn't think I'd ever miss my magic this much…" He practically hugged himself now that he felt whole again.

"I was careless last time…" Sting said with a shake of his head. "But I will ensure nothing like this happens ever again…"

"I agree…" Minerva didn't speak much. She was still seething that she allowed herself to be tricked so easily, but for now, she would be content with the return of her magic.

.

.

"That sly bastard…" Luke had to give The Client props for the hiding place of the lacrimas just higher up the mountains where White Eclipse resided. "Hiding this shit right behind our backs…!" The lacrimas were broken, so the magic returned to the White Eclipse mages. The rainbow of magic emanating from the various mages was just another show of how strong they really were.

"Not a bad place to hide…" Cygnus admitted. "But I'd rather not be losing my magic ever again."

"Don't be so careless." Heather merely shook her head.

.

.

A small group from Fairy Tail was in the east, having just finished destroying all of the lacrima that remained. "You were right on the money, Levy!" Mirajane clasped her hands together as the lost magic returned to those who had lost it. "Incredible!"

"It was nothing…!" Levy said with a confident nod and grin. "After I figured out the flow of magic, it was only a matter of time until it all made sense!"

"I dunno exactly what she's talking about…" Natsu said while rubbing the back of his head before his flames flared around his body. "But it feels great to be all fired up again! I'm ready to kick some ass, let's go!"

.

.

"A-All my magic…it's gone!?" The Client was beginning to panic. His carefully laid out game was crumbling and he wasn't sure how this was happening. In his confusion, Racer sped forward and slammed a fist right into The Client's Jaw, sending him spiraling into the ground due to the momentum the speed mage carried.

"Too slow." Racer quipped with a grin.

Ultear and Meredy soon appeared, quickly pulling the swords from the ground to free Jellal. "I swear, you can't do much of anything without us around, can you?" Ultear spoke while shaking her head, yet there was a smile on her lips for seeing that Jellal was okay and managed to hold out this long.

"I'm certainly glad to have your assistance…" Jellal admitted before standing back up. "But for now, I advise you clear the area. This is going to get a little messy."

"You don't have to tell us again…" Meredy nodded, quickly exiting town with Ultear and the others.

The Client slowly brought himself up; still reeling from the fact he lost all of the magic he managed to steal throughout the entire day. He was just a magicless human now in the face of a man who far exceeded him otherwise. "W-Wait…let's just try and talk about this….!"

"The time for talking is over." Jellal's tone was stern. "You will be suffering the highest sentence…and your judge will be the seven stars." Just above in the cloudy skies, there were seven glimmers of light that shone brightly. "GRAND CHARIOT!" From above, seven beams of light dropped down violent on The Client, creating a massive shockwave. The only thing that could be heard was The Client's loud scream as he was consumed by the light of the seven stars….

Afterwards, Jellal fell to a knee, groaning loudly from the injuries he sustained throughout the day. But he could rest at long last for he did what he set out to do. "I hope…I've made it one step closer…to achieving atonement…"

The Fight for Fiore was finally over…

.

.

Marde Geer held the book of END in his hands, casually walking to what was just an open field near Onibus. It was empty, so what business did he truly have there? "Human emotion is truly a complex thing…" He was talking to himself, there wasn't a soul around that could hear him. "Quite useless as well, for Marde Geer has no need for emotion." He then knelt down before a pile of stone, giving a slight smile. "But to think, human emotion is what prevented you from emerging victorious in a fight you could've won. To save the life of a child that isn't even guaranteed to be brought into this world." He began scooping up the stones into his hand, making sure to grab even the smallest pebble. "I wonder, what possessed you to do this?" After he was finished, the demon king stood up and began to walk off. "Oh, but worry not…I understand that human emotion is the crucial flaw in those insects, the one thing that makes them weak. But worry not, young Cynthia Rose. When Marde Geer is finished with you, you will not have to worry about having those weak emotions any longer."

.

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Next Time: The Aftermath.


	22. Chapter 22: The Aftermath

With Fight for Fiore finally over, the mages of Fiore could relax once again. Of course this didn't mean that everything was back to normal. At Fairy Tail, things were likely never to be normal ever again. "Cynthia's dead…!?" Lucy's brown eyes widened in shock; she already felt the tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. "B-But…how…when did that happen…?!"

Wendy was the one who delivered the news. Just uttering and hearing those words again made her heart hurt. Her hair was creating a shade over her eyes, but everyone could still see the tears rolling down her cheeks. "I…I don't know…I just know it was that woman…I don't know why she did it…Cynthia didn't do anything wrong…S-she just…"

"Wendy…" Carla bit her lip, trying hard to suppress her tears.

"I should've been there!" Wendy shouted, but those words for meant for her and her alone. There was a silence that lingered in the guild as Wendy started to weep. Nobody knew what to say to make her feel better…

"…" Laxus was remaining especially silent. He was still bitter about the fact he lost to Avani especially right after learning she was the one who killed Cynthia. Needless to say, even though no one was around to witness it, his pride took a blow today.

Cana sat down next to Wendy, wrapping an arm around the sky dragon's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "Hey…" She began. "You know Cynthia was a strong girl…and you know the last thing in the world she'd ever want is for you to cry over her. Not just you, but the rest of us too…"

"Cana-san is right…" Juvia gave a slow nod of agreement while rubbing her arm. It was still hard to believe that Cynthia was really gone, but everyone knew that she wouldn't want to hear them crying over her. "Cynthia-san would want us, especially you, to be happy…"

Wendy just sniffled. They were absolutely right, yet she couldn't find the strength to try and smile. "…"

"But right now…" Erza shook her head, crouching down to get eye level with Wendy. "You can let it all out if you have to. I know it's asking much of you to hold it in and we won't make you do that. Cry as much as you need to, Wendy. I promise it'll be okay later."

"I…I…" Wendy's bottom lip quivered before she just clung to Cana, letting it all out. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her crying filled the guild hall. The sound and sight of it was enough to pain everyone's hearts as they all felt the same sense of loss.

Gray stood with his arms crossed, letting out a heavy sigh. "She didn't just lose her best friend. She lost her other half…because we weren't there to watch out for her." He was sharing some of the blame too. Natsu remained silent the entire time as well, probably because he felt the exact same way.

"Mama…Papa…" Asuka looked up to Bisca and Alzack. "Are we gunna see Cynthia again…?"

To that, Alzack and Bisca shared a similar look. Bisca knelt down, gently placing her hand on her daughter's head, mustering the strength for a smile. "Cynthia is…going to be away for a while, dear. I don't know if we'll see her again…"

"Oh…" Asuka's expression wavered slightly. She didn't quite understand the concept of death…but she caught the gist of not seeing Cynthia again for a very, very long time.

Lucy slowly walked off while rubbing her arm, unable to take the depressing atmosphere at the guild for much longer. She wanted some space to think…but that time to think was beating herself up over it. Though it didn't seem like it, Cynthia did count on the others to help her, and she felt as though they let down the now late dragon slayer by not being there for her. "Maybe if I was just a little bit stronger…"

 _"_ _The weakness lies in the heart…"_

"…!?" Lucy's eyes widened and that headache returned once again. She cringed slightly before looking around, searching for the origin of the voice, but she couldn't find a thing. "Who…? What…?" Silence returned and she had no answer…however that black mark on the back of her neck began to spread slowly. "I must be tired…it was a long day…"

.

.

Minoru finally found Avani lying unconscious. Once he spotted his wife he quickly rushed over to her, kneeling down to lift her up gently. "A-Avani!? Are you okay?! Please, open your eyes…"

"Ugh…" Avani's eyes opened slowly. She no longer held that crazed look, but rather a dazed and confused one. "M-Minoru…? What happened…?"

"You went out…and you were caught in the middle of that Fight for Fiore business." Minoru explained while looking over Avani's injuries. "It looks like you were involved in some fighting…are you feeling all right? No major injuries?"

Avani rubbed her head, trying to recall her time in Fight for Fiore. "It was all a blur, but…" Then she remembered it: that moment where she killed a child in cold blood. Her eyes widened in horror and she clung to Minoru, beginning to weep on the spot. "I…I killed that girl…in cold blood…"

"What…?" Minoru was confused, but he held onto his wife as she wept. She was hurt, dazed, confused, the day probably seemed like one massive blur to her. He shook his head slowly, helping the wizard saint up. "Come on…I'll take you back to the guild so you can rest."

Avani nodded slowly while her sobbing died down. "There is one thing I remember…that girl…she didn't hit the baby. I think…I think she did everything she could to ensure that she didn't hit me there, and I took advantage of that and…"

.

.

"It's official…" Luke said while crashing on the couch, wrapped in bandages just like everyone else. His head ended up on Roxanne's lap, but it was obvious enough the woman didn't even come close to minding. Rather, she just patted him on the head with the slightest of grins. "Next time something like this happens, I'm staying right at home, no questions asked. Too hectic for my liking."

Waiston just scoffed at the idea of sitting back. "No way. Next time I'm making it to the top no matter what. I just got unlucky this time around."

"Healing duty was incredibly exhausting, just so you know…" Micaiah spoke from the kitchen. One just had to look at her to notice how tired she was from treating the injured members. Luckily when Aira's magic returned she was able to take over as the healer she was for the guild.

"You did a good job, Micaiah." Aira said with an approving smile.

"We didn't lose anybody, did we?" Cygnus questioned while looking around. It seemed as though everyone was accounted for.

"Nope." Kanade shook her head, using a cloth to wipe the blood from her lips.

"I'll cook a great feast to celebrate this victory!" Marlene clasped her hands together, rushing into the kitchen to prepare the necessary ingredients for a large scale dinner.

"I won't be eating." Kanade said. "I had someone's heart for dinner earlier, so I'm good."

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Cygnus shouted and all eyes went to Kanade as she admitted to eating a human heart.

"Yeah." Kanade just nodded. "Got a little too into it and the next thing I knew, I was biting down on someone's heart. Gotta say, it's really not as bad as you would think. I don't see what the big deal is."

"Disgusting…" Heather said with a shake of her head.

Reiss held his stomach, face turning pale at the thought. "You know…I think I've lost my appetite for the evening…"

"I don't see the problem." Adamantine replied with a nonchalant shrug.

"What on Earthland are you teaching this girl, Adam…?" Selene said with a large sweat drop forming on her forehead.

"I'm not responsible for whatever habits she picks up when training with me." Adam responded. "If she enjoys the taste of a beating heart, that's on her. But I approve of this as well."

"See, Adam gets it!" Kanade responded with a big innocent grin, but for everyone else it just bothered them. This girl was something else; that was for sure.

Mary walked down the stairs, folding her arms while watching the commotion. "Don't get too relaxed. You know the Grand Magic Games are only a few short months away, so you vets are going to start working as soon as you recover."

"…Almost forgot about the Games. Felt like it's been forever since we've had one." Kuro spoke while rubbing the back of his head.

Mary's gaze then shifted to the rookies, where she gave a grin that terrified them, and only them. "As for you rookies…I expect to see you outside tomorrow morning at 5AM."

"It never ends for us…" Tyson said with a halfhearted chuckle.

"Oh, Mary…" Zalen spoke up, grinning towards Tyson. "Don't worry about this one; I'll be sure to take care of his training. The others you can do whatever you'd like with."

"Why does he get a free pass!?" Reiss exclaimed.

"Oh, trust me…" Zalen adjusted his glasses, a devious glint shimmering for only a brief second. "It's anything but a free pass."

"You heard her." Reve said to catch the veteran's attention. "We're going right back to training. I don't want to see any of you slacking." To that, there was a loud groan echoing through the White Eclipse guild hall as training was the last thing anyone wanted to think about right now.

.

.

Marde returned to Tartarus, immediately making his way towards Hell's Core with the pebbles in his hands. Working in Hell's Core was Lamy of course, who was currently clinging onto Jackal's arm. "Oh, Jackal-kun…!" The small demon beamed with a dreamy smile. "Have I ever told you how much of a hunk you are?!" And then came that obnoxious laugh of hers.

"You're fucking disgusting!" Jackal spat out while trying to pry Lamy off his arm. "Get off me already, would you!? For crying out loud…!?"

Marde came to a stop, clearing his throat to gain Lamy's attention. As a result, she immediately pulled herself from Jackal to salute to Marde. "Marde-sama! What can I do for you!?" She questioned, waiting for any command that would be given to her.

"Open up one of the tanks." Marde ordered.

Lamy nodded. "Of course!" Lamy hurried over to the nearest tank, opening it up. "But…The Demon Gates and Demon Generals are all in perfect condition. Who is this tank for?"

"A new recruit." Marde said before tossing the pebbles in the tank and closing it himself. Hell's Core began to do work. Since it was the healing facility of Tartarus, it was perhaps the only thing in Earthland that was capable of what occurred next. The pebbles began to move into a formation that resembled a human body; it wasn't long before the pieces of rock slowly began to reform into an unconscious Cynthia. Her body reformed, but her internal organs still needed time to recover and reform.

"I've seen that girl before…" Jackal mumbled while crossing his arms. Eventually he just didn't care enough and shrugged it off.

"Ohhhhh! She's so stinkin' cute!" Lamy pressed her face against the glass of the healing tank, a sinister grin stretching along her lips. "Ooooh…when I finish with you, you're gonna be the ugliest butterfly the world's ever seen…"

"You are not allowed to touch her." Marde's voice made it perfectly clear. "When her consciousness has reformed, I will personally take care of her. For now, you are to ensure that her reconstruction does not fail, do you understand?"

Lamy let out a sad sigh; she really wanted to mess with Cynthia in some way since she was going to be recreated as a demon. "Okaaaaay! Whatever Marde-sama wishes!"

"Excellent. I know I can count on you." Marde nodded and began to walk off, a devious smile soon forming along his lips. "Very soon, the game shall begin…but for now, the pieces are just going into place."

.

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Next Time: The Days Gone.


	23. Chapter 23: Days Gone By

Several days went by since the Fight for Fiore incident. Things returned to normal in Fiore…well, as normal as things could be. Fairy Tail was still off kilter due to the loss of Cynthia, but they were doing their best to move on. Wendy was the one taking it the hardest, so efforts went to ensure she wouldn't feel so down. A few of the Fairy Tail ladies decided to relax in the hot tub to ease their worries. "Isn't this relaxing…?" Mira let out a small sigh while dipping into the water.

"Mhm..!" Wendy gave a nod of agreement, attempting to let all of her tension go in the relaxing water. "It's really nice…ahhhh…"

Lucy kept a towel wrapped around her, but she dipped her legs into the water and released a content sigh. She then turned to Erza, giving a soft smile. "She seems to be doing a little better…"

To that, Erza nodded, scrubbing down her arm while watching Wendy interact with Carla, Mira, Cana, and Lisanna. "Yes…I think she's gotten over the initial shock of losing Cynthia. She seems to be adjusting to the change."

"Back at the Isle, she also lost her foster dragon, too…" Lucy said while recalling the incident at the Isle. "She had Cynthia to help her through it. But now it's our turn to be here for her."

"Well said." Erza said with a nod of approval before looking Lucy over, realizing she actually had yet to step into the water. "You'd usually be in the water by now?"

"Ah…" Lucy proceeded to sweat. The only reason she hadn't even taken off her towel yet was because of the black mark that was crawling up her neck from her back. She wasn't quite sure how the others would react to it. "No particular reason…"

"You should join in, Lucy…" Cana said with a devious smile, hands moving in the air in a groping like manner. "It'll be fine~"

Lucy knew those hand movements far too well. A blush spread across her face and she frantically shook her head. "N-No thanks! It'll be fine!"

"But…" The voice that chimed in was familiar; it belong to Flare, who was just standing in the middle of the sauna while poking her fingers together sheepishly.

"F-FLARE!?" Lucy's eyes widened at the sight of the hair mage. "W-What are you doing here now…?"

"This is only open to Fairy Tail members…" Levy said while waving a finger with one hand resting on her hip. "But then again…I suppose she's a friend, so it's not so bad…"

"I wanted to repay you all in some way…" Suddenly, Flare's hair began to extend, grabbing the soap and began grabbing the bodies of the females in the water. "So let me scrub every inch of your bodies…"

"T-Time to go…!" Lucy squeaked, however, before she could run off Flare's hair grabbed her too.

"You too, Blondie." Flare had an innocent smile while dragging Lucy into the water. What occurred next was…a little bit of chaos. What felt like an eternity was only a few minutes and Flare was finally finished scrubbing everyone down; the ladies were sprawled along the inside of the water in a comical fashion. "There, all clean~"

"J-Juvia…only wanted Gray-sama to scrub her down…" Juvia whined with comical swirls in her eyes.

"H-Heh…" Wendy shook off her dizziness while closing her eyes. There was a small giggle coming from her for the first time in days. "T-That was pretty fun, wasn't it, Cynthia?" Ah…she did it again. She was so used to Cynthia being right beside her she still had yet to adjust to her not being around. Because of that, the smile that was on her lips quickly formed into a frown. "Oh…right…"

The atmosphere shifted from being light-hearted to somewhat somber yet again. "Poor Wendy…" Lucy said with a heavy sigh.

"Uhm…Lu-chan…" Levy was standing behind Lucy, staring worriedly at the black mark that started on her back and began crawling up her neck. It was visible to everyone now, so there was no use in the blonde trying to hide it from anyone. "W-What is that…!?"

Lucy's eyes widened as she realized what she was trying to hide was now exposed to everyone. "I…I don't know…"

"What do you mean you don't know?" Erza quirked a brow, arms crossing over her bosom. "How long as that been there? Are you getting sick?"

"I…I don't think so?" So many questions, so many answers Lucy didn't have a remote answer to. "Maybe it's something I caught while in Joya…but really, it doesn't seem all that bad. It doesn't even hurt or anything!"

"I tried to scrub that, but it wouldn't go away…" Flare remarked.

"Lucy-san, maybe I can do something…" Wendy wadded through the water before reaching Lucy's back, extending her arms out and her palms faced forward. A soft sea green light emanated from the sky dragon's palm, releasing a soft pulse of healing magic along Lucy's back.

"…" For some reason, Lucy ended up releasing the quietest hiss of pain as the black mark slowly began to recede. Wendy was unable to remove it completely, but it was reduced to a noticeable black mark on the small of Lucy's back. "Is it gone…?"

"Ah…not entirely…" Wendy said with a small frown. "I got most of it to go away…."

"Thank you anyway, Wendy…" Lucy gave an appreciative nod to the sky dragon. "Anyway…I think we've spent enough time in here…" To that, Lucy got several nods of agreement.

"U-Um…." Wendy piped up; looking as though she had something she was dying to say.

"What is it, Wendy?" Mirajane asked with a tilt of her head.

The bluenette wasn't quite sure how she wanted to phrase this and it just came to her head. All eyes were on her and her gazed shifted to the water again. "I…I know everyone is trying their hardest…and I know everyone does their best to protect me, and Cynthia when she was here…b-but…I don't want to leave all that work to you anymore. Please…let me be the one to protect you all…i-it's the least I can do…please…"

All fell silent. It was easy to see how much Wendy was really hurting, and her words made it painfully clear that she wanted to make up for not being able to protect Cynthia in some way. Carla could tell the most that Wendy wanted to follow through on these words more than anything. "Wendy…"

Mirajane gave a soft smile, placing her hand on Wendy's shoulder while giving a slow nod. "You know we'll be counting on you then, Wendy."

.

.

About a day later, a trip to Porlyuisca was taken by Team Natsu. Of course the old woman still didn't take so kindly to being bothered, but she was the guild's doctor in a sense so she was going to assist with whatever they needed anyway. The pink haired woman was examining the black spot on Lucy's back, eyes narrowing as she just poked it to see if Lucy would have any reaction, and she did not. "Hmmm….."

"Is it dangerous…?" Gray asked with his arms crossed.

"I can't say." Porlyuisca replied with a shake of her head. "She doesn't seem to be showing any signs of sickness either, at least physically."

"Probably something from that restaurant back in Joya…" Natsu said with a nonchalant shrug. "Shouldn't have eaten there, I knew it."

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO DRAGGED ME IN THERE!" Lucy comically shouted at Natsu before Porlyuisca glared daggers at her to turn back around so the examination could finish. "Idiot…"

The medic could still see nothing wrong with the black spot on Lucy's back. It was like a puzzle she couldn't figure out. "Have you felt anything strange as of late? Physically, your body is fine. This spot seems to be benign in that aspect…"

"Well…" If now was a good time for Lucy to mention the occasional headaches, now would be the time. "I don't know if this is much of anything, but lately I have been getting some headaches here and there…they pass after a few seconds, though…"

"I see…" Porlyuisca gave a slight nod before gesturing for Lucy to put her shirt back down. Walking over to a counter, she grabbed a few medicinal herbs and handed them to the celestial wizard. "Take these whenever you get a headache. It should suppress them for a while."

"Oh, thank you…" Lucy said with a soft smile.

"Now…" The old woman went to grab her broom, immediately swinging it around wildly to force out the Fairy Tail mages. "GET OUT!"

"WE'RE GOING, WE'RE GOING!" Gray shouted as he and the others were forced away from her home and back into the woods. "Geez, that old woman still has attitude huh?"

"At least she helped out…" Wendy let out a small chuckle while rubbing the back of her head.

"Yeah…" Lucy gave a nod before resting against a tree. She grimaced from the return of a slight headache, and in the next instant a pink dagger flew into the tree just beside her head, causing her to shriek before looking around. The dagger vanished and everyone was on guard. "What was that?!"

"I've finally found you..!" Sophie said while sprinting from behind a tree. Along her arms were strange gauntlets adorned with red gems on the knuckles. Her speed was impeccable and by the time anyone truly noticed what was going on, the violet haired girl was in front of Lucy, but her arm was pulled back and she had no intentions of throwing it forward. "…Oh." And when Sophie looked around, the others were prepared to attack her. "It seems I've made an error in judgement…"

"Who are you?" Erza demanded to know. Her stern gaze was known to instill fear into anyone that looked at her; however Sophie just curiously tilted her head to the side, unaffected by it.

"Sophie…!" Yaya, Shinji, and Yuji appeared, both of them panting heavily. "You can't just run off like that…we're in the middle of a mission…!"

"Geez…" Yuji rubbed the back of his head. "She hardly does or says anything and she's such a freakin' handful…"

"My apologies." As if the Fairy Tail mages weren't even there, Sophie turned and bowed apologetically to her guild mates. "I sensed potential danger and felt the overwhelming need to deal with it."

"Don't just pretend like you didn't attack!" Lucy flailed her arms. "Where are you three even from!?"

"Oh…" Yaya stepped forward with a bright smile. "We're White Eclipse's newest kid recruits! I'm Yayuya, Yaya for short, here we have Shinji, that's Yuji, and I see you've already met Sophie…sorry about that…"

"White Eclipse, huh…?" Natsu's lips curled into a grin. "I bet Wendy could take on all of ya!" He then gave Wendy that wide grin like he didn't do anything wrong in even suggesting that.

"N-Natsu-san…!" Wendy was objecting; she did not want to deal with Natsu's crazy ideas right now. "I don't want to fight anyone right now…!"

"Don't be so inconsiderate, dumbass…" Gray said with a scoff.

"What'd you say, ice princess?!" Natsu and Gray were locked in yet another head to head, sparks comically flying from their opposing glares. "You wanna get your ass kicked right now?!"

"It wouldn't be by you, ash breath!" Gray shouted back.

"Both of them are idiots…" Shinji mumbled underneath his breath.

"I think this is a bad time…" Sophie stated plainly before turning to Lucy. "I'm sorry for attacking you. You just remind of something dangerous I have to take care of."

"…That doesn't really sound like an apology nor a compliment…" Lucy mumbled with a slight sweat drop.

"She doesn't exactly know…subtly…" Yuji sighed before shoving his hands in his pant pockets, beginning to lead the way off. "C'mon guys…"

While Natsu and Gray started fighting, the mini Eclipse mages started to walk off. Sophie glanced at Lucy once more and the two exchanged gazes. "Something dangerous…" Lucy thought to herself. In a strange way, Lucy could feel exactly what Sophie was talking about before. Now, Lucy didn't mind kids and liked them, and she was one to give everyone a chance. But despite her initial thoughts…Deep, deep down inside her…Lucy did not like Sophie.

.

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Next Time: Weeks on End


	24. Chapter 24: Weeks on End

Weeks passed, and surprisingly without a single new incident in Fiore. Things were at peace with a price. The only action anyone had seen lately was due to the jobs they went on, as it should be. Things at Fairy Tail were mostly normal now…business as usual, what with Natsu and Gray arguing over some minuscule detail. The guild continued to be in the uproar it held daily, but it was a little less cheery, at least to Wendy. She and Carla were sitting at a table and Wendy just kept her head tilted down at the plate of food before her. "Wendy…please eat…" Carla pleaded. Wendy's appetite had not been that great since Fight for Fiore ended.

"I will." Wendy replied with a small nod. "I was just remembering something…"

"What was it…?" Carla questioned with a tilt of her head.

"Remember when we first met Cynthia? She was cold, alone, and scared on that mountainside." Wendy now had a sad smile on her lips. "And when she came to, she was still so frightened, but even less so…She trusted me and I took her around town…then I got sick, and I heard she was more worried about me than everyone else even though we'd only just met."

"That's true." Erza confirmed, taking a seat across from Wendy with a soft smile. "She was really worried about you. After that happened it's when she joined, I still don't think I've seen her happier than when she was with you."

"So much happened then…" Wendy sighed. "I was really scared in the forest when she lost her control over her concern for me…and when she got kidnapped...my heart stopped. Seeing the way Aiden used her, I was horrified. You know, Erza-san…it was then I completely devoted myself to protecting her, but I failed. I was so close and I lost her at the end…"

"That's not true." Erza shook her head.

Wendy looked up, giving Erza a curious expression. "Huh…?"

"You saved her." Carla said while waving a paw around.

"We all heard what she said before she was gone…" Erza said with a small nod. "You did save her, Wendy. You were the reason she learned what it meant to live…and that's incredible. A lot of people go their entire lives without learning that meaning. She was only 13 at the time and you taught her that meaning…and you know what else? Cynthia would not want you to be sad over her being gone…I know that's hard to hear, but she'd want you to smile."

"….I know…" Wendy gave another nod. "It's just hard…before meeting her; I didn't think I could ever feel this way. I feel a little empty, Erza-san. I know all of you are here to help cheer me up, but…oh, I'm sorry, I guess that sounds a little ungrateful, doesn't it?"

"We understand." Erza said with a soft chuckle. "Cynthia was your best friend and other half for a reason…that's a void we can only do our best to try and fill. But we're still worried about you."

"I understand…" Wendy nodded before starting to eat her food. It was the least she could do to appease those who were worried about her.

.

.

Fukomakura kept its activity in the shadows; however they were quite aware of what was going on in the country. Opehlia was acting as a scout, gathering information on various things. When the half breed finally returned, her first stop was her mother's chambers. "Oh Mother~" The female called while stepping inside.

Desdemona peered up from filing her long black nails, lacing a smile onto her lips while gesturing for Ophelia to come close. "O, my dear, welcome home. I trust you've come back with some interesting information?"

"But of course, Mother." Ophelia nodded, walking forward before coming to a halt before her Desdemona. "For starters, I've noticed some fresh new talent during that Fight for Fiore nonsense."

"Oh?" Desdemona quirked a brow, waiting for Ophelia to explain.

"Both of them were White Eclipse mages. One of them was Luke Cloud, he has a lot of potential and I think he would be quite fun to experiment with…and the other was Roxanne…"

"Say no more." Desdemona responded before snapping her fingers. "Kize, won't you come in here, dear?" A

And like a dog called by a whistle, Kize appeared in a flash, immediately bowing to Desdemona. "You rang, my queen!?"

"Disgusting…" Opehlia crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"YOU'RE DISGUSTING." Kize immediately shot back with a glare, but Desdemona snapped her fingers and Kize's attention snapped back to her in a heartbeat. "Yes?!"

"There's something I'd like you to do for me." Desdemona explained.

"Anything for you!" Kize's eyes stared up at Des, just waiting for whatever order it was she had in store for him.

"Here we go…" Ophelia let out a heavy sigh while shaking her head, deciding to just walk out of the room. She couldn't stand being in Kize's presence any longer.

.

.

"Calium…?" Micaiah blinked, staring at the photo of White Eclipse from when they won the previous Grand Magic Games.

"Ah, the old man…" Cygnus let out a slight chuckle from afar in the main room. "Yeah, he was something else."

"What happened to him?" Saraya questioned. "This is the first time you're mentioning him."

"Simple." Reve began to explain. "He was the first master of White Eclipse, a dangerous mage. In his prime, I don't think there are many people in this world that could stand up to him, and that remained true even as he grew older. But once he got old, he got sick. Once he got sick…it was only a matter of time before he was gone, and he left us a while ago."

"Even though he was old, none of us were able to land a single blow on him…" Takeru grunted. "Luke and I came close once on two separate occasions, but that old man was slippery…"

"That's not the best way to describe him, Tak…" Aira said with a minor sweat drop. "But he was like a father to me, I did everything I could to make sure he was healthy, but in reality I was merely prolonging the inevitable."

"It's a shame you rookies and kids never had the chance to meet him…" Kuro said while slurping down some noodles as per usual. "Despite being old, he was without a doubt the best master around."

"That's a little unfortunate now that you bring it up…" Micaiah said with a small sigh. "I guess it can't be helped…"

Elsewhere, Luke was sitting on the couch in the main room, flipping through the channels in attempt to find something decent to watch. With training having been done for the day, he just planned on relaxing for the day. So imagine his annoyance when there was a knock at the door and the others were too into their conversation to notice. "Great…" He sighed while hopping up, opening the front doors of White Eclipse to Kize. "Can I help you…?"

There Kize stood with a widening grin, ushering for Luke to step outside. "You're Luke Cloud, right?!"

Reluctantly, Luke stepped outside while keeping a brow quirked and shut the door behind him. "Yeah, that's me…"

"Good! Listen, I need your help. Think you can do me a favor?" Kize questioned with that giddy grin still plastered on his lips.

"Sure…what is it..?" Luke asked.

"GREAT ANSWER!" Kize exclaimed before bashing his head into Luke's suddenly. The fierce and unexpected headbutt caught Luke off guard and rendered him unconscious. Nobody inside seemed to notice, so the sensory mage just hoisted the unconscious copycat over his shoulder and made his return to Fukomakura.

.

.

"Hmmm…" Lamy was examining Cynthia in the recovery tube. "Geez…what kind of death did this one suffer? It's been weeks and her internal organs and consciousness still haven't recovered completely…" No one was around to tell her what to do now…and she knew it was in Marde's best interests for Cynthia to make a speedy recovery. "Perhaps no one will mind if I just make feeeeew modifications here and there…." She giggled with that obnoxious laugh of hers.

"Now, now…" That voice belonged to the Ice Devil Slayer: Sliver. He appeared in Hell's Core, shaking his head with a small grin. "You heard the boss before, didn't you, Lamy? No touching our special guest."

Hearing Sliver appear from practically nowhere made Lamy jump, turning to face the Ice Devil. "But Silver-sama! I've been watching her for weeks on end and she hasn't even budged! Maybe taken a breath here and there, but that's it. I swear, some enhancement would make things go so much quicker! Plus she's too cute; the world deserves to see another ugly butterfly."

"I won't permit you to lay a single one of those slimy little fingers on that child." Tayakata spoke with her arms crossed, her tone making it perfectly clear that she wouldn't tolerate Lamy modifying Cynthia in any way. "She is already receiving an enhancement by being turned into a demon within the chamber, there is no need to do anything else, understand?"

"Eeeeh…" Lamy shivered. Of course Taya of all people would be the one to put her foot down on the matter. "Fine…Weird that you'd care about a kid like this. But whatever, I guess I'll just keep being BORED."

"Do your job, ya stinkin' goat." Now it was Maggie that appeared on the scene, the little shadow demon Sora following behind her. "Now, Sora dear…this is something you should probably see." The lava demoness pushed past Lamy and Sliver to show Sora Cynthia.

"Cynthia-chan…!?" Sora's eyes lit up with excitement for only a brief moment before she realized that not only was the dragon slayer unresponsive, but in the healing tube. "W-What's wrong with her…?" Those eyes of hers narrowed into an evil stare as she immediately looked at Lamy, knowing she was the one in charge of Hell's Core. "Who hurt Cynthia-chan."

"Hold that anger, won't you Sora dear?" Sliver said with a growing smirk. "I think the boss has a plan that will coincide directly with those budding homicidal feelings! Until then, it would just be a good idea to sit quietly, yeah?"

Sora puffed her cheeks out before blowing out a lot of air. "If Marde-sama says so…"

"You know, Sliver…" Maggie began tapping her chin while staring down the Ice Devil. "I can't help but notice how awfully cooperative you are."

"Somethin' so strange about that, Maggie?" Sliver questioned while stroking his chin. "Last time I checked, I was one of the Nine Demon Gates. So it's only natural, wouldn't you agree, Taya?" Shifting the topic slightly onto Tayakata, the ravenette was too focused looking at Cynthia to really be paying attention.

"What? Oh…You two need to not bring me into your little squabbles. I've much better things to do than listen to two opposing elements quarrel every now and then…" With a dismissive wave, the vector user walked off quickly.

"Well, it's never boring when these things happen…" Lamy huffed before rubbing her temples. Suddenly her whole faced shifted from cute to manly and it took a moment for those watching to even understand what happened…like they even could. "It's only annoying. Now, if your name isn't Jackal-kun, I'll need you to GET OUT."

"That mutt isn't even here…" Maggie started.

"Oh? THEN GET OUT!" Lamy shouted with her annoying laugh following right after. That alone was enough to get Sliver, Maggie, and Sora to make a hasty exit. No one wanted to be around that laugh for more than a second. "Now that they're gone…" A smile crept onto Lamy's lips. No one was around to stop her now…plus what she was planning on doing was already happening with Cynthia's recovery. "I'll just up the amount of demon particles entering your body by a little bit…this won't turn you into the ugly butterfly you deserve to be, but I think this will make things move much faster…fwahahaha…"

.

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Next Time: Time Flies.


	25. Chapter 25: Time Flies

In the Council HQ, Siegrain was working on something due to the rising incidents in Fiore lately. It didn't give the Council such a good name that people were capable of easily throwing the country into panic and they were more or less powerless to do anything about. "It's a shame we were unable to capture that man who caused Fight for Fiore…I was looking forward to another public execution.

"It is unfortunate…" Lahar spoke while entering Siegrain's office, nodding after doing so. "However, we have begun taking measures to ensure that it will no longer be so easy for these lawbreakers to throw our country into chaos."

"Is that so?" Siegrain leaned back in his seat, resting his elbow on his desk and his face upon his fist. "Tell me, what is it you and the others have come up with? I want to see nothing but success, for people are starting to take us lightly now. I need something to make an example out of once again."

"I understand, sir." Lahar gave a firm nod. "Odin, Doranbolt, and I have been working on a system to implement within the skies of Fiore. This will make it much more difficult for anyone to intercept the airwaves to display lacrima images around the sky, also, this feature will allow us to easily track those who decide to do so."

There was a satisfied grin on Siegrain's lips at Lahar's plan. "Excellent work, Lahar. I do approve of this plan, and it should be able to give us that edge we need against these lawbreakers. I won't tolerate anything less than public execution after this incident. These up and coming villains need to learn that the law is nothing to take lightly." The grin on Siegrain's lips shifted to something more sadistic…he wanted blood, there was no hiding that.

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"Sigh…" Luke was in a somewhat nice room in Fukomakura. He still didn't have an exact idea of where he was, but Desdemona was treating him nicely…minus the fact he hadn't been fed in a few days. All he had on him was an orange soda and half a bag of chips that he already finished. "What's the holdup…" He questioned silently while looking around. Luke didn't understand what was taking so long.

A few minutes later there was a knock at the door, and Ophelia stepped inside. "Oh good, you're still here. Get up, Mother wishes to see you now. Or rather…see you prepared anyway."

"Pushy…" Luke sighed before standing up, following behind Ophelia. They passed through the main hall, where Kize was swinging on the chandelier.

"WOO! YEAH!" Kize shouted in excitement.

There was a male with black hair and in a fancy suit smoking a cigar. This was Orsino, a rather loyal member to Fukomakura and Desdeoma. "Do not swing on that." He said while blowing out a puff of smoke.

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" Kize shouted. At that moment the chandlier fell right on top of Kize and shattered violently, leaving the sensory mage a bloody mess on the floor. "HOLY SHIT! I MEAN THIS FEELS GREAT BUT FUCK." Just because he enjoyed pain didn't mean he couldn't feel it…

"Yikes…" Luke shook his head slowly.

"Dumbass…" Ophelia shook her head before pushing Luke forward. "You're not here to sightsee, you're here for another reason, come on now."

"I'm going, I'm going…" Luke grunted. It was only a few minutes longer before he was pushed into a room where he was promptly strapped down to a table by the half breed. "Yeesh…what the hell is all this…?"

"Can't have you squirming around when it all begins…" Opehlia explained, and suddenly Luke was not liking where this was going…

"Forgive me for being late…" Desdemona walked into the room, merely dusting herself off. "Thank you for being oh so patient with me, Luke…" The woman gave a smile…but it was completely devoid of any emotion, it was just there for show and nothing more. "I've brought you here today because you a mage with exceptional potential, and I want to bring that potential out in you."

"That doesn't explain the table…nor why your little girl here has strapped me down to it…" Luke responded.

"For this process…I'm afraid I'm going to need you awake for this. It will be painful, but I'm certain you will be able to endure it, my dear…" Desdemona's false smile contained some sweetness, but it was highly debatable if it was false or not. Luke was having second thoughts about this, but by now, it was far too late to object…

.

To make matters worse…whatever this woman Desdemona was planning, she already branched out to other mages at well who also went missing for a few days. In two other 'torture' chambers, there was: Roxanne Ericks. The woman went looking for Luke and she had…some 'business' to attend to with Desdemona as well. At the end of it all, she was captured and subject to…experimentation. The woman's body was bruised and cut and stripped of clothing, orange eyes were wide from the amount of pain and her body just shuddered violently. Her breathing was shaky and it was unknown if she was even conscious…

And then there was Lisanna. Ophelia made sure to separate the youngest Strauss sibling from her brother and sister, making sure to leave a note in Lisanna's handwriting that she would be away so they would not worry and search for her. She had the same look as Roxanne; stripped, bruised, cut eyes wide and potentially still conscious. Just what exactly happened to these two…? That was to be explained in due time…for now, Desdemona was just setting her pieces into place slowly. For her game was set to soon begin…

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There was a building somewhere in a deep forest in Fiore. It was still under construction, however it was almost complete. At the top of the tower was a cannon-like structure that still needed some work to be done. Just who was the mastermind behind such a creation? Aiden Viscard, now that he was freed from the Council Prison during the transfer to the Stronghold. Not alone; he had several people backing him up now; Hyde, his right hand man…and a few others, those who would be revealed in due time. A tall woman with emerald hair and purple eyes. She was quite a looker, as everyone else was. This woman's name was Emmeraude, and she was a highly skilled scientist…perhaps superior to Aiden in some aspects. "I can only wonder what you hope to accomplish with such a contraption?" The woman questioned.

"I intend to enact my revenge against this country." Aiden responded. "Time and time again, I have been foiled…but this time, I shall built a weapon that none can stop. I also realized my flaws from my previous plans…that is what science is all about: realizing the flaws in experiments in order to make them perfect."

"I suppose you've a point there." Emmeraude ran her fingers through her hair. "I cannot wait to see the genius of Fiore in action."

"Worry not," Hyde said while tapping his cane against the floor. "The script has already been written, all that is left is to gather the actors and prepare the audience for the greatest show they have ever seen. This time…the script shall be perfect!"

"And once you see what we are capable of…" Aiden stared Emmeraude right in the eyes, that malicious grin of his appearing. "You will tell me everything you know about Pergrande's scientific secrets…"

To that, the woman just held a smirk of her own. "Ooooh, how I would love to do so…but you must prove that you're even the slightest bit worthy of this knowledge. I cannot divulge my home country's secrets so easily, my dear~" With that, Emmeraude turned on her heel and began to walk off, swaying her hips whilst doing so. She was a mature, experienced woman…with several dark secrets in store for everyone.

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Next Time: The Strongest Maker.


	26. Chapter 26: The Strongest Maker

Magnolia was buzzing with activity! There was news of a small free for all tournament going around, which was always welcome for the battle ready mages of Fiore. This tournament was something different than usual, however. It was a tournament for all the Maker mages! The stage was set in a mini arena in the center of Magnolia, a large audience sitting and watch, just waiting for the free for all maker tournament to begin. "Isn't this exciting?" Mirajane asked while placing a hand on her cheek.

"This should have been a regular tournament…" Natsu grumbled while crossing his arms. He was clearly displeased he wasn't able to participate and felt he got robbed of a chance to compete in a good fight. "I would've blown them all away easy!"

After that, Lucy lightly jabbed Natsu with her elbow. "Natsu, be quiet…! Cheer Gray on, or something."

"HE BETTER NOT LOSE." Natsu shouted, bringing some embarrassment to the Fairy Tail side of the audience with his yelling.

"Dumbass…" Gray rolled his eyes while staring around at his opponents; he could see a few familiar faces in the arena. Lyon, Melody, Tristan, Rufus, Blues, and even Mary from White Eclipse, which was odd… "Wait…" Gray pointed at Blues with a questioning look. "You're a dragon slayer though…"

"I use Water Make." Blues replied with a cheeky grin. "It counts."

"It doesn't matter what you use…" Lyon said as a smirk crawled onto his lips, quickly brushing his hand through his hair. "For you will all bow to the Ice Make King."

"But…" Melody innocently quipped while placing her finger on her cheek. "Haven't I beaten you both before? I remember beating Lyon, but I also vaguely recall beating Gray…"

"What a selective memory…" Gray rolled his eyes.

"I can't wait to see Ms. Mary in action!" Marlene clasped her hands together. "Ne, Tyson, Kuro…why didn't you want to join in on the fun?"

"Oh no, I'm not getting involved in that." Tyson said while shaking his head. "The second Mary said she wanted to step in, I decided it was best I didn't."

"Same!" Kuro said with a nod of agreement, though he was much more nonchalant about it than Tyson. "Mary's my teacher after all, and when she said she wanted to do this…I didn't want to get in her way. She's going to show all these guys why she's without a doubt the strongest maker there is…" His tone then dropped while staring at the current guild master.

"You got this, Rufus!" Sting said while pumping his fist in the air. "Show 'em what makes Sabertooth the strongest guild!"

"You can do this, Rufus-sama!" Yukino cheered.

"DESTROY THEM TRISTAN!" Anri, acting master of Black Phoenix, said with a mouth full of sandwich. She then quickly proceeded to lose interest in what was happening.

Chapati Lola was acting host of this special tournament, preparing his mic before shouting out to the audience. "ARE WE ALL READY!?" His voice had the ability to hype up the crowd, everyone now cheering in anticipation for the event. "The rules are simple! Last maker left standing! If you are blown out of the arena you are also out! Any questions? No? THEN BEGIN!" With that, the Maker tournament was off!

"Allow me to begin…" Rufus was going to make the first move, and everyone was already aware of how powerful Memory Make was. With his index and middle finger on his temple, a red magic seal forming behind him. "Memory Make: Night of the Falling Stars." During that incantation, the clear blue sky began to darken, resembling a night sky filled with bright stars. These stars shone brightly before falling directly towards the opposition with heat seeking properties, making the attack quite difficult to dodge as a result. Contact resulted in a minute explosion, just how would the opposing makers evade this?!

It seemed as though Melody had a plan for herself at least. Arms spread out, a silver magic circle forming underneath her. "Silver Make: Dome!" A dome of silver formed over the female, acting as a shield from all angles against Rufus' attack that slammed into it, creating a small explosion. As for a few no name mages, they had no such luck and were eliminated instantly.

"Look at Rufus, taking out so many mages like nothing!" Orga smirked.

A shooting star was falling directly towards Mary. Though the fire make master didn't even so much as bat an eye to it. Instead she brought one arm up and swatted the star back into the sky where it exploded without a care in the world. The explosion still occurred though it was more surprising that she deflected it so easily. "…."

"W-What the…!?" Gray's eyes widened when spotting Mary just…smack away the star. The last time he dealt with such an attack it nearly took him out and here was Mary not even flinching. This time he and the others were more than capable of defending against this attack so Rufus did not catch them, but Mary was going to be an issue.

"She's not going to move unless she's moved." Reve said with a slight smirk.

"Let me show you how it's done…!" Blues said with a grin while placing his fist into his palm, a watery veil appearing around his body. "Water Make: Fishnet!" Blues then threw his hands forward, releasing a large fishnet composed of dense water to ensure it would ensnare its target. Rufus was in line; however with his magic his location was nothing more than an afterimage! However the net did snag Gray and Lyon and Blues wasted no time swinging the net around before sending the two ice mages soaring towards Tristan. "See ya!"

Seeing that he was in danger, the ace of Black Phoenix acted quickly and slammed his fist into his palm. "Steel Make: Wall!" With that incantation and throwing his arms forward, a wall composed of steel formed before him. This wall completely halted the momentum of the trapped Gray and Lyon and they slammed into it harshly.

"Oof…!" Gray grunted in pain before he had enough, expelling ice from his being to freeze the net over before freeing himself and Lyon, though he wasn't going to let Lyon get away for free. Gray turned and quickly slugged Lyon in the face before leaping into the air, placing his fist in his palm as a chilling wild blew around his body. "Ice Make: Cold Excalibur!" Lifting his hands up, a large blade of ice formed within his grip, and he immediately swung it down towards the center of the arena where an explosion of ice occurred that threatened to encase all those caught in a shell of ice.

"…" While the others leapt away or were narrowly caught by the explosion, Mary took a simple leap backwards, perhaps the first time she actually moved throughout the match and it wasn't much. She was still just waiting for the opportune time to strike.

"These opponents are quite skilled…" Tristan thought to himself while dusting off before he took the maker's stance yet again. "Steel Make: Knight's Armor!" The steel make mage was then covered from head to toe in his custom made Knight's armor, and he wasn't done just there! "Steel Make: Ballistic Line!" Before Tristan, several ballistae appeared, all of them loaded with steel arrows. On his command, these arrows were released and flew towards the opposition.

"Fire Make…" Mary silently uttered the words while making the stance for the first time this battle. "Jar." Before the red headed female, an open jar of flame materializing before her. For any incoming steel arrows coming her way, they were merely encapsulated by the jar and the lid closed, effectively rendering the portion of the attack coming her way useless.

"Silver Make!" Melody reacted to Tristan's widespread attack on a time. "Arrow Squall!" Multiple silver magic seals formed before Melody, layered with yellow magic seals. Silver arrows shot forth, breaking through the yellow seals only to be coated in lightning, and since silver was the most conductive element the lightning only made it that much stronger. The arrows collided in the center of the arena, resulting in a powerful explosion. Both sides didn't escape the clash; one electric arrow collided against Tristan's armor, dealing some damage while the electric pulsated through his steel armor, causing him to grit hit teeth in pain; as for Melody, an arrow grazed her side, causing her to fall to a knee and yelp out and fall to a knee.

"We've got quite the collection of mages here…" Lyon said while dusting himself off. An arrow from Tristan did strike his leg, however he would not let it bother him. "It's my turn now. Ice Make: Dragonfly and Eagles." With an elegant horizontal swipe of his hand, Lyon created several cyan magic seals that released frozen eagles and dragonflies, all of them scattering about the arena to attack the others.

"Annoying little gnats…" Rufus grunted in annoyance, swaying around to evade the incoming frozen objects, though some did manage to strike him, resulting in a grunt of pain to escape the Memory Make mage. The others didn't fare too well against the onslaught either; Blues and Melody were brought to the edge of the arena before they could completely recover.

Mary on the other hand….the lid of the flame jar opened once again, just consuming the icy creations that came her way. The eldest Maker on the field finally made her own move, fist in her palm once again. "All that power…and you all expect it to do the work for you." Her words caught the attention of the others since she'd been silent thus far. Without uttering the words, Mary formed a javelin of flame, took a step back, and then with all her might hurled it forward towards the other competitors! The result was an explosion of flame strong enough to melt a section of the arena while blowing everyone back due to its sheer power.

"There it is…" Reve said with a sly grin.

"What strength…" Tristan admitted while gasping. His Knight's armor tanked most of the explosion but even he was still damaged severely from the attack as was everyone else.

"This woman is a threat…" Blues finally spoke the obvious aloud, coughing slightly from the flames lingering in the area. "Looks like it might be time to take her out first…"

"Easy." Gray said with a cocky grin, planning to take them all out in one fell swoop. Fist met with his palm yet again, this time the chilling wind intensifying in the area despite it being hot out. "Ice Male: Unlimited: One Sided Chaotic Dance!" The ice maker created a plethora of swords that created a sharp vortex that raced towards everyone on the field; the quickness of this attack was enough to best Rufus once before so how would the others fare against it?

Who was sure? Because it looked like everyone else was preparing to go all out as well. Rufus placed two fingers on his temples, another red magic seal forming behind him. "Memory Make: Twin Wheels of Heaven and Hell!" This prompted a multitude of guns and swords to appear around the arena; the guns began shooting while the swords flew forward to impale their unlucky targets.

"Water Make: Dragon!" Blues wasn't going to be left out of this all out exchange; hands were planted firmly on the ground and a dragon composed of water formed, letting out a loud roar while charging towards the others! It was looking like a heated clash was about to commence…!

"Kids…" Mary sighed at all the incoming attacks. She finally allowed the flame jar to wrap around her wrist and arm, having converted every attack that was encapsulated within into fire. Mary then jabbed her arm into the earth, a red magic seal forming underground. "Fire Make: Jasmine Garden." From the ground, several bulbs of flame arose and opened up. They all took aim at the opposing contestants and unleashed massive beams of flame that erupted in a massive explosion that covered the entire arena! The ferocity of the attack caused the audience to shield their eyes from the wind kicked up. When the dust settled, everyone but Mary was down for the count; it was an unbelievable sight, though White Eclipse was unsurprised by this outcome. "You're all still 20 years too early to try and be on the same stage as me."

"N-No way…!" Chapati had to take a moment. "The winner of this free for all is Mary Crane from White Eclipse!" And of course, the crowd cheered, but the other guilds were still in shock by this outcome. Just how strong was this woman…? Perhaps she really was the stronger maker…

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Next Time: Casting Roles


	27. Chapter 27: Casting Roles

"The pieces have nearly been set into place." A confident Aiden smirked, pleased with his finished product. He always did have a one track mind, so what do you expect from a man such as him? Another tower, though this one not nearly as noticeable as the one he built in the past. At this point, he just wanted his plan from the past to work, and he would push it no matter how many times it would end in failure; in that was you could say he was a true scientist, trying to figure out how to make one experiment work despite constant failures; that one variable could make all the difference.

"My my…" Emmeraude let out a small sigh, examining Aiden's handiwork firsthand. "You sure have put a lot of work into this. But I wonder if it will really work in the end, I've heard similar attempts of this have failed time and time again. You're better off just being a forgotten scientist if this fails again…"

Emmeraude's words did get under Aiden's skin, but he didn't let it show and only revealed his irritation through a slight smirk. "That's the wonder of science, isn't it? Where would we be if those in the past gave up after several failures? I may fail 100 times, but it's the one success that truly matters in the end."

"You two persist like an old married couple…" Hyde said while tilting his hat down, a noticeable scowl on his features. "And quite frankly, it's annoying. I would like to get this show on the road already."

Aiden cleared his throat, giving Hyde a nod of acknowledgement. "Ah yes, apologies, Hyde…I suppose it is time to let you take the reins for the first part of this master plot."

"And just what, pray tell, is the beginning of this scheme going to commence?" Emmeraude's continued questioning was annoying both Aiden and Hyde, but what could they expect from such an amateur? "Clearly this cannon you've built needs a power source, and nothing you've built serves as a source. Perhaps a conduit, yes…"

"Simple my dear Pergrande Scientist…" Aiden waved a finger around. "Everything's already been laid out before us. Now, it's only a matter of time before we get what we need, and I've hired a few Special Forces to assist us in this matter…"

.

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Things were still as normal as could be in Fiore after the most recent incident. Of course, now things were going to change now things were finished behind the scenes. Natsu was on his own, just finishing up a job along with Happy. He and Happy were sitting by a lake, taking the time to fish since they had nothing else going on. "Man…" Natsu yawned, lying on his back while waiting for his rod to twitch. "It's been quiet lately…"

"Aye…" Happy gave a nod of agreement, yawning shortly after. "But I want fish…" If there was anything Happy was dead set on, it was fish.

Things remained silent for a few minutes until Natsu's nose picked up an unfamiliar scent. "Eh…?" Standing up, the Salamander was soon met with a man with raven hair almost reaching seven feet tall.

"Are you the mighty Salamander?" The man questioned while walking to the base of the hill where Natsu was originally resting.

"Yeah…" Natsu quirked a brow, eying the male suspiciously. "What of it?"

"My name is Kai…" The male responded with a nod. "As fate would have it…I /stumbled/ here…" For some odd reason, Kai added extra emphasis on the word stumble… "And now I stand before the Salamander. Since this is the case…I challenge you to a duel."

Now that was something Natsu could get behind. A grin curled onto his lips and flames ignited around his entire body. "All you had to do was lead with that! I'll gladly take you on! Watch this, Happy!" Without even hearing the start or any potential rules, Natsu just lunged forward and began aiming a series of fiery punches at Kai. To Natsu's surprise…he was unable to land a single one despite how fast he was moving. "What the..? Why can't I hit him!?"

"Because we are playing a game." Kai responded while swiftly evading each and every punch Natsu was throwing at him. "My game to be more specific." During the flurry of punches, Kai grabbed Natsu's fist before placing a hand on his forehead. "And I always win the game. Shadow Coffin." Natsu's own shadow proceeded to betray him, reaching up to wrap around and encase the fire dragon in a shell of darkness. Natsu struggled for only a few minutes before he tired himself out, going completely silent…

"N-NATSU!" Happy's eyes widened as the fight was finished before it even started. "L-Let him go!"

"Sorry, cat…" Kai shook his head, lifting up the coffin that held Natsu and proceeded to walk off. "I've got a job to do." His free hand was extended towards Happy and a beam of shadows shot out, striking the poor unprepared Exceed and sent him flying away before he could react.

.

.

Wendy, Carla, and Chelia were walking down a Magnolia street with bags of groceries in their hands. "Thanks for helping us, Chelia…" Wendy managed a soft smile towards the former god slayer. "Normally, Cynthia would help as well, since we share the same room and all…er…shared…"

To that, Chelia merely shook her head and flashed a small smile. "Don't worry about it, Wendy. I know it must be hard for you…everyone else, too."

"It has been a little quieter lately…" Carla said while releasing a tiny sigh. "I know I didn't like her at first, but she grew on me without me even realizing it…I wonder when that happened…" That reminded her of a vision she had some time ago…but for the time being she was still going to keep silent on it because she didn't know what it meant.

Moments later, what seemed to be a stray dog approached the three females, stopping right in front of them while wagging its tail. "Awh…!" Wendy was the first one to comment on it. "I-It's so cute…!" Placing her bag down, she crouched down and began petting the dog with a flush to her cheeks.

"Wendy, don't touch that dog…" Carla was clearly skeptical about this. "It probably has fleas or something…"

"Well, that's quite rude coming from a stuck up cat…I'll have you know I bathe regularly."

"…." Chelia blinked slowly, looking around for the source of the voice. "D-…Did anyone else hear that…?"

"Uh…" Wendy blinked before glancing at the dog. "D-Do you think…?"

"Don't be silly, Wendy…an animal like that shouldn't be able to talk…" Carla narrowed her eyes while staring at the dog.

"Quite rude indeed…because of that, I'm going to give you a three second head start. Run." Yup, it was coming from the dog. The three females were just staring in shock. "Time's up." The dog then began to shift into a bear, first smashing his head into Wendy's for a headbutt that rendered the little girl unconscious.

"Wendy…!" Chelia's eyes widened and she immediately went to reach for the bow strapped to her back. Before she could even take aim the shape shifter back handed her right into Carla, sending the two flying into a nearby building, both in an awkward position that prevented them from giving chase. "Ouch…"

"This is my mark." The male spoke before shifting into a hawk, digging his talons into Wendy's back before lifting her in the air to fly off. "And I don't share."

"Get back here…!" Chelia quickly stood up, taking aim at the sky once again, only this time Carla stopped her. "C-Carla!?

"You might hit Wendy…!" As much as Carla didn't want to do it, she had to. They were too far away and they couldn't risk shooting Wendy out of the sky with no place to land.

Chelia's aim faltered slightly before she let out a heavy sigh, putting the bow down. "Darn it…if only I still had magic then maybe…"

"We have to go tell the others, quickly!" Carla didn't want to waste any more time nor she did want to hear Chelia bag on herself again. Without another word the two rushed back to Fairy Tail to inform everyone else.

.

.

There was a common theme going around slowly…it was so subtle that hardly anyone would have noticed at a first glance. But the targets of these slow disappearances were none other than Dragon Slayers…and there were quite a lot of them around Fiore. And there we no exceptions…not even those at White Eclipse. Heather and Waiston were tasked with shopping for the guild as everyone was to do at some point. Arms crossed above her bosom, Heather kept silent while making way down the snowy trail.

"So…" Waiston was about to find some sort of perverse comment to make, however Heather's sharp glare caused to him halt in his tracks. "Ah man, you're no fun anymore!" He teased with a sly grin. It wasn't long before an arrow came out of nowhere and struck Heather in the shoulder.

"Wha…?" Heather's mouth opened to respond to Waiston, however the arrow that pierced her shoulder caused her stop in her tracks. "Sleep…y…?" The poison dragon's eyes grew heavier by the second before she just collapsed to the ground in a deep slumber.

"An ambush!?" Waiston went on high alert, quickly tracking the shooter of the arrow based on the direction it came from. With his senses it was a piece of cake; his head snapped in the direction and his cheeks inflated. "Frozen Dragon's Roar!" Upon that cry the ice dragon released a funnel of ice towards the mysterious sniper….and before it could even reach, his ice melted. "What the…!? That was something he'd never seen before; sure his ice had been broken, but melted? This was something completely different.

"Too slow~" A female with light blue hair managed to creep up on Waiston while he was in the midst of his shock, slamming the dragon slayer's face down into the ground to render him unconscious.

"Not bad, Kara…" A male with black hair and purple eyes emerged from behind a tree, grinning widely; this was Yuzan Kimona, the leader of the hunter's guild known as Predator's Reign. "But I took out my target first…therefore, I won."

"Pfft." The female known as Kara scoffed before lifting up Waiston. "It only counts if you make it back first." With that…pow! She was gone, leaving Yuzan in the dust.

"Wha…!?" Yuzan's eyes widened before he hurried to pick up Heather, rushing back to the location where they were supposed to return to. Whatever was occurring was only just the beginning, and nobody would be the wiser until the plan had just begun…

.

.

Back at Aiden's new tower, he examined several unconscious dragon slayers before him: Natsu, Laxus, Gajeel, Blues, Sting, Rogue, Selene, and Wendy. There was a scowl on his lips as there was one very important component missing… "Where is…"

Yuzan quickly sped through the doors, slamming his hand down on the timer before sitting the unconscious Heather in a chair. "Time! Did I make it!?"

"Too slow…" Kara said with a yawn, already pointing to Waiston.

"I had the cleanest catch." Kai said with an arrogant smirk. "Not even a single mark….unlike Blank over there. He made a little mess coming in." The male he was referring to was the tall brunet who stood in the corner; the shapeshifter from earlier.

"I enjoyed catching my prey…can I not revel in the sight of my catch?" Blank stated with a scoff. His real name wasn't blank, but it was what the others of Predator's Reign called him.

"Wrong." That voice belonged to Shade, one of the Wizard Hunter's and a prominent member at that. "You see…we were done long before you even acquired your targets. You should be lucky each one was worth a different pay, otherwise you'd be going hungry right now."

"I'm already tired of you and your group…" Yuzan said while giving Shade the death glare. "If you wanted to turn this job into a hunting contest, you should've said so earlier. We would've beaten you before the contest even began."

"You say that…" The twins, Yumia and Yukia appeared, both of them flaunting their small adorableness that constantly annoyed many others. "But you don't really know the position you stand in do you? Eheheh…"

"This is quite the group you've commissioned…" Emmeraude commented while resting her chin above her fingers. "Tell me, these two groups clearly despise each other. Why hire them both at the same time?"

"Because they would try to outdo one another for the best results possible…however it seems that the one target I asked for personally is not here. Where is Cynthia?" Aiden quirked a brow to both Hunter groups, neither of them seeming to have an answer.

"See…about that…" Yumia poked her fingers together sheepishly, letting out a small laugh. "You'd think she'd be with the little one, right? Well…for some reason, there's been no sign of her anywhere. It's like she just vanished from the face of Earthland! Quite mysterious indeed, don't you think, Aiden-san?"

Even Aiden could not hide his surprise from the news. With Wendy there, Cynthia should have automatically been a package deal. "I see…I suppose I'll have to have a talk with that little one. In the meantime, Hyde, why don't you get everything set up? It's almost time for the opening act."

"But of course…" Hyde gave a slight bow before pointing at the Wizard Hunters and Predator's Reign. "Do not just stand there. You'll get your pay as soon as this little light work is over."

"Ugh…fine." Kara said with a heavy sigh.

"Peh…" Blank sighed. "That man is a fool if he thinks I'm gonna share my pray...what's mine is mine, after all…"

.

.

Next Time: The End Returns.


	28. Chapter 28: The End Returns

Wendy's eyes opened slowly and she winced in the pain from her back. Vision was blurry and the last thing she remembered was being with Carla and Chelia. "Ngh…what…what happened…? I was with…Carla and Chelia and then…"

"Then, you were taken by one of the mages I hired to kidnap the Dragon Slayers of Fiore." Adien spoke from his desk, one leg crossed over the other with his fingers interlocked. "It's been quite a long time, hasn't it, little girl?"

"You…!? Wendy turned, more than surprised to find that she wasn't bound to anything. "What are you doing here!? You should be in jail…!?"

"Details, details…" Aiden waved a dismissive hand to Wendy's questioning before meticulously reading some documents. "None of those matter…but the most important question here is where is my darling little Cynthia. You two are glued to the hip, and there is no way those I've hired would've simply glanced over her whereabouts."

Wendy winced at Aiden's words. Just hearing the way he talk he talked about Cynthia brought the pain back to her heart. "C-Cynthia is…dead…"

Now that was news to Aiden. He paused for a minute, never having considered the possibility. "Is that so…?" His own daughter, dead. And what were his words to this? "I suppose in the end, she was truly a useless tool…"

Those words alone were nearly enough to send even the soft Wendy into a frenzy. Red flames and wind immediately circulated around her body as she gave Aiden a stare that conveyed the message that she could kill him if he continued to talk about Cynthia like that. "Speak about her like that again, and I promise you that you will regret it."

Now this…this was something Aiden found surprise. His eyes widened slightly from Wendy's sudden fit of silent rage. "Oh, I remember that look…back in that tower over a year ago…but I can see that being with that girl changed your soft hearted personality a bit…very interesting. But I wouldn't advice you raise a finger against me, unless you wish for your family that's here to be hurt. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

"…." Wendy halted, biting on her lower lip. She could smell all the others easily and if they were at risk she wouldn't dare put them in danger. The Omega flames around her died down slowly and the wind settled. "Why did you bring us here…?"

"That's for me to know, and for you to find out." Aiden grinned at Wendy conceding. "I just wanted to know where my precious daughter was and you answered that question. Now…it's time for you to go back to sleep. Shade, if you would."

With a snap of Aiden's fingers, the Hunter Shade appeared from the shadows, emitting an ear piercing screech that only lasted a few seconds, more than long enough for Wendy to fall unconscious and Shade to pick her up. "I'm charging extra for this, just so you know. Weehehehe…."

"Very well…" Aiden merely nodded before standing up. "It's almost time to begin."

.

.

"G-Guys…!" Levy burst through the Fairy Tail doors, panting heavily with some bruises and scratches on her. Pantherlily was right beside her, looking just as if not equally roughed up. "W-We have a problem…!"

"Levy-chan!?" Lucy stood up, eyes wide as she prepared to catch her falling friend. "What's wrong!? Where's Gajeel…!?"

"That's the thing…" Pantherlily gasped. "He…."

Before he could finish, Carla and Chelia followed through the open doors. "W-Wendy was…kidnapped…!" Chelia shouted, making sure to catch everyone's attention.

"What!?" Makarov's eyes widened at this news. "She's been captured?! By who!?" He was already very angry to discover this; whoever it was…they were going to pay severely.

"W-We don't know…" Carla glanced away. "But I'm already worried…I don't know how well Wendy can handle being on her own with Cynthia gone…"

"We've got a problem!" Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen stumbled into the guild. With the trend currently going on, this could only mean one thing. "T-They snagged Laxus…! Right from under our noses…!" Freed started to overdramatize with his weeping.

"Sparky too…!?" Cana almost choked on the beer she was swallowing from the news. "The hell's going on around here!?" And finally…Happy flew through the doors, only to land softly on a table with an exhausted expression.

"…Flamebrain too…" Gray grit his teeth. He didn't need to be told what was going on at this rate. "The dumbass slipped up and got caught, do I have to do everything for him…!?"

"Calm down, Gray." Erza said with her usual stern glare. "We have to hear the details first…what exactly happened…? Do you know the ones who kidnapped them?"

"U-Uhm…" Happy tried to think while keeping his cool. He was on the verge of tears. "H...He said his name was Kai…and that was it…"

"The Wizard Hunters…" Evergreen said while fanning herself. "I almost forgot about that slimy bunch, but they got the drop on us and made it clear they were only after Laxus…we failed to do our job and protect him…"

"Looks like rest could only last for so long…" Gray shook his head. "We're gonna have to get everyone back then. But…there's something that's bothering about this. We lost our four dragon slayers…"

"I have the same fears you do, Gray…" Makarov gave a slow nod. "If that's the case…then there's a high probability that…"

"Something's happening outside." Juvia pointed outside to the fuzzy sky; it was almost as if something was trying to present itself but was unable. "Juvia doesn't have a good feeling about it…" Juvia's feeling was right…because after a few moments, a somewhat blurry image of Aiden appeared in the skies…reminiscent of an old incident some time ago…

"Why, hello, Fiore…it's been quite a long time since I've greeted you all like this…" Aiden said with a growing smirk. "I'm sure you know who I am by now, so I will spare the introductions. All I wish for you to know is that THIS time, my plot will reign supreme. The return of Fiore's End, and I will not be stopped this time! I've captured all the known dragon slayers in the country from Fairy Tail, White Eclipse, Sabertooth, and everything in between. And as you can expect, I've loaded them into a special cannon…each one serving as their own power source. Flames…Sky…you name it all! It's all under my control! Don't believe me?! I'll give you a massive showcase of power just so you can understand the situation you're in!"

"Is that…!?" Lucy's eyes widened. "But he should be in jail! How did he escape!?"

"This man just doesn't know when to quit…" Gray scoffed. "Wait…you don't think Cynthia was in his sights too, do you?"

"All things considered…" Mira gave a slow nod. "But she's not here anymore…and I don't think he was aware of this fact. But this doesn't change the fact that he must be stopped again…"

"Now then…" Aiden grinned while pressing a button. This caused all of the tubes that the dragon slayers were in to begin absorbing power from them as they were the conduits. The cannon at the top of Aiden's tower then pointed itself into the air, gathering the several types of magics within itself. "Behold the power I have created!" The cannon then released a single beam of several dragon slaying magics into the air, where they all separated into different elements and spread out into several locations of Fiore, where multiple explosions of fire, ice, poison, light, shadow, fire, wind…etc. all of the elements occurred in various locations around the country for what was going to be massive damage.

"W-What the…!?" Elfman's eyes widened at the destructive power being displayed.

"There's one coming right for us…!?" Romeo shouted while pointing to the fiery beam of pure destructive power racing towards them….and right when impact occurred, there was a massive explosion of flame that engulfed Fairy Tail...

.

.

"Falala…" Lamy was happy as…lamb. Dancing around Cynthia's recovery tube with a wide smile. This garnered the attention of Kyouka, who curiously approached Lamy. "My…Lamy, what seems to have you in such high spirits this morning? Might it have something to do with that child in the tank?"

"Precisely, Kyouka-sama!" Lamy spun around, prancing for a few seconds before pointing forward. "I've finally discovered why it's taken so long for that little worm to take so long to recover!"

"And what was that?" Kyouka questioned.

"Wellllll…" Lamy had an extensive list of notes ready. "I don't know what the heck this little girl has gone through, but the wounds she carried were something else. Really, with such a little body and grievous wounds like that, it was a miracle she was still alive before her untimely end! It would've made such fun for experimentation…! But Marde-sama said no…"

"He is very interested in this one particular subject…" Kyouka agreed. "I wished that I had the ability to play with this one, I believe it would've been so much fun…~"

"Anyway…!" Lamy continued. "Marde-sama said I couldn't experiment on her until she recovered…but her body as mostly recovered. It's just her conscious that is nearly finished; once that's done I can flush her out of the tube! Though…I've also made a few adjustments to that little contraption inside her body. I think those humans call it a lacrima? I don't care, it was fun to poke around with!"

"Yo…ladies, I do hope I'm not interrupting!" Silver appeared with a nonchalant wave. "It appears that there's an incident going on, and I was told by the boss to inform everyone to watch."

"An incident!?" Lamy's eyes gleamed. "Let me see this!"

"Of course." Sliver nodded before flashing up a screen that displayed Aiden's opening message to Fiore. "Oh…? Who's this handsome devil?"

"…!" Cynthia's eyes didn't open but her body started thrashing around violently within the tube, catching Lamy's attention since she was tasked with Cynthia's recovery. Violent muffled burbles of what could be considered speech occurred as bubbles started appearing.

"What the!?" Lamy pressed her face against the glass of the tube, lips curling into a grin of delight and worry. "She's reacting quite violently! It's a little exciting; I want to see where this goes! This is the first reaction she's had in weeks!"

"I'm sure you know who I am by now, so I will spare the introductions. All I wish for you to know is that THIS time, my plot will reign supreme. The return of Fiore's End, and I will not be stopped this time! I've captured all the known dragon slayers in the country from Fairy Tail, White Eclipse, Sabertooth, and everything in between. And as you can expect, I've loaded them into a special cannon…each one serving as their own power source. Flames…Sky…"

As the list continued, Cynthia's reaction came more and more violently, especially when the sky part was mentioned. The tube was starting to become red! "W-Whoa! Whoa…!" Lamy immediately moved her face from the glass, her skin sizzling. "The tube is overheating! This isn't good anymore; she's not ready to be released yet!"

"Yare yare…" Silver placed his hand on the tube, his palm emitting a cold frost that silently combated Cynthia's growing flames. Slowly, the tube started to return to its normal color and Sliver waved his hand around a bit. "My, those are some feisty flames we have there. It actually burnt a little."

"I'd appreciate you not taking this so lightly!" Lamy huffed. "Marde-sama will kill me if this girl doesn't recovery properly!" She then began banging on the glass like a child. "Be quiet and simmer down!"

"Lamy." Marde appeared once again, causing the little lamb to freeze up and straighten up. "How is she faring?"

"W-Well…" Lamy glanced at Cynthia who did seem to calm down. By now, Aiden's speech was over. "She had a little episode a few minutes ago…I believe her consciousness is beginning to reform, but it may be a while until it's 100%."

"This girl is quite a special case, Marde-sama…" Kyouka bowed before Marde.

"Indeed." Marde nodded in agreement before walking to the tube, glancing at Lamy. "Drain the tube."

To that, Lamy's eyes widened. "W-What…!? M-Marde-sama…I don't mean to be rude, but you could seriously damage her mental health! I don't think she's ready for…"

"Does Marde Geer have to repeat himself?" Marde's gaze shifted to Lamy. It was that 'I'm almost irritated' stare that was more than enough to get any demon within the guild to respect any and all demands he made. Without another word, Lamy did as she was told and drained the tube, allowing it to tube. Cynthia's body slumped forward, held in place by the strange tentacles wrapped around her arms, chest, and lower half. Eyes were partially open, though her expression was a dull lifeless one.

"…." Cynthia spoke not a word. It was entirely possible she wasn't even conscious, just like what Lamy was afraid of.

Marde then placed his hand on Cynthia's forehead with a slight grin. "You are now an etherious demon who sides with Tartarus. Your family, Fairy Tail, has abandoned you and left you to die. Your name is no longer Cynthia…you are Rose. And as a member of Tartarus, I will give you one important mission. You are to kill Wendy Marvell, are we clear? After all…she was the one who stood there and watched that Wizard Saint end your life, and she did nothing to stop it."

"My name…is Rose…" Cynthia…no, Rose, repeated slowly…lifelessly. Her blue eyes steadily shifted to a crimson shade during this process. "My mission…kill Wendy Marvell…"

.

.

Next Time: A Man Mad With Power.


	29. Chapter 29: A Man Mad With Power

Silence…everyone was safe and unharmed from the blast of fire launched in their direction. It took a moment for them to realize that they were safe and unharmed. "W-What…?" Lucy looked around slowly, noticing the entire guild hall was untouched. "What happened?"

"Do not worry, my children…" Makarov said while letting out a somewhat heavy sigh afterwards. "I will not allow that man to destroy this guild a second time." The old master was responsible for the safety of everyone; by use of his Three Pillar Gods technique, he was able to protect the guild hall and those inside from anything dangerous.

"Thank you so much, Master…" Mira said with a nod of appreciation.

"How did you like that display of power!?" Aiden exclaimed with a widening grin. He was truly going mad if he wasn't already, drunk on the power that he so desperately craved. "So, Fiore! I will give you one hour to make your decision to hand this country over to me. If you do not…then I will just destroy it and build it from the ground up, it doesn't matter to me either way. But if you want to live, then you'd best decide quickly." With that, the lacrima transmission cut out.

"We have to stop him and save the others…" Erza was the one who made this immediate decision. "We don't have much time left either. Lucy, Gray, Elfman, Juvia, we have to get going."

"I'm coming too." Pantherlily wasn't even taking no for an answer. "Levy, please stay here with the others."

"I refuse…!" Levy shook her head. "Even though they were after Gajeel…he still tried to protect me, so I want to do my part and save him too…!"

"Are you sure, Levy-chan…?" Lucy questioned, but the look in Levy's eyes told her she was completely serious and that was something Lucy could respect 100%. "All right! Let's go save our dragon slayers!"

"Come on, Happy…" Carla tugged at Happy's backpack. "Let's go get them back."

Happy used his paws to wipe away the tears that threatened to fall. With a nod, he stood up properly. "A-Aye…"

"Based on the location the blast was fired from…" Levy was quick to pull out a map of Fiore, doing a few calculations before pinpointing Aiden's new hideout. "Here..!" She pointed to an area in southern Fiore. "Right here to be exact. If it's another tower…then we really shouldn't miss it."

"Excellent work, Levy." Erza was glad they had Levy on their side. "All right team, let's move. We don't have much time left!"

.

.

Standing on the White Eclipse balcony, Reve could only grit his teeth at Aiden's speech. What was more surprising was the beam of corrosive poison racing towards the guild! "Shit…" Without another moment to spare, Reve quickly brought forth the strongest gun in his arsenal: The Eclipse Cannon. Pointing this cannon forward, Reve released a massive sphere of Eclipse Magic that raced towards the incoming beam of poison, colliding with it before it exploded violently. "Damn…!"

"Well this is a fine mess, isn't it!?" Luke groaned. "What are we supposed to do…?"

"What do you think?" Reve said while hopping down from the balcony into the snow. "Cloud, Cygnus, you're both with me. We're going to get our guild mates back."

"It came all the way from the south, there's no way we're going to make it in time…" Cygnus said while rubbing the back of his head.

"Come on guys…it's almost insulting…" Jaxon said with a sigh, twisting his finger around to create a tornado that lifted Reve, Luke, and Cygnus into the air. "There, go get them back." Without another word the three Eclipse mages were off! "Tak already left mid speech; no doubt he's livid…"

"…." Mary crossed her arms, seemingly staring into space until Reiss approached her.

"Mary…!" Reiss called out; he had Micaiah and Tyson with him too. "Let us go too, please!"

"What?" Mary quirked a brow at such an absurd request. "What makes you think you're ready to head out into a dangerous situation like this?"

"I…" Micaiah was slow to speak, unsure how to phrase what she wanted to say. "I had a premonition…and I fear something bad is going to happen…and I would feel much better if we could back them up…"

Mary remained silent for a second before letting out a heavy sigh. "Fine…go talk to Jaxon, then. I suppose if you can't handle at least this, then that training would've all been for nothing. And I'd hate to think all that time I spent working on you rookies went to waste." That last part was enough to instill the fear of failure within the trio of rookies."

"A-aha…thanks, Miss Mary…!" Tyson nodded before running off with Reiss and Micaiah.

Micaiah had to stop halfway for a second when someone called out her name. She turned to face one of the newer recruits. Her name was Vanya, a woman with white hair and chocolate skin; her eyes were white, but that was because she was blind. Her magic did allow her to at least see the outlines of her surroundings. "Micaiah-chan…?"

"Oh Vanya…" Micaiah flashed a smile…even though Vanya couldn't see it. "Don't worry; I'll be right back, okay?"

"Okay…" Vanya nodded slowly.

After that, Jaxon air lifted Micaiah, Reiss, and Tyson into the air and off to the south. "Geez…Do you think they'll make it in time…?"

"There's no way they're going to make it." Sidney stated bluntly before signaling Jaxon to follow him. Before the other S class even knew it he was running alongside Sidney down the mountain trail.

"W-Wait…" Jaxon started. "Where are we going, exactly…?"

"You'll see." Sidney replied. "I need you to come with me. There's something you can do…that I can't."

That was ominous… "A-And what's that…?" Jaxon asked only to not get an answer. Yeah, it was getting really ominous all right…but it was clear that Sidney needed his help, and for the Ace of White Eclipse to ask something of him…that showed just how serious this situation was.

.

.

"Sir…! Reported incidents of damages are racking up!" Lahar said while staring at Siegrain. "What do we do?"

"It's simple this time." Siegrain said with a small scowl. "He believes that he has eluded us, however thanks to our new trick…we have him right where we want him. Where was that transmission coming from?"

"It appeared to be coming from the south of Fiore." Lahar explained. "I assume the mad scientist will have stuck with his old tricks and built yet another tower…"

"Then we have our destination." Siegrain said while standing up. "Send a squadron of Councilmen to the south of Fiore right now. We will catch this man in the act and apprehend him once and for all in the name of Justice! He will not be allowed to get away with another one of these schemes as long as I'm in office, do I make myself clear!?"

"Yes, sir!" Lahar saluted before shouting to several councilmen. "You heard Siegrain! I want a full squad ready in 5 minutes, we have NO time to waste, do you understand me!?"

"Sir yes sir!" Several soldiers exclaimed in unison.

.

.

A beam of light was racing towards another city near southern Fiore; this was Dawn City, home area to the mysterious Empyrean Dawn. Kaiho Lazuli, the acting guild master of the guild stood outside while listening to Aiden's speech. His brow quirked in confusion, not quite sure what exactly it was the man was after, but he knew that the city was in danger and there was only one thing he could do. Kaiho lifted his hand, creating a barrier that formed around the entire city just as the beam of light crashed into it. There was a small struggle before the barrier held and the beam dispersed, leaving Dawn City untouched. "What a mad man…" Kaiho breathed a small sigh of relief.

"ALL PRIASE LUCIUS!" The townspeople were exceptionally grateful for Kaiho saving the town the way he did. It was obvious they held him in high regard even for the smallest thing. He was truly a man to be respected…and feared under the correct circumstances.

.

.

Reve, Luke, and Cygnus: the first ones to arrive on the scene thanks to Jaxon's tornados. The three Eclipse mages rolled to a halt just before the entryway to Aiden's new tower, all of them looking up at it. "First, as always." Reve said with a cocky grin before dusting himself off. "All right, looks like we're doing this again…we don't have any time to waste either. Luke, Cyg, you're up."

"Gladly…" Luke began with a wide smirk. It was then he and Cygnus began to inhale, but were stopped by Fairy Tail's group running up into the scene.

"Hold it…!" Erza exclaimed while narrowing her eyes. "I didn't expect you to be here, White Eclipse…why is there only so few of you?"

To that, Cygnus sighed while shaking his head. "Erza, Erza…do you really think that matters right now? We were about to run up inside and take care of this situation ourselves. Plus they stole a few friends of ours, so we gotta show this idiot that he made yet another mistake."

"Don't get in our way!" Elfman exclaimed loudly, pumping his arms into the air. "It was very cowardly of them to steal our nakama behind our backs, and as a Man I will not let this action stand!"

"Yeah, that's nice…" Reve shook his head before taking aim at the steel double doors in front of them. "Now step aside, and let the professionals handle this one." He clicked the trigger…and the doors just exploded.

Lucy placed her hands on her hips, tapping her foot on the ground at Reve's excessive show of power. "Was that REALLY necessary, Reve?!"

Reve paused for a moment. "That wasn't me."

"It was me." Minerva, Yukino, Frosch, and Lector appeared soon. The ace of Sabertooth waved her hand around, a sphere of spatial magic swirling around it. "I'm not partially in the mood for wasting time with idle chitchat. Sting and Rogue have been taken and I don't intend to stand around and do nothing about it."

"M-Minerva-sama is right…!" Yukino gave a firm nod. "We have to save them and the other dragon slayers that have been taken. We don't have much time either…!"

"Fro thinks so too…" Frosch said quietly. "Fro is also really worried about Rogue…"

"Sting-kun is strong, but even he needs a little back up sometimes, so we're here to help!" Lector nodded firmly.

"Lovely." Reve's voice made it clear that he really couldn't care less; he just wanted to get moving already. "As long as you stay out of my way, we should be able to do this with little difficulty, got it?"

"Not everything is about you…" Juvia said while rolling her eyes in annoyance. Either way, they all had similar goals in mind and it was about time they got moving to save their guild mates that were in trouble. Without another word, the members of the three guilds stormed the entrance to Aiden's new tower in hopes to stop his misguiding plans once again.

.

.

Emmeraude clapped slowly at Aiden's display of power, placing a hand on her hips after. "My, my…that was quite a show you put on. I'm surprised you're giving such little time for them to respond."

"If they really cared about this country, they'd simply hand it over to me without putting up much of a fight. It doesn't get any simpler than that, my dear." Aiden explained with a simple wave of his hand. "This is the third attempt, and as they say…third time's the charm."

"I see…" Emmeraude was beginning to understand. "I think I understand the type of person you are, Mr. Scientist. You are…quite mad. Yes, science is the result of testing the same hypothesis and seeing what went wrong to change it…but you…I don't think you've realized the line between science and insanity. Insanity too, is also defined as repeating the same thing constantly and expecting a different result. You, my friend…are insane."

"Bah!" Aiden waved away such an accusation. "I am a true scientist, isn't that right, Hyde!?"

"But of course." Hyde replied with a tip of his hat, not saying anything more on the matter since he did not want to get involved in the argument between these two.

"Regardless…" Aiden's glance shifted over to the security cameras, noticing that there were several unwelcomed guest parading around in his newly built tower. "It seems some ants have arrived and wish to pick off what we've gathered for this little picnic. Wizard Hunters, Predator's Reign…if you wish to add onto what I've already paid you, take the stage and handle our guests. Each mage you take out is 30,000 extra jewel, however it only goes to the guild that takes out the mage. If you want to earn your keep…then put on a show."

.

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Next Time: On The Clock.


	30. Chapter 30: On The Clock

"They're not going to stop that thing in time…Fiore is going to perish at this rate." Sidney mumbled as he and Jaxon continued their full sprint to what was to Jaxon, an unknown location. Sidney was actually worried; the situation Aiden forced upon Fiore was so dire even Sidney was finally reaching desperately reaching for straws at this point. Jaxon recognized this immediately and forced himself to swallow the lump in his throat.

"W-Where are we going…!?" Who knows how long it took Jaxon to ask that. For the last several minutes he was just running obediently behind Sidney with no questions whatsoever.

Sidney didn't lose his stride, not even staring back at Jaxon while he projected his voice to him. "Listen carefully. When we get there, do NOT look him directly in the eyes, and stay twenty feet away from him at all times! Is that understood!? Tell me now!"

Jaxon couldn't believe it, this was the first time he'd ever heard Sidney raise his voice in such a fashion. Whatever Sidney thought of was clearly dangerous…yet Jaxon did the worst thing he could possibly do in this situation and that was question the legendary ace of White Eclipse. "Sidney, what are you talking about!? What the hell is going on!?

Sidney was slightly annoyed by Jaxon's inevitable questions, yet understanding since he was keeping the weather mage in the dark. "We're going to Silent Sanctum. We need…Jikan."

…If there were ever a "holy shit" moment…this was it. Jaxon's eyes widened at the incredible bombshell Sidney dropped on him. That single piece of information was more than enough to shut Jaxon up. He recalled the encounter with that guild back during the initial Fiore's End incident and a few more times over the course of the last two years. The rumors he heard beforehand…they were not good.

The silence the two now shared was louder than any rebuttal that could be made. The pair was out of the mountains and proceeded along the snowless plains. "I brought you along, because there's something you can do that I can't."

Jaxon was normally a talkative guy…but even he couldn't think of anything to say for a few moments until Sidney began speaking once again. "Yeah…you said that already. I don't suppose there's a chance you can tell me what that thing is?"

"It's just a hunch…so we'll see when we get there." That was Sidney's final reply. Who knew how much time was left before Aiden fired again. By now, those that were going to stop him probably just reached the tower…but Sidney was unfortunately super confident in their inability to stop him in time. Now, the two were at the front doors to Silent Sanctum…

"Haaa….haaaaaa…." Jaxon hunched over, placing his hands on his knees as the two stood before the dark guild. "There's my exercise for the next week…"

"Hurry up." Sidney ordered while pushing the doors to the guild open and stepping inside. Almost immediately he was greeted by a few remaining members of the guild; Rail, Aloysis, Byron, and Volt.

"Unwelcomed guests?" Rail stood up from his seat, cracking his knuckles with a somewhat wide grin. "It's not often people just line up to die…"

"Perfect…" Aloy said with his lips stretching into a sadistic grin. "I was beginning to get a little bored just sitting around…maybe I can make these two scream…"

"Uh…is this a part of the plan…?" Jaxon worriedly asked while looking at Sidney.

"No." Sidney shook his head, not even bothering to stare at Rail, Byron, Aloy or Volt. For his attention was diverted to the throne that was exactly twenty one feet away. On that throne sat not a man…but a child. No ordinary child.

"Oh…? Visitors…?" Jikan sat with a sadistic grin. His acknowledgement of the two mages alone was enough for those followed him to back down and step away. "And a familiar face. Hello again, Sidney Castle. What brought you here?"

Sidney didn't speak quickly. His gaze was just under the direct gaze of Jikan; a gulp…of all things to come from the ace of White Eclipse before he pulled on his scarf. "Jikan…we're here for your help. After this we'll never bother you again.

It's about your old man."

.

.

"Separate corridors!?" Lucy exclaimed while looking between the multiple pathways. "How are we supposed to know which way to go…!?"

"I assume each path leads to a different dragon slayer…" Erza said while tapping her chin. "We don't have time to pick and choose, let's just split up and see who it takes us to!"

"Ooh, that's a good plan!" Yumia's voice echoed throughout the main hall, causing everyone to look around until their eyes landed on the pair of twins sitting in the corner of the room, their hands fiddling over something.

"Yeah, with those numbers they'd save everyone in no time…" Yukia said while placing her gloved index finger on her cheek. "But then we'd be out of a job and stuck with such crappy pay…"

"Wizard Hunters…!" Juvia pointed at the two girls.

"It's the annoying twins…" Lucy grumbled.

"I remember them too well…" Yukino gulped.

Yumia wagged her finger disapprovingly, wearing a smirk on those painted lips of hers. "It's such a good plan, but unfortunately we can't let you do as you please! So, we've already set up who's going to be meeting who! We hope you have a wonderful time with your new dates in this tower!"

"It'll be a date to _die_ for…" Emphasis was placed on 'die' by Yukia. The blue eyed girl then forcefully pulled the lever down along with her sister. This caused the floor to rumble violently before several springs emerged from the ground, forcefully pushing people into various hallways without their consent. The surprised yelling of the light mages brought joy to the girls' ears and they giggled as a result. "That…That was pretty fun."

.

.

Juvia's rear landed on something soft. It took her a moment to even recover from being launched so suddenly. "Oof…what did Juvia land on…?" Someone's face. Was it her beloved Gray-sama!? Juvia stood up with sparkles in her eyes…but no, it wasn't her dear Gray-sama. It was just Lucy who had comical swirls in her eyes after. "L-LOVE RIVAL!" Juvia pointed accusingly at Lucy while shouting just loud enough to wake her up.

"H-Huh!?" The shouting was enough for Lucy to regain consciousness, rubbing her head at Juvia's shouting. "I didn't do anything! You landed on me!"

"Juvia is innocent." Juvia replied while huffing and crossing her arms under her chest. "…But more importantly, aside from being torn apart from Gray-sama…Juvia believes we should see where this corridor leads. Perhaps one of the dragon slayers are down the hall…"

"Ladies, ladies…" The sound of slow clapping from down the hall caught their attention. Aeon of the Wizard Hunters appeared, fixing his white hair before giving the two of them a grin. "A pleasure to see you both again."

"Another one…?" Lucy grumbled while placing her hand on her key ring. "It's been a long time, but I'm still sick of seeing you guys already…" A bright light wrapped around Lucy's body for a split second; when it faded, she was wearing her Stardress: Taurus, stretching her whip out to show that she was ready for a fight.

"Yumia and Yukia can be quite the annoying pair, I do agree…" Aeon said while shaking his head. "I don't particularly enjoy dealing with children such as them…women like you two, however..." Was he…coming onto them? Yes, yes he was. Shamelessly at that.

"JUVIA IS SOUNDLY RESERVED FOR GRAY-SAMA AND GRAY-SAMA ONLY!" Juvia screamed while throwing her hand forward, unleashing a massive beam of scalding hot water towards the high class Hunter.

"Whoa now!" Aeon leapt out of the way, allowing the beam of water to pass right by him. The corridor was a little narrow so dodging widespread attacks was going to be quite the task for both parties. Once his feet touched the ground he placed his arm forward, a white magic seal forming before him. "A-Cannon!" From the sphere, a white sphere shot out directly for the two women.

Lucy and Juvia both jumped to the side to avoid the sphere and the ensuing explosion after it, however due to the narrow hallway and the force of the explosion, the both of them were forced into crashing into opposite walls with grunts of pain. "Oof…" Lucy rubbed her head. "This hallway is going to make things a little more difficult…"

"One of your beloved dragon slayers is being held just beyond me. It would be a shame if you were unable to defeat me before Aiden fired off the cannon again…it would lead to the end of this country, after all." The grin on Aeon's face widened upon seeing the distraught visages of Lucy and Juvia.

.

"Oof…" Luke shook his head slowly, looking around at his surroundings only to see that he was quite alone...but he landed on something soft. "Back to this again, huh…?" The copycat sighed before picking himself up. "Let me go see who's up ahead before I get wrapped into something…" He then looked down, realizing he was right on top of a surprised and flustered Yukino who couldn't even muster the willingness to say a word. "A-AGAIN…!?"

"…." Yukino picked herself up, coughing awkwardly while looking away. "I…uhm…hope you're not hurt, Luke-sama…"

"No…I'm fine…" Luke shook his head before pointing ahead. "Anyway…let's get moving…someone might be up ahead."

"How about we play a little game first?" Kai stepped from the shadows of the corridor ahead, arms folded over his chest as he stared Luke down. "Take a minute to relax, freeze, and smell the roses…"

"Yeah…" Luke quirked a brow at Kai before shaking his head, moving to take a stance. "I don't have time to play silly games…"

"Please…we don't have the time for this…" Yukino pleaded. "We have to rescue our friends…"

"That's a shame…" Kai didn't move a muscle…for the game he wished to play was already complete. He was the winner. In a flash he appeared before Luke, slamming his fist against the Eclipse mage's chest; the impact was so strong Luke was sent flying backwards before regaining his footing, sliding across the ground with widened eyes.

"S-Shit…that hurt…" Luke admitted with a grumble. "What the hell was that…?"

"Luke-sama, are you okay!?" Yukino questioned with widened eyes at Kai's strike. How odd that he didn't strike her, then again she didn't move a muscle at the time.

"It's not very kind of you deny my offer like that." Kai spoke while cracking his knuckles. "So I will tell you what we're about to do…we're going to play a game, and you are going play along with me. Is that clear?"

.

Aiden watched as all the encounters began to occur on a screen from the main room, a wide grin stretched along his lips. "Everything is going perfectly. Even if those Hunters are defeated, it won't matter, for they'll have wasted more than enough time. The cannon is set to fire again in 30 minutes…and this time I will not be so merciful."

Emmeraude leaned against the wall, glancing between the monitor that showed all the unconscious dragon slayers and those trying to fight to save them. To her, this was truly an entertaining show; her purple painted lips curved into the faintest of smiles. "My…this mad scientist plot may actually succeed after all. I don't think there's a wizard alive that can stop this…certainly not that band of wizards trying right at this very moment…although there is something that is bothering me about one of them present…"

"Who cares?" Aiden shrugged before snapping his fingers. "Hyde! Let me speak with the royalty of Fiore. I'm sure they'll come to a decision rather quickly under these circumstances."

.

.

"The old man? He's dead right?" Jikan asked with a wide grin, each word flowing seamlessly from his lips. "Old age finally caught up to him, huh?"

"You and I both know…" Sidney paused for a moment, glancing over at Jaxon for he realized that he was about to reveal one of White Eclipse's darkest secrets to someone other than Jikan and himself But he shook his head for he had no other choice. "You and I both know he's not truly dead. We're here because we need you to speed up the process of…Eclipse Soul."

This was definitely some next level shit going on. Jaxon couldn't even comprehend what was being said right now, he could only mumble "Eclipse Soul…?" in a lowly whisper.

Even Jikan was caught off guard, eyes widening for a brief moment only to return to a satisfied state. White Eclipse came to him for help…but considering who he was, this was not going to be so simple. "This is more than worry of Fiore being in danger of extinction, isn't it? You want me to bring back that overpowered fool, and in the peak of his life no less? Fine." Jikan stood up, dusting himself off as though he were really going to travel. But…his index finger pointed down to the ground. "But first, Sidney…you'll have to beg for my help. Right here. Right now. Get on your knees and _beg._ "

Disgusted. Sidney felt his stomach churn as Jikan demanded him to beg, teeth bearing in anger underneath his scarf. He didn't have time for such demands. Nobody but Jikan noticed that he took a single step forward, now crossing the line and standing nineteen feet away from Jikan. Blinded by desperation and his pride as a person…Sidney clenched a hand into a fist and refused. "I don't have time for this. Revive him, now."

"S-Sidney…!" Jaxon couldn't think of anything else to say. He knew Sidney was enraged by Jikan's demands, but he didn't know what else to do…he was paralyzed.

There was a glint in Jikan's eyes; a maniacal, dramatic glint that was unmatched by the joy any human could possibly experience. There Sidney was, in his range, and refused to meet his demands. "Naïve clown. You always have to learn the hard way, Sidney. Very well…allow me to help you out instead!?" The master of Silent Sanctum then snapped his fingers, a bright flash enveloping the guild. Everyone excluding Sidney was caught within the adverse effects of Jikan's magic. Sidney's body shone a bright white and it began to shrink until…all that was left was Sidney's red scarf, and an infant baby boy crawling his way out of it.

.

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Next Time: Who's The Hunter?


	31. Chapter 31: Who's The Hunter?

In the palace in Crocus…the situation was not as smooth for the King and Princess as one would believe. Two lacrima screens were present before the pair of royalty, one displaying King Ashnard while the other displayed Count Waltz, neither of them seeming pleased with the situation of Fiore at the moment. "So, tell me…" Count Waltz began. "Did you know that within a matter of 30 minutes, the entire continent of Earthland is notified of such a grave slip up on your end. Being threatened to hand over your country to a mad scientist within the span of an hour? My…that's quite a foolish ploy you've allowed to occur, Toma, Hisui. Rather disgraceful as your title as rulers…"

"Ah…" Hisui began sweating slightly. She didn't know what to say to counter Waltz's words. Things really haven't been good in Fiore and it was only a matter of time before the other countries of Earthland started to comment.

"This is…quite a pickle, yes…" Toma cleared his throat. "However…your intervention will not be needed. I am confident in the mages that have gone to quell this threat. For now, it is my duty as to let the people know they will be safe."

"You've at least got something correct, King of Fiore." Ashnard shook his head slowly. "However…this problem involves more than just Fiore now. Should those you've placed your needless faith in fail…then it will put the other countries at risk. Then we will have to intervene for the safety of OUR people. As a ruler, I can't very well ignore my people's safety, can I?"

This was when Hisui had to bite her tongue. She already had quite enough of Ashnard's attitude during the national meeting…and now it was really beginning to get under her skin. The rumors surrounding King Ashnard were…not good. How he was nothing but a tyrant who didn't care at all for the wellbeing of his people. It was taking all the Jade Princess's restrain to avoid calling him out at this very moment. "…I see your point…" Was all Hisui managed to reply with.

"You've only got half an hour to hope for your country to resolve this problem, dear princess." Count Waltz said with a disapproving shake of his head.

"Otherwise, in worry for other countries and my own…I'll have to unleash Heracles once again." Ashnard said with a slowly widening grin.

"There will be no need for that….!" Hisui replied.

"You better hope so." Waltz waved his hand disapprovingly. "The other countries have already given the seals of the approval, rather quickly at that."

"What!? How!?" Hisui questioned.

Waltz continued without answering her question. "If you don't fix this, it will be fixed for you. Understand, Fiore? It's the will of the people, after all." With that both screens cut out. Soon after, a soldier came barging in the doors.

"Sir…! The people are beginning to panic, we need you out there…!" The solider reported.

"Of course…I'll be there immediately." Toma nodded and went off, leaving Hisui to jet sigh to herself.

"This is too big a mess…" The Jade Princess said while placing a hand on her forehead. "I don't like the way Fiore is looking to these other countries now…things were fine until Ashnard started speaking…how he got everyone on his side so quickly, I don't understand…"

It was then that Aiden's face appeared on a screen before Hisui startling her while Arcadios grabbed the hilt of his sword on instinct. "My, my…I hope I didn't scare the little princess. I was just calling to see if you've come to a decision yet."

"You're made if you honestly think we'd hand over this entire country to you." Hisui kept a brave face while confronting Aiden.

"Ah…shame…" Aiden shrugged. "I'm not worried for you still have 30 full minutes to make your choice. As a ruler, I'm sure you'll choose well~." With that, Aiden's screen cut out.

Hisui let out a heavy sigh, leaning back in her chair while staring up at the ceiling. "Please, Fairy Tail…"

.

.

"WAAAH!" Both Juvia and Lucy were thrown into the walls due to an explosion caused by Aeon. "Oof…" Lucy rubbed her head and groaned, scratches and bruises appearing on her fair skin. "I almost forgot how tough these guys were…" With a groan she stood right back up, swinging her whip in a horizontal motion, creating several shockwaves that split the ground apart while striking Aeon.

"Gyah…!" Arms crossed, the white haired hunter was blown back by Lucy's might and slid across the floor before coming to a halt.

Juvia was up next, wasting no time while bringing an arm up, swinging it violently several times. This prompted several crescent blades of razor sharp water to shoot forward, cutting through everything that dared to stand in their way while racing towards the Wizard Hunter. "Water Slicer!"

Seeing the danger coming his way, Aeon held both hands forward, a white magic seal forming just before him. "A-Beam!" The seal spun in a clockwise motion for a few seconds before unleashing a massive beam of light towards the incoming Water Slicer. The two attacks collided in the middle for a second before an eventual explosion took place, filling the corridor with smoke.

"He's tough…" Juvia grunted while bringing her arm up to protect her eyes from the smoke.

"No kidding…" Lucy nodded while keeping a watchful eye out on the smoke. She didn't know what kind of attack Aeon was going to perform while hidden from sight.

There was a slight glimmer from the smoke and a giant beam of light rushed from the smoke and crashed into both Lucy and Juvia, sending them soaring backwards across the corridor before they finally came to a halt on their sides. "A-Beam…"

Lucy shakily pushed herself up, clenching one eye shut while staring up at Aeon. "Ugh…just how tough is this guy…? It doesn't seem like we can get any leeway on him…"

"It pains me to damage you lovely ladies…" Aeon said while adjusting his tie, covered in his own share of scrapes and bruises. "However, I consider this payback for when you took an unkind shot at my groin."

Lucy remembered that! Even now she couldn't help but form a cheesy, sheepish grin at the memory. "A-Ah…don't you know it's bad to hold grudges…?" Meanwhile…Juvia took this the wrong way; the expression on her face showing that she was on a completely different page.

.

Takeru emerged from the shadows, right in front of the container that held Selene. Having slipped past security easily, the shadow dragon allowed shadows to swirl around his hand as he reared it back. "Don't worry, Serena…I'll make sure to get you out of here so that they can't use you like this again." Takeru then threw his fist forward, unleashing a beam of shadows that struck the capsule…only for it to be rendered ineffective. "Tch…! Should've known it wasn't going to be that easy…" He was going to prepare once again, but halted when a voice began speaking.

"I'm ssssorry, but I can't allow you to do that…" Shade's voice echoed within the room, causing Takeru to go on high alert. The vampire mage was hanging from the ceiling, a blood thirsty grin stretching along his lips. He then leapt from the ceiling while stretching his arms out, emitting an eardrum shattering sound wave that caused Takeru to cover his ears.

"Shit…!" Takeru shouted while covering his ears, pinned to his location due to the harsh sound waves. He was unable to defend himself from the following slash attack from Shade, causing him to tumble back across the floor before coming to a halt. "Ugh…why couldn't I detect you?"

"I am a master of disguise and the shadows are my home. I will not be detected by something as simple as a scent." Shade explained while crossing his arms. "I cannot allow you to try and free your mate. You will have to get past me…and I assure you, you will not be defeating me."

.

Weavel used his speed to outmaneuver Erza. Within the narrow corridor it was difficult for Erza to get a read on Weavel's movements; even with such a small space the Hunter was making optimal use of his movement options. Erza held two swords in her grasp as her eyes attempted to follow the shadow hunter, but to no avail. Within a flash, Weavel sped past her while slashing at her armored side. To her surprise, the blade cut through her armor to inflict a deep wound. "…!?" Erza's eyes widened and her knees buckled before standing firm. "Such speed…"

"You can't hope to catch me…" Weavel's voice was coming from all angles. Once behind Erza he twisted his body around, aiming a cross clash at the back of Titania's head; he was aiming to end her right then and there.

Erza was being underestimated. The second Weavel aimed his follow up slash, Erza turned to block with both of her swords, holding her ground as a brief power struggle ensued. Erza then brought her leg up to kick Weavel in the stomach, forcing him to stagger back across the floor. "I think it's you who doesn't realize who you're up against." A bright light wrapped around Erza's body and she was revealed to be in her Heaven's Wheel armor; one arm was extended forward and dozens upon dozens of swords were pointed in Weavel's direction. "For a mage with exceptional speed, you sure know how to stay in someone's way. Get out of my way; you won't stop me from rescuing my comrades." The swords then began to shoot towards Weavel, leaving little to no room for escape.

"Hah…" Weavel grunted in pain after Erza's kick…but then she presented a challenge to him: swords that covered nearly every inch of the room, all of them racing towards him at a violent velocity. "Now this…this is getting interesting…" Weavel's body vanished in a blur of shadows, slipping through the swords practically unscathed; in the next second he reached Erza while throwing his hand forward. "Shadow Slash."

Erza was caught off guard by Weavel's speed; she truly did underestimate Weavel's speed and it was about to cost her dearly. Weavel's hand reached her face an explosion of darkness followed, sending her skidding back across the corridor. "Ngh…!"

"Come now, Titania…" Weavel said with a slight grin creeping along his visible lips. "Give me a fun time. You don't have long until that cannon fires again…"

.

"Ice Make: Lance!" Arms thrown forward, Gray released a plethora of lances towards the Wizard Hunter he was facing off against: Marta. These lances covered a wide radius and aimed to strike the opposing female while leaving little room to evade.

"I see I see…" The brunette nodded slowly while examining all of Gray's movements up until he finally attacked. The incoming lances of ice posed no threat to the experienced Hunter. "According to my calculations, this will be the most efficient way to deal with your attack…" The female pulled out several magical bombs that were thrown towards the incoming lances, all of them colliding in the middle for an explosion that shook the tower slightly. With a thin layer of smoke as cover, Marta then placed a colorless magic seal on the ground and just waited for Gray to fall into her trap.

"Tch…" Gray took a step back from the smoke and that was his mistake. He stepped on the magic seal he didn't even notice, causing a rope to shoot out and tie around his ankle, leaving him dangling on the corridor ceiling. "W-What the…!?" He couldn't move an inch, he was literally a sitting duck!

"This rope seals all movement." Marta explained while dusting off her dress. She then got on a knee, pulling out a gigantic rocket launcher, a wide grin stretching on her lips. "Oh…this one is one of my favorites…." With a click of the trigger, a large rocket was released towards Gray. The result of a direct hit was not going to be a pretty one…

"Shit…" Gray had limited options. He thought off the top of his head, allowing a frigid aura to radiate from his body to freeze the rope over shatter it easily. Once on the ground his arms crossed; "Ice Make: Shield!" A large shield of ice formed before Gray just in the nick of time; the rock collided against the shield and exploded, shattering the ice while forcing Gray to tumble across the floor violently before coming to a halt. "Damn! Ice Make: Geyser!" Hands on the floor, he was already in the most optimal position to attack.

A sharp geyser of ice rose from the ground directly under Marta; she reacted in time to somewhat dodge, however the geyser still pierced her side and she was thrown back, a small cry of pain escaping her. The brunette's dress was bloodied due to the open wound. "Ugh!? You got my favorite dress dirty, you bastard!"

"Go cry about it somewhere else…!" Gray shouted while standing back up. "Now get out of my way, I got dragon slayers to save!"

.

Yuzan wore elemental gloves; one fire, one lightning. With a grin he rushed towards Reve, aiming several punches at the S class gunslinger in rapid succession. "Just when I thought today's payload couldn't get any better, here I am with a reward for taking down Reve Volver of White Eclipse. Why don't you just make this easier on yourself and just quit!?" The leader of Predator's Reign was determined to hunt down this high class prey.

When two cocky mages collided, someone's pride was going to get crushed…and it wasn't going to be Reve's. He already decided this when the fight began. With Yuzan closing the distance between them, Reve's blue eyes shifted to a strong emerald coloration: Precision Eyes. As usual, these eyes allowed him to perceive movement slower than most. Yuzan's assault was swiftly evaded, and for those that believed close combat was a glaring weakness for Reve…they were wrong. A spinning roundhouse was aimed at Yuzan's side, but it was blocked. No matter, for Reve used this momentum and Quick Draw technique to pull out a sawn off shotgun, pointing it at the leader of Predator's Reign and clicked the trigger. "Burst Shot!" From the barrel, a condensed bullet was released and struck Yuzan right in the gut, causing him to stagger backwards before regaining his footing.

"Heh…" Yuzan coughed before grinning towards Reve. This was the thrill of the hunt that he was looking for…and it was going to make becoming the winner that much more fulfilling.

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"M'lady's got this…!" Lector cheered from the sidelines along with Frosch. Minerva was facing off against one of the higher ranking members of the Wizard Hunters: Cain, the elemental master.

"Fro thinks so too…" Frosch waved, though he was still clearly worried for the wellbeing of Rogue and Sting. There wasn't much time left before their power was used to attack Fiore again, and the last thing Frosch wanted was for his best friend to be blamed for something that he couldn't even control.

"Stay back!" Minerva warned the two exceeds before swiping her arms to the side, using her territory to control the space near Cain to explode in a large chain that covered most of the area. "This man will fall before my might. You never stay between a Tigress and her pray."

"Ngh…!" Cain grunted from the chain of explosions, but even he seemed relatively damaged from the attack. "My…" Cain shook his head with a slight grin. "I didn't expect the Ace of Sabertooth to…be so weak."

Those words ticked Minerva off slightly; he was making light of her and in such a dire situation as well! Teeth clenched and she pointed her arm forward, creating a sphere of spatial magic before her. "Is that so? Then allow me to sink my fangs into what will be your corpse." From the sphere, spikes of territory began to rapidly shoot out, all of them looking to impale and skewer their unfortunate target.

"Don't get so hasty. I want to have a little fun here." Cain said with a widening grin. Arms stretched out, a small ember of flame flickering within his palms. "Fire Spin." A spiral of scorching hot flames expanded from the male's palms, completely incinerating the corridor as it raced towards Minerva, engulfing the incoming spikes in the process.

"Tch…!" Sucking her teeth, Sabertooth's ace used her magic to create a barrier around her person. The spiral of flames did consume her; however the damage was severely cut. She didn't have a moment to breathe as Cain was upon her once again with his fist reared back, lightning surging around his fist.

"Flash Strike.." Cain's lips were curled into an animalistic grin as he threw his fist forward, an explosion of lightning overtaking Minerva and she was forced to slide back, gritting her teeth in pain as sparks danced wildly around her body from such a heavy hitting attack.

"Are you okay?!" Lector shouted in pure worry for Minerva.

"Fine." Minerva responded while shaking off the damage easily. "It appears as though this stubborn man just doesn't know who he's truly up against…" Speaking these words…it sent a rush through Minerva, one she hadn't felt in ages. "Perhaps I should show this man…who the true hunter is here…" If you thought Cain's grin was bad…it didn't match the smirk that slowly formed on Minerva's painted lips. It had been a long time since she was able to cut loose against someone without any repercussions…

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Next Time: Tick Tock.


	32. Chapter 32: Tick Tock

"S-S-SIDNEY!" Jaxon nearly screamed at the sight of Sidney being reduced to nothing but an infant. The sight was unreal and in this situation…it was just a nightmare. Fiore was in danger, Jikan was supposedly the only hope…and things went as south as they could possibly be.

"A-Ah shit…" Byron's eyes widened at Jikan's show of power. There was no need to remind them why he was the master of the guild.

"Well…." Rail cleared his throat, having nothing to say on the matter because well…he couldn't say anything.

"Well!" Jikan was quite enjoying this situation even though the same could NOT be said for the others. He was laughing, turning to Jaxon slowly as he gradually came to a halt. "Let's try this again, because I'm willing to help for my own personal reasons. You there, kid. So me some humility and I MAY just save your pathetic asses from extinction."

There was no choice. Jaxon immediately fell to his knees, trying his best to even muster words. "P-P-Please…w-we need your h-help…! A-after this…w-we'll never bother you again, I-I promise…!" Jaxon was doing more than just showing humility; he was on his knees, beginning for Jikan to help.

…And the worst part of it? With Sidney in his arms, he was standing right behind Jaxon in the midst of his plea. There was no escape for either mage now. Jikan could pull the trigger right here and now and end the both of them if he wanted to. "…See Sidney? Why couldn't you have been like your friend here? All you had to do was ask a little nicer." Turning back to Jaxon after messing with the kid, he gave a shrug. "Alright, but I'll be there at my own pace. That should give you enough time to get everyone out of the guild, because I'm going to accelerate time in that space for thousands of years. You wouldn't want anyone turning to dust, would you? Also…I'll be holding onto this child as collateral until I'm finished."

….What just happened? Jaxon could not describe it in words. There WERE no words to describe what just occurred. The S class mage stood up immediately and nodded frantically. "T-Thank you…" The only two words he could muster before he hauled ass out of there…he had to warn everyone before it was too late.

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"Tick tock, Fiore…" Aiden was casually watching the clock, grinning as the countdown was now on 15 minutes. Time was quickly running low for Fiore…which meant that Fairy Tail, White Eclipse, and Sabertooth had limited time before the cannon was to fire again.

"Hm…?" Emmeraude blinked, glancing out the window to the object approaching from the sky. "What is this…?" What was approaching? None other than Blue Pegasus' airship, the Christine! "It appears that a new player as entered the game…how will you respond?"

"Those pesky Pegasi again of all places…" Aiden pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a heavy sigh. At every turn, it always seemed like Blue Pegasus was involved in foiling his plans! "I'll blast them out of the sky as many times as they wish! Unleash the Sky Cannon!" The cannon at the top of the tower changed its angle, pointing directly at the Christine; magic was being gathered from one dragon slayer this time…Wendy.

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"Ichiya-senpai…!" Eve pointed up ahead at the cannon aimed directly at them. "I think he's about to fire at us!"

"Men!" Ichiya gave a firm nod before pointing forward. "We mustn't allow that cannon to bring forth its destructive unhandsomeness! Eve, Ren, fire at will!"

"Target is locked, Ichiya-san." Hibiki nodded.

"Now's the time!" Jenny confirmed. Just as she did, a gigantic beam of Sky Dragon Slayer magic shot forth from the cannon directly at the airship with full intent to blow them out of the sky. "We won't be getting shot down again!"

Eve and Ren placed their hands on two separate components flooding their respective magic into it. The cannons on the ship were pointed forward and released a mixture of snow and air magic that formed a gigantic blizzard, clashing with the beam Aiden sent towards them only for it all to stalemate and result was a large-scale explosion in the sky.

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Wendy let out a sharp cry of pain as Aiden began to extract and amplify her magic. A bright green aura flared around the container than held Wendy and her magic was being directly funneled into the cannon. "S-STOP IT!" She was unconscious before, but now she was fully awake to experience this pain.

Wendy's cries of pain could be heard from the corridor that led to the room. Erza's eyes widened as she looked past Weavel to see that bright green light shining from behind him. "That's Wendy's voice…get out of my way, NOW!" She demanded while rushing towards Weavel, shifting into her Purgatory Armor and swinging her massive mace down at him with earth shattering force.

"Keh..!" Weavel grinned and leapt to the side, though he underestimated Erza's might. The blade the ground and sent a shockwave immediately after, throwing Weavel off his feet and onto the ground! "Guh..!? Strength that renders speed useless!?" Standing back up, Weavel quickly pulled his hands apart, creating a pitch black sphere that slowly expanded, covering the entire area in darkness. "I'll drag you into the darkness and finish you off in one fell swoop."

"Tch…" Erza glanced around, unable to detect Weavel within the darkness. She was in his domain now…and they'd be playing by his rules.

"This will be a simple dual. Charge straight ahead and meet your demise…or will I meet mine? Who knows…but I do know this. You cannot beat me in my world, Erza Scarlet." Weavel's voice echoed in the abyss.

"I have no choice…" Erza's body was enveloped in a glow that not even the darkness could smother. No one could see it, but she was within her Heaven's Wheel armor once again, holding one blade tightly as her eyes closed. This was going to be the final showdown. Seconds…a minute passed before her eyes snapped open and she lunged forward, aiming a slash at Weavel just as he did to her. The two slipped past each other and the darkness faded… "Urk…" Erza's armor shattered and several gashes appeared on her body; without a word Titania collapsed to the ground, eyes wide in pain.

"Heh…" Weavel chuckled as he turned around. "Like I said…you cannot beat me in my domain." With his blades in hand, he took slow steps forward to finish Erza off…but he felt a sharp pain in his chest. "…?! What is…!?"

"Heh…" Erza slowly stood up, wearing a wide grin. "For someone so fast…you were surprisingly slow in noticing it. An invisible blade that doesn't have to touch you do to damage…it was only a matter of time until you finally noticed the damage. This battle was won before it even began."

"Y-You…out sped me…" Weavel grunted before collapsing.

Erza shook her head before forcing her body to move. Heavy injuries or no, Wendy was up ahead and she was going to save her. "Hang on, Wendy…we're almost there…!"

.

Micaiah, Reiss, and Tyson finally entered the tower's foyer, all three of them panting softly. "Geez…we're pretty behind! We better hurry up and back up the others!" Reiss said while shaking his head.

"No kidding…!" Micaiah nodded.

"Whoa, whoa!" Yumia narrowed her eyes at the trio that appeared. "Who the heck are you guys!?"

"The cavalry." Tyson said. "Sorry little ladies, but we don't have time to mess around with you, so if you would kindly get out of the way…"

"Pfft…!" Yukia snorted at Tyson's words. "How cute! They think they're the ones in charge here…!"

"I didn't think anyone could be more annoying than rich boy…" Tyson scoffed.

"What was that!?" Reiss glared at Tyson.

"Guys, guys…!" Micaiah took a step forward in attempt to break up the untimely fighting between her two friends…unfortunately her footing was off and she ended up stepping on one of the aforementioned springs that launched her down a corridor with a cute cry of surprise.

"Micaiah…?" Reiss blinked a few times. Before he and Tyson could say or do much, a combination of fire and water took them both off guard and sent them spiraling backwards before catching themselves. "Tch…!"

"Cheap shot…" Tyson grunted while using the back of his hand to wipe his mouth. "Didn't think you little ladies would play dirty like."

Yukia wagged her finger at Tyson's assumption. "No no. We may be cute little girls, but we're on a payroll here, so now we're cold, ruthless hunters. If you two weren't targets, I'd totally slip you my number. You're both kinda cute."

"This man does not need another female on him…" Tyson shook his head, his comment directed at Reiss. "Alright…how about we show these two just what they're in for…? If you can keep up."

"Heh…" Reiss gave a sly smirk. "Please, if anything, you should try not to fall behind…"

.

.

"Which one of us is the true animal?" Blank taunted Elfman as several punches were aimed from the bulky Fairy at the Predator, who managed to swiftly evade the punches being thrown. "Because clearly, I don't see a hint of a beast within you."

"I don't see a hint of a man within you!" Elfman shouted while rearing his arm back, allowing it to take the form of his Beast Arm: Iron Bull. With ferocious might, he swung at Blank. "What kind of Man goes around and kidnaps little girls?! Such an action is unmanly and I will NEVER forgive you for laying a hand on my family!"

"…!" Blank crossed his arms, grunting in pain from the physical might Elfman contained. Sliding back several feet, the Predator shook his arm before facing the middle Strauss sibling with a widening grin. "Now this is looking to be a hunt…" Licking his lips, a magic seal formed above him before he shifted into a rhino, immediately charging forward with great speed and force.

"Takeover…" Elfman dug his feet into the floor and held his arms out. His body shifted the very second Blank slammed into him; while he did slide back the damage dealt was reduced significantly due to his Lizardman takeover. "Lizard Man…" With enhanced strength, he grabbed Blank by the horn and tossed him across the corridor where the Predator hit the ground, tumbling before regaining his balance.

"Yes, this is wonderful…" Blank's form shifted once again, his body shrouded in a dark veil as he ended up breaking the walls and ceiling around the corridor due to his increase in size. "Try as you might…I'm the predator, and you're the prey. And I always eat my prey."

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"These games are getting annoying…" A bruised Luke said while wiping at his mouth.

"I can agree, Luke-sama…" Yukino nodded. She was also equally banged up as he was. "We don't know the rules but we keep losing…"

"That's how my magic works." Kai began explaining with a subtle grin. "Prominence Domination. We play many games, all with different rules. All I have to do is state that the game is being played, and the loser suffers the consequences."

"Playing a game we don't even know the rules to…" Yukino grit her teeth in slight annoyance. At this rate…

"Perhaps you should learn quickly, otherwise the fun of it all goes away. How about we try with color next? This should be simple enough for you." Kai said with a nod, easing up on the two so he could keep the fun going for himself. "Let's begin with the color black. Color Cut." Right after he said that he swiped his hand forward, sending a slicing crescent of shadows towards Yukino.

"…!" Yukino quickly leaped to the side, however her side was still struck and the damage dealt was much more than before. Brown eyes widened and she had a rather rough landing on her feet while bringing her hand to her side. "W-What…that hurt more than before…" With a grunt of pain she quickly brushed it off and brought out a golden key. "Gate of the Scales, I open thee! Libra!" With a bell chime and a puff of smoke, Libra appeared before them. "Increase the gravity on that male!"

"As you wish…" Libra nodded and went to work, using her gravity to keep Kai stuck to the ground, creating an indent on the floor due to the amount of pressure.

Luke quickly brought his arm back, allowing a pitch black sphere to form within his palm. "Black God's Bomb!" Throwing his arm forward, the dense sphere raced across the air with Kai as the target; due to the increased gravity he was unable to avoid it and a large explosion followed suit, nearly flinging Kai backwards.

"Ngh…!" Kai grunted, yet kept his position firm. There was a smirk stretching long his lips. "You two should freeze…" It was this game once again; the mage who had the least amount of movement was the victor, and since Kai was stuck due the gravity…

Luke and Yukino both froze in place, finally abiding by one of the rules they actually knew, but it wasn't proving too useful for them. Kai had the upper hand…that was until… "Libra. To the side." Yukino mumbled.

On that cue, Libra changed the field of gravity and sent Kai into the wall, meaning that the mage who created the game…just broke his own rules. "Guh!?" Kai was in for a shock…for what came next was completely unexpected.

Yukino started giving him the work. A jab, an uppercut, and a straight punch to his gut to wind him occurred all within a second. "You are to get out of my way immediately, are we clear? I'm through playing these games." And right after said that she swung her leg violently for a roundhouse kick that slammed Kai into the wall once again. "Understand?"

"Holy…" Luke just blinked at Yukino went ham on Kai. He sure knew now not to get on the bad side of this woman…

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Cygnus swung his blade, Rebellion, towards Kara. The opposing female was easily capable of deflecting the slash with her rapier, sparks flying from steel kissing steel. Leaping back, the S class mage of White Eclipse ran a hand through his hair and let out a soft scoff. "Not bad with a sword…"

"I know." Kara replied confident before pointing at Cygnus' hair. "But what I do know…is what's up with that hair? It's pretty disgusting if I'm honest. You look like you're in your fifties."

Cygnus was getting tired of the disrespect he was constantly getting because of his white air. An annoyed tick mark appeared on his forehead while he grit his teeth. "I'm in my mid-twenties! But I can't say the same for you…you're probably late 30s." Oh, he definitely pressed some buttons there. Never insult a ladies age: that was the number one rule.

"That's it. I'm taking your head off and selling it for an extra few bucks." Kara grumbled before leaping at Cygnus, swinging her rapier, to unleash spears of ice in his direction. As stated, she was aiming right for his head to take it clean off.

"Heh…" Cygnus grinned slightly at the incoming spears. Taking Rebellion, he quickly flipped the sword by its hilt, causing the blade to spin rapidly in midair like a waterwheel to shatter the spears. With a thrust of his arm, Cygnus unleashed a burst of gravity that sent his blade towards Kara at rapid speeds. "Round Trip!"

"Tch…!" Kara quickly slashed her rapier diagonally, struggling for a second before deflecting the blade right back at Cygnus.

Cygnus did not miss a dime. Even as his sword was flung back at him he sped forward, grabbing the hilt of his blade as a red aura flared around the blade. "Stinger!" With a violent slide forward, Cygnus aimed to thrust his blade right into Kara's stomach. The blow was entirely successful as Kara blocked it; however she was thrown back from the amount of power packed within the strike. "Come on, I'm just getting started…!"

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"Come on, come on…!" Little Marx of the Wizard Hunters was bouncing around, bouncy balls flying all over the corridor. This was making it exceptionally hard for Levy, Pantherlily, Happy, and Carla to move around as they wished since every ball they hit sent them ricocheting into another.

"This is stupid!" Carla complained while trying to maneuver throughout the bouncing balls by flying between them, but it was quite difficult as she and Happy were both thrown to the ground.

"Don't you just love the circus!?" Marx asked with childish, gleaming eyes. He may have been young…but the fact he was among elite Wizard Hunters meant that he was the real deal.

"Every time I try to move my hand I can't…" Levy grunted. The problem was soon seen as the bouncing balls slowly began to converge onto them, smothering all of the Fairies.

"This…" Pantherlily grunted, finding all of his movements restricted and his breathing was difficult. He wasn't going down like this; not to a child and not when Gajeel was in danger and he was the only one who could protect Levy during this time. It was a promise he made to his partner and it was not one he was going to fall back on soon. Before everyone could be completely smothered by the circus balls, Pantherlily shifted into his Battle Form and slashed his sword once, cutting through all of them. "It's going to take more than this to put me down!"

"Lily…!" Happy gasped for air, wearing a wide grin as the knight finally managed to stand up for combat.

"Stand back, I'll take care of this." Pantherlily gripped his sword while staring at Marx, who seemed a little upset his plan didn't go like he wanted. A childish boy who was clearly spoiled in some sense. "You…child. You will stand down."

"You…You're a big bully!" Marx shouted with crocodile tears in his eyes. What occurred next was a blur; the boy began preforming acrobatic flips around the narrow corridor. His movements were fast and he was literally bouncing off the walls! Pantherlily couldn't keep up and before he knew it the Exceed received a double kick to the chest strong enough to nearly send him toppling over! "Circus Magic is fun! How dare you take away my fun!?" Marx's magical aura steadily began to grow the angrier he became…there was some latent power within the child that made him a threat to be reckoned with…

With a grunt of pain, Pantherlily held his sword up while glaring at Marx. He was not going to back down, because he had an iron resolve he obtained from Gajeel himself…and right now Gajeel was in danger. They were the only ones who could save him, and nothing was going to stop him from doing just that. "It's time for bed, kid. Let me tuck you in."

.

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Next Time: Time's Up.


	33. Chapter 33: Time's Up

"Come on now, ladies…" Aeon said while wagging a finger around disapprovingly. "You don't have the time to be running around like this. Don't you only have about 5 minutes left until sir Aiden fires again?"

Of course Aeon could speak with such confidence, because Lucy and Juvia were having trouble rushing to defeat him. Had this been any other condition, no doubt the two Fairy Tail mages would've won…but it was easy for Aeon to stall them out the way he had been during this fight. "We've got to hurry…!" Lucy grunted while pushing past the pain of her injuries.

"Juvia knows!" She didn't mean to really yell at Lucy but time was running low and they couldn't afford to waste anymore. Without another word she threw her arm forward, scalding hot water extending as she began whipping her limb around wildly in attempt to strike Aeon. "Water Cane!"

Aeon extended his arms to his sides, a barrier of light appearing around his being. "A-Barrier." Juvia's Water Cane was rendered ineffective due to Aeon's barrier, just another perfect way of stalling out the battle as time was quickly running low for the mages. There was a wide grin stretching on the Hunter's lips.

"This isn't good…" Lucy grit her teeth in irriation and annoyance. At this rate…

"Waaaaah!" Micaiah tumbled along the corridor before coming to a halt on her stomach, her rather nice rear sticking up in a comical manner. "Oof…"

"Eh…?" Lucy blinked at Micaiah's appearance. "Wait…I think I've seen you around before…aren't you..."

"A third lady? Oh my…I wasn't expecting to be so blessed today…" Aeon ran a hand through his hair before grinning. "Such a shame I'll have to bring harm to all three of you." With his palm extended, multiple white magic seals formed before him. "Triple A-Cannon!" And from these seals, large spheres of light rapidly shot out at all three females.

Micaiah's nose twitched at Aeon's scent, yellow eyes gleaming with some sort of excitement. "Oh…Light…" With a grin she pressed her hands to the damaged floor, creating three seals beneath herself, Lucy, and Juvia. "Shine Barrier." Barriers of light emerged from the seals, protecting the trio of females; this was only the beginning as the light used from Aeon was absorbed into the shield, which all began to focus within Micaiah's palm. "Light Beam!" Having absorbed Aeon's power, Micaiah threw her hand forward to release a gigantic beam of light that covered the entirety of the corridor, leaving no escape!

"Wha…!?" The Hunter's eyes widened at the type of intervention Micaiah possessed. The white haired male crossed his arms, grunting before he was thrown back from the power of the beam. However, before he could get too far, Juvia's watery arm wrapped around his waist along with Lucy's.

"NOW!" The two females exclaimed. In unison, they tugged the unfortunate male forward while rearing their fists back. Once Aeon was close, Lucy and Juvia slammed their fists into Aeon's face, driving him into the floor with force. Not even the prestigious Wizard Hunter was unable to survive and was KO'ed instantly.

"We got him!" Lucy cheered before turning to Micaiah. "You're with White Eclipse, right…?"

"Uh, yeah…" Micaiah rubbed the back of her neck. "Micaiah. I know who you two are…but do we have time for this…?"

"She's right. We must hurry." Juvia nodded before leading the three over to the room ahead; there were a few containment tubes that held Blues, Waiston, and Heather, all three of them unconscious. "There they are! We have to hurry!"

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Takeru, even in his own Shadow Drive, was not a match for the elite Wizard Hunter that was Shade. The shadow dragon lunged forward with his arm reared back, darkness wrapping around the length of his arm as he approached the vampire. "Shadow Dragon's Slash!"

"Too predictable." Shade chuckled before leaning his body to the side the instant Takeru swung, allowing the Shadow Dragon to whiff the blow by a considerable margin. Shade then parted his lips, releasing an ear splitting screech with incredible force that sent Takeru crashing into a wall. "I enjoy toying around with my food…it does work up quite the appetite…"

"Grk…" Takeru groaned while prying himself from the wall and fell to a knee, panting heavily from all the damage taken. Time was low and Selene was still in danger, and he would be damned if he let his beloved continued to be used as some tool! Just the mere thought of it boiled his blood. "Damn you…!" Without thinking he rushed forward once again, vanishing within the blink of an eye. Takeru slid past Shade while slashing him with a shadow katana, allowing the blade to disperse after contact.

"Eh…?" Shade froze for a second before his eyes widened, feeling the power of a deep slash cutting into him. A shriek of pain escaped the vampire before he turned to Takeru with blood shot eyes. "You ingrate…" Using Blood Magic, Shade was capable of clotting his wound to prevent from bleeding out; however he wasn't going to allow Takeru to live after inflicting such a wound on him.

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"Wendy!" Erza was within her Giant's Armor, using the massive physical strength the armor granted to aim a series punches at the tube containing Wendy. The Sky Dragon was completely still within the tube, unaware of the efforts Erza was putting in saving her. "WENDY!" Erza's voice rose, but it wasn't working. Wendy was unconscious and the tube seemed near indestructible, not even Erza's blows were causing cracks to form in it. "Come on…" Erza grit her teeth in determination. "We've already lost Cynthia…I swear to you on my life that I will not let you go either, Wendy!"

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"Mizu No Hadou!" Yumia drew one arm back, generating a sphere of water within the palm of her hand. In one swift motion she threw that arm forward, releasing the sphere towards Reiss and Tyson, aiming for the middle of them. Both Tyson and Reiss leapt off to the left and right to avoid the explosion of water that followed suit, covering the room in ankle deep water.

"What the heck…?" Reiss said while glancing around at the water. "Is that all you've got?"

Yukia giggled at Reiss' low expectations. "We're not elite Wizard Hunters for a reason, cutiepie~" The red eyed female hummed before crossing her arms and spreading them out; this action released a powerful heatwave that not only moved out to strike the two Eclipse rookies, but also increased the temperature of the water to near boiling. Yukia and her sister were fine in the scalding hot water…but for their opponents…

"Agh…!" Tyson crossed his arms, feeling the heat burn and the water making it near impossible to stand in. "This ain't good…! Fusion Make…" Tyson was about to prepare a spell…but Reiss found this to be the perfect time to swipe the spot light.

"Okay, Dune! It's your time to shine! Mud pit!" With a call of his spirit's name, Reiss finally got to showcase his magic: Native Spirit Summoning. With this call, a male with tan skin and standing six feet tall appeared, his body completely composed in a Sand Embodiment spell. With no time wasted, mud filled the room, though instantly dried and compacted by the boiling water.

"Thanks…" Tyson rolled his eyes before trying to work with a spell once again, but again, Reiss decided to move, but he ended up bumping into Tyson. "Alright, are you trying to fight!? Stop getting in my way!" Tyson turned to Reiss and the two started yelling at each other once again.

"Getting in YOUR way!?" Reiss raised a brow. "You're getting in MY way, country boy! I don't need you here! I could do this by myself!"

"In your dreams!" Tyson scoffed at Reiss, the two butting heads as comical lightning began to spark between their gazes.

Yukia and Yumia looked at each other, both sisters placing their hands on their hips and sighed in unison. "Are they serious right now?"

"I think they are…" Yumia huffed. The two sisters then joined hands, pointing their free ones forward. From their extended palms, a spiraling beam of fire and water shot out, striking bot Tyson and Reiss to snap them out of their little spat. "Hey! Don't just ignore us!"

"As fun as it would be to watch you fight each other…you don't just ignore two cute girls like us. It's totally rude." Yukia huffed while shaking her head. "It's not every day you get to dance with two lovely ladies such as ourselves; we're just too cute to be ignored!"

"And…" Yumia continued right off her sister's statement. "You don't have the time to be messing around. If all you did to come here was fight each other, why did you even show up to begin with? You're wasting our time…this is a terrible double date."

"Tch…" Reiss grunted in annoyance at the twins' words, but they were right…there was no time to be fighting with Tyson. "Wait…when did this become a date…!?"

"Idiot…" Tyson could only just shake his head.

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Marx continued to jump around the corridor, making it difficult for Pantherlily to track him. The agility of the young male was astounding and also annoying for those who had to deal with it. "Can't catch me! Can't catch me!"

"This child is annoying…!" Pantherlily grunted while attempting to follow Marx, but in the end he just received another acrobatic flip kick to his chest, sending him skidding backwards. "Ugh..!"

"Lily, are you okay!?" Happy flailed about in worry.

"I'm fine…" Pantherlily gave a firm nod before attempting to follow Marx once again. "I've gotten used to how he moves now. Watch and learn…my knight's training in Edolas and with Gajeel will not go to waste here." The onyx exceed the closed his eyes and stood completely still, not falling for the trap that was Marx's erratic movements no longer. The moment Marx lunged at him again, Pantherlily's eyes shot open and in one swift motion he slashed Marx. It all happened so quickly nobody could really tell what happened…but all they knew was that Pantherlily defeated the Wizard Hunter in one move.

"He did it!" Carla exclaimed.

"Now let's move!" Lily barked the order and everyone else followed behind him. As expected, the one that lie before them was a trapped Gajeel who was unconscious to the outside world. "Gajeel!"

"There he is…!" Levy's eyes widened at the sight before her hand clenched into a fist. "We have to save him!" She brought her hand up, quickly drawing out the word 'SWORD'. These letters attacked the tube containing Gajeel, but there was no noticeable damage dealt. "Nothing…!"

"Keep attacking!" Pantherlily exclaimed while aiming heavy swings at the tube in attempt to deal some damage, but even his strikes were rendered useless against the tube. "Damn..! Nothing is working…!"

.

Minerva gave a commanding swipe of her left arm, creating yet another chain of explosions around Cain to keep him pinned down and deal significant damage. The Tigress was grinning, feeling the rush of combat finally returning to her after so long. Of course she had no intentions of just toying with her food, but Cain was proving to be a far more formidable adversary than she originally believed him to be. "Why do you continue to pester me and not crawl on the floor like the worm you are?"

Cain coughed, finding himself outmatched despite being one of the leading men of the Wizard Hunters. Minerva was truly a fearsome foe…but there was a violent tremor that hated everything going on within the tower. Cain knew exactly what it was that meant, and a sly grin began to stretch along his lips. "Such harsh words from an even harsher woman…but no matter. For I've done what I need to do today."

"W-What's going on…?" Frosch asked timidly, looking around as the entire structure of the building continued to tremble. "Fro is scared…"

"I don't like the way this is looking…" Lector grumbled feeling the exact way Frosch was at this moment.

.

"What's this shaking…?" Emmeraude asked Hyde and Aiden, both of whom wore knowing smirks on their lips.

"It looks as though all is finally going according to plan…" Hyde chuckled manically, glad to know that for once, a script that he wrote was finally going to see it's intended conclusion."

"How disappointing…" Aiden shook his head, pressing his finger down on a button that presented his image all over Fiore. "Oh, Fiore…I'm so disappointed in you. I gave you plenty of time to respond to me, yet I got nothing. So you know what this message means now, right…? It means that your time…is up, Fiore." With another button press, the cannon sitting at the top of the tower began to gather the magic from all the Dragon Slayers that were captured, all of it massing into a gigantic helix in the sky ranging from nearly all of the elements. Its power was greater than that of the Etherion Cannon and it was without a doubt going to destroy the country if it touched the ground…

.

.

Just outside the tower on a cliff, Rose and Kyouka stood together; watching as the cannon was preparing to fire the massive helix of dragon slaying magic. Kyouka tapped her chin with one of her claws, letting out a slightly exasperated sigh. "It appears we were slightly too late to avoid this little danger…but no matter, for Tartarus will be safe from this destructive aftermath…" The Demon Gate then turned to Rose, gently brushing her hair with the back of her claws. "Now little Rose, you were quite in a hurry to come over here nonetheless. Do you want to fulfill your mission that badly? You haven't even had proper rest yet."

Rose stayed silent before shooing Kyouka's hand away from her, red eyes staring intently at the tower. "I just want…to get this over with. Got that?" Her tone was a little sharp and demanding, as if she actually held authority.

"Mhmhm…" The sensory demon chuckled at Rose's tone. Oh, she was going to enjoy having this one around. "Whatever suits you best, little Rose. Of course, I do hope there are some interesting targets in there to play with~"

And just marching towards the tower from the north were a horde of Councilmen led by Lahar himself. Of course they were too late and could only watch in horror as the helix of dragon slaying magic rose into the sky, steadily descending down. "Come on men, we must hurry!" His order exclaimed, the Captain continued on his way to apprehend the criminals responsible for this mess.

Multiple parties approaching the tower for their own interests…but their time is up. What can possibly save Fiore now?

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Next Time: Eclipse Soul.


	34. Chapter 34: Eclipse Soul

Jaxon turned to look into the sky, eyes widening at the massive elemental helix slowly descending from the sky. There was no more time, but either way he had to hurry back to the guild to warn everyone. Jikan was on his way and according to the time mage; everyone had to be out of the building unless they wanted to be turned into dust. Pushing the doors open, Jaxon just started yelling. "EVERYONE! GET OUT OF THE GUILD RIGHT NOW! DON'T ASK QUESTIONS!"

"Huh…?" Sophie tilted her head.

"What's going on…?" Saraya questioned with a worried look. "Wasn't Sidney with you…? Where did he…?"

"DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME!? JUST GO!" Jaxon was ushering for people to move it. While most could assume it had something to do with the powerful mass of magic steadily dropping towards Fiore. Everyone began to hurry out the guild, though Mary was the last one to leave.

"You two really went to him, didn't you?" The Fire Make sensei asked quietly. "Based on your reaction…"

"That's right…" Jaxon nodded slowly. "He's on his way, and he's got Sidney with him…I still don't even know what's really going on here…"

"You'll find out soon enough." Mary nodded before dragging Jaxon outside into the snow.

Soon enough, Jikan finally made his way to the guild. He didn't care if everyone evacuated or not, he was going to follow through with this anyway. His lips curled in the slightest bit of disgust at the improvement of the rundown shack he used to call his home. The layout may have been different but he knew exactly where it was he needed to go: The Master's office. Twisting the knob and pushing the door open, Jikan stepped into his father's office and began looking around. Everything looked different, but there was one thing that would stay the same. The 'child' proceeded to feel along a blank wall as though he were searching for something…and he found it, pressing his hand along the bottom right corner to open a secret passage. "You've always thought of everything, didn't you old man…?" Jikan shook his head and stepped into the dark corridor.

.

.

Lucy, Juvia, and Micaiah staggered around as the tower began to tremble from the amount of magic coming from it. The Dragon Slayers were all wrapped in the middle of it all, and currently there was no way to save them. "Come on…" Lucy grit her teeth as the absolute worst case scenario was occurring before everyone's very eyes. "There has to be a way to save them…! Something, anything…! It can't end like this…"

"Ngh…" Hisui watched with widened eyes at the threat that slowly continued to descend towards the country. Without a doubt, if that thing touched the ground Fiore was going to be finished…in more ways than one as well. The people were scared and there was naught she could do to ease their worries. The Jade Princess clasped her hands together, silently praying. "Please…"

.

.

Jikan continued to walk down the pitch black corridor until he finally reached a large room, just as dark as the rest. But Jikan knew exactly where to go: straight ahead. Straight ahead was something only a few people of White Eclipse actually knew about…Reve, Sidney, Mary, and Jikan. Before the time wizard sat a crystallized figure before him. "So this is it…" He mumbled to himself while examining the male 'frozen' inside. "This is you at your best…a menace to Fiore…no, Ishgar at this level. It's the only reason I'm helping…I know you won't let me down, pops. You'll turn on them. You're too strong to look after a bunch of wannabe youthful mages…it'll get to you." Jikan was quite confident in his own prediction; he pulled out his patented clock – the almighty tool he used to control his powerful time magic. "Alright, Calium. Let's see what you were like all those years ago." With that, the clock began ticking, a magic seal shaped like a timer appearing on the crystal. "Pendulum: Accelerate!" With that the seal began to rotate rapidly, so fast to the point where it wasn't even seen anymore; time began to speed by on the crystal. How much time was passing? Well, as he said before…thousands of years. The crystal slowly started to deteriorate, leaving Jikan with a wide grin. Gradually, the crystal became no more…The very second the last piece of the crystal disappeared, a powerful bright light shot into the air, nearly destroying the entire guild as the enormous beam shot into the clouds above. Jikan had to shield his eyes from the light, but there was a wide grin stretching on his lips. "Welcome back to Ishgar, demon. Welcome back one of history's strongest mages…arise…CALIUM!"

.

"A-Ah…!" Aira brought her arm up to shield her eyes from the blinding light exploding from the guild. "W-What's going on in there…!?"

"This light…" Kuro grunted.

"So…" Mary mumbled while shielding her eyes. "He actually did it…"

"Did what!?" Zalen asked, feeling just as clueless as everyone else. "What did Jikan do in there…!?"

"The Revival…of Eclipse Soul…" Mary clarified and the light slowly died down.

Standing in the middle of the rubble was a middle aged man…no longer plagued with sickness. Black spiked hair, fierce yellow eyes…and a magical aura that made everyone else tremble unknowingly. Calium was in his prime…and very confused at the panic going around. "Hm…?" Blinking, the First Master of White Eclipse looked up into the sky at the helix of magic that was nearly on the ground. Without even thinking about it, he extended his hand and an aura of Eclipse Magic exploded from around him. The entire helix of dragon slaying magic was drawn to him and he merely absorbed it, leaving those who witnessed the event speechless. With no effort, Calium then released the magic he gathered, shooting it off right back towards the sender: aka, Aiden's tower.

.

.

The beams of magic struck the tower, causing it to tremble violently. Aiden, Hyde, and Emmeruade staggered around while the tower shook…and slowly started to collapse on them. "W-WHAT!?" Aiden's eyes widened at the last second interference of his grand scheme. He finally won for once…but there was always something that stood in his way! "What is this?! What's going on!?" Because of the sudden damages, an alarm blared throughout the entire tower and red lights shone everywhere.

"T-This wasn't in my script!" Hyde exclaimed in annoyance. "Who dare wrote these revisions without my permission!?"

"I don't know about you boys…" Emmeraude was oddly calm, probably because she could see where the end result of things was going now. "But I'm going to excuse myself from this operation now. It's quite clear to me that your methods are…insufficient…"

"No, wait!" Aiden pleaded.

.

.

Luke and Yukino were trying to free Natsu from his imprisoned tube. Despite their efforts, they were unable to do any damage to it, and matters were only made worse as the tower started shaking. "We're running out of time…!" Luke grunted.

"We must be able to do something…" Yukino pleaded silently. Unbeknownst to either of them, Kai was slowly sneaking up on them with his sword drawn. He had full intent to end both of their lives then and there…

Just then, flames erupted from the tube and it exploded. Standing proudly was Natsu, lightning and fire erupting from around his being. His eyes locked directly onto Kai, a grin stretching on his lips. "I don't know what's going on here…but I do know that I owe you an ass kicking!" Lunging forward, Natsu reared his arm back, allowing the dual elements to swirl around his hand. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!" Thrusting his arm forward, an intense wave of fire and lightning shot down the corridor, completely consuming Kai in the process of it all while destroying a section of the tower that was already falling apart.

"N-Natsu-sama…!" Yukino's eyes widened in shock and slight happiness. She was unaware of Kai sneaking up on them, but she was happy to see that Natsu was still raring to go as always. "W-We have to leave this place immediately…!"

.

"Dune!" Reiss called to his spirit. On that command, the sand spirit nearly flooded the room with sand. Yes, Reiss and Tyson were aware time was running low, but the twins weren't going to let them go so easily just because of that. "Okay, Tyson!"

"Fusion Make…Sand Pit!" With that, Tyson opened up a hole in the sand and seemingly vanished from sight completely.

"What the…!?" Yukia looked around, but she couldn't sense Tyson anywhere. "Where the heck did he go!?" It was difficult for the girls to move due to the sand keeping a surprisingly tight hold on them. "What's with this sand, too…!?"

"Pay attention to me first!" Reiss exclaimed while darting through the sand with ease. Once reaching Yukia, he aimed a powerful punch at the female's temple. It was more than enough to send her flying back into a wall.

"Yukia…!" Yumia cried out in worry…but her sister's wellbeing was the least of her worries.

Tyson emerged from the sand behind Yumia, the length of his arm coated in solid stainless steel. "Fusion Make: I AM IRON MAN!" The unfortunate Hunter turned the very moment she heard Tyson's voice she turned, only to get slugged in the face. Yumia was sent flying right into her sister. "H-How could you punch an ADORABLE woman like myself in the face like that!? You brute!"

Tyson rotated his wrist and merely gave a shrug at Yumia's complaint. "I did the same thing to Micaiah once during the Rookie Tournament…broke her nose, too. I don't see the problem here."

"Ugh! We don't have time for this…!" Both sisters spoke in unison before placing their hands on the sand. An explosion of fire and water occurred, dispelling the sand to leave the foyer clean. "This is a waste of time that we don't have..!"

"…" Reiss and Tyson blinked at each other from the sister's speaking in unison. Before they knew it, both Twins left the scene…which only meant they should have left as well, the entire thing was collapsing after all.

.

"HA!" Erza swung another fist at the tube containing Wendy, shattering it completely now. Panting softly, Titania stared at Wendy as she walked out, looking a little exhausted. "Wendy...are you okay…?!"

"I…I think I'm okay…" Wendy nodded slowly. "Just a little exhausted…thank you, Erza-san…"

"Don't thank me yet…we still have to get out of here." With a firm nod, she began to lead Wendy out of the tower. Things were looking grim as the tower started to fall apart, a section of the ceiling falling directly towards Wendy. "…! Wendy!"

Wendy's eyes widened at the falling rubble. She was frozen and just shut her eyes and waited to be squashed. "Ah…!" She was pushed away quite violently, landing on her rear while staring up at the piece of ceiling that nearly fell on her. It was being suspended by…someone…not Erza. "Huh…?"

"What the…?" Erza stood in shock herself, unable to make out who this figure was due to the red light obscuring some of her sight. She could see one thing though…a familiar shade of black hair on a female figure.

"Get out of here. NOW." The female commanded. "I won't say it again!"

Wendy was frozen, because that female's tone sounded too familiar even with the blaring of the alarm. Most importantly…that scent…it may have been altered slightly, but Wendy's nose knew it too well. "Y-You're…"

"Wendy, we have to GO!" Erza wasn't going to waste any time on this just yet. She grabbed Wendy's arm to pull her up so they could escape from the tower.

Rose then let out a heavy sigh before tossing the rubble elsewhere dusting her hands off while watching Wendy and Erza run off. "…You'd have to be ridiculous to think I'd allow some stupid piece of rubble to end your life before I could, Wendy." The demon huffed before leaving the tower the way she came. Her mission would be put on hold for the time being…

.

Frosch and Lector left ahead of Minerva, who just finished off Cain at last, forcing the mage to retreat before he ended up dead. Minerva herself was now making her way out before the tower completely collapsed…but she found herself stopping short, for an unexpected demon stood in her way. "Y-You…who are you…?"

Kyouka smiled at Minerva endearingly, taking a step forward. "You've quite the potential within you, Minerva. I've come today to draw out that potential…there's so much, it would be such an absolute shame to let it go to waste, don't you think~" The Demon Gate practically purred at her sentence.

Minerva's eyes widened as Kyouka continued to approach. She was already exhausted from her battle against Cain, and considering the vibe Kyouka was giving off…she wasn't going to be ready for another fight. "Y-You…S-Stay away from me…!" And of course…the last thing one would hear from Minerva was a shrilling scream…

.

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Next Time: Crisis Averted


	35. Chapter 35: Crisis Averted

"We're almost out of time!" Carla exclaimed as the tower continued to collapse on itself.

"We've almost got him free!" Levy shouted. "I'm not leaving this place without Gajeel!" Those were words she intended to stand by until the very end. "For all the times he's saved me…I want to repay that favor at least once! So I'm not leaving without him!"

Pantherlily gave a firm nod to Levy. "That's right…leaving him behind is the last thing I'd ever do!"

"Solid Script: Iron!" Quickly tracing her fingers in the air, Levy spelled the word 'iron' out. The words themselves turned into iron and collapsed violently on the tube containing Gajeel, effectively shattering it.

"Guh…" Gajeel blinked awake slowly, having no idea what was going on. "Wha…? What happened?"

"No time to explain!" Happy flailed his arms about. "We gotta go, NOW!"

"Right…!" Pantherlily nodded firmly and escape from the falling tower was imminent.

.

.

The tower finally collapsed on itself, falling to a giant pile of rubble sitting in the middle of southern Fiore. Fairy Tail, White Eclipse, Sabertooth, and the kidnapped Dragon Slayers were all outside, safe from further harm. "NATSUUUU!" Happy flung himself at Natsu, clinging to his best friend with comical tears rushing from his eyes. "I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE SAFE!"

"Happy!" Natsu grinned before holding onto his Exceed partner.

"Wendy, you're unharmed, right!?" Carla questioned while looking over Wendy for any injuries.

"I-I'm okay…" Wendy nodded slowly. She was still a little shaken up from having so much of her magic used against her will, along with the encounter before she and Erza had to leave the tower. "Erza-san…you saw her too, right…?"

Erza paused for a moment, recalling those last few seconds before their escape. "I don't know who that was…" Erza admitted. But at the same time there was something bothering her about the encounter as well.

"STING-KUN!" Lector latched onto Sting, just as Frosch did to Rogue. The Exceeds were more than happy to see that their partners and best friends were finally safe after such an arduous ordeal.

"Is everyone here and accounted for…?" Lucy asked while looking around. All of the Dragon Slayers were safe and it seemed like everyone made it outside just in the nick of time…

"E-Etto…" Yukino looked around for Minerva, but was unable to spot her anywhere. "Minerva-sama…where did she go…?"

"The Lady was with you…?" Rogue questioned. "That's odd…it's not like her to disappear like that…and I highly doubt she'd fall victim to something so simple as a falling building when she could just use her magic to escape.

"This is a little worrisome…" Erza admitted. Before the subject was forcefully changed by Lahar and his Councilmen arriving to the scene just too late.

"Halt, all of you!" Lahar commanded.

"Well…look who showed up to the scene too late…" Laxus scoffed while gesturing to the pile of rubble that used to be a tower. "It's already over. As for those Wizard Hunters and Predator's Reign people…who knows where they went. Seems like they escaped along with the rest of us."

"I see…" Lahar adjusted his glasses. "What about that mad scientist? We've allowed him to escape too many times now…"

"He probably got crushed." Selene shrugged. "Good riddance, I say."

"Agreed…" Gray let out a heavy sigh. "I'm getting really tired of him popping up whenever he pleases…" As he said that, he noticed a few people beginning to sneak off nearby; it was Yuzan, Kara, Kai, and Blank! "Oi, look…!"

"Hm…?" Lahar blinked before pointing his finger forward. "Arrest them immediately!" Without any hesitation, the council guards Lahar brought with him arrested the four members of Predator's Reign and dragged them away. "Now it seems that everything has been taken care of for the time being…"

"Maybe for you." Reve then cut his eyes towards the three rookies. "What brought you three here. This was incredibly dangerous for you rookies, you know that."

"A-Ah…" Micaiah poked her fingers together. "S-sorry…I just…had a really bad feeling…"

"Ah, cut them so slack…!" Luke said with a thumbs up. "They managed to hold their own…which means they've been improving. So we can't really be too upset about that…right?"

"Though I can't say I agree with letting them come over here…but it all worked out." Cygnus shrugged.

"Whatever, man…" Blues rubbed his head tiredly. "I'm gonna go home and take a 24 hour nap…"

"Agreed…" Heather said while rubbing the back of her head.

.

On a cliff base not too far away from the tower remains, Emmeraude stood and watched things occurring down below. The mysterious woman gave a shrug and proceeded to walk off. "Aiden Viscard…a Scientist with a terrible track record. He could never hope to contain Pergrande's secrets if he could not even get one of his experiments to work successfully…such is the folly of one long gone mad. But no matter…this country has a lot to offer, and I cannot wait to see the secret's this country has been hiding…~"

.

.

Hisui was on the other side of a lacrima screen, speaking with King Ashnard and Count Waltz. "Crisis has been averted, Ashnard." Hisui stated, attempting to hide some slight smugness due to her being correct in placing faith in the mages of Fiore. "As always, the mages of Fiore have taken care of it in a timely manner." Really, she was doing her best to keep this discussion as professional as possible despite how much she wanted to tell Ashnard that he was just flat out wrong.

"Perhaps Lady Luck smiled down upon you on this very day…" Ashnard scoffed. "Nevertheless, good on you for keeping this situation to a minimum. Now explaining it to your people should be just as easy, yes?"

"Ah…" And there it was. Always with the comebacks…Hisui shook her head slowly. "Things will be fine. I would appreciate it if you didn't butt your nose into Fiore's affairs. It's only an Ishgar problem when we say it's one."

"No matter." Waltz gave a slight shrug. "As long as nothing else occurs, there shouldn't be anything to worry about. It is the will of the people all in the end…and as a ruler you must do your best to not only listen, but to appease them. Surely you are aware of this fact."

"Of course…" Hisui sucked her teeth slightly. Always having to deal with Ashnard and Waltz in a two on one was annoying. "Now…that is all I called to discuss with you both. Fiore will be having no more problems for a while, so please keep your noses where they belong."

"We'll keep in touch, dear Princess." Waltz gave a proper bow before the lacrima screens vanished.

"Ugh…." Hisui leaned back in her chair and let out a heavy sigh. Things were getting too close for comfort as of late…

.

.

"Master!?" White Eclipse practically swarmed the revived Calium.

"Ah…" Calium let out a soft chuckle and rubbed the back of his head. "It's nice to see you all again." He then turned to the ruined guild, sweat now forming on his forehead. "Oh…I did that, didn't I..?"

"Wait…" Saraya pointed at Calium. "Is…is this the Calium you all talk about…? He looks…so young…! And not old…!"

"That's because…" Mary walked over to Calium, patting his shoulder with a somewhat proud grin. "This is the old man in his prime. A threat to Ishgar with his magic level…Welcome back, Calium."

"No way…" Kuro stared with widened eyes. It was like a dream!

"Ah…what about the guild…?" Anais asked.

"Don't worry about that." Zalen said while pushing up his glasses, giving a sly grin. "I can fix this in a jiffy. Still…this is going to be a great surprise for Reve and the others when they come back here. I can't wait!"

"Master…it's so good to have you back…" Aira said with a soft smile. She was trying her best not to shed any tears, but was failing horribly. Calium was like a father to her, after all.

While everyone was rejoicing over Calium's return, Jaxon went off in search of Jikan and Sidney. What happened to the Ace right before his very eyes still had him very disturbed. "Where…" It was then he felt a hand on his shoulder, causing him to tense up. Turning slowly…eyes widened to see that it was Sidney, who was back to normal. "S-Sidney…!"

Sidney took his hand off Jaxon's shoulder and gave a tug of his scarf, the ultimate sign of respect from the White Eclipse Ace. "Do you know the reason I brought you now?"

"N-No…I'm still confused…" Jaxon shook his head. "Was it to give me a heart attack…?"

Shaking his head, Sidney let out a quiet sigh. "No. You possess the one thing I do not: Humility. I could never take a bow to another mage no matter what…but I knew you would be able to. And because of that, you helped save Fiore. Jaxon…today you showed the highest qualities of an S class mage, and for that…thank you."

Jaxon blinked a few times, trying to process what he was hearing. Thanks from Sidney?! That never happened! "No problemo…" Really, that was all he could say!? He was speechless, it was a miracle he managed to say anything at all.

"Now, let's go back. The others are probably waiting." With a nod, Sidney led the way back up the mountain.

And there was Jikan, out of sight and out of mind. He was just watching everything occurring White Eclipse, a small grin stretched onto his lips. "One of these days…it's only a matter of time, old man…" With a chuckle, the master of Silent Sanctum vanished, returning back into the darkness.

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.

Rose went right back to Hell's core, staring at Lamy who seemed quite interested in what went down. "Oh! How did it go!? Did you rip that girl's face off!?" Lamy questioned, getting all up in Rose's face.

Rose placed her hand on Lamy's face and shoved her away, letting out a scoff after. "No. It wasn't the time or place. Plus, I'm still a little light headed and feel like shit…so I'm going back in the tube to recover."

Lamy gasped at Rose uttering a swear word. "My! Such a potty mouth on you! I like it! Fwahaha!" That annoying laugh surfaced once again, causing Rose to cringe.

"Shut up…" Rose shook her head before undressing herself and stepping into the tube. Her light headedness was caused by her incomplete consciousness thanks to Marde, so Lamy was certain this would fix it. "And don't wake me up until something important happens…"

"Haa…you're so distant it's cute!" Lamy sighed before clapping her hands together. "Oh well, I'll soften you up somehow! But in the meantime…I'll just have fun with the one Kyouka-sama brought over…" Lamy's eyes gleamed deviously as she walked over to a tube…one that contained none other than an unconscious Minerva Orland.

.

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Next Time: Dawn.


	36. Chapter 36: Dawn

"Ngh…" Wendy was exceptionally restless. She was constantly plagued by a nightmare. What else was on her mind? Her nightmare consisted of being helpless…helpless to save Cynthia. Though she was getting over the initial sadness, the emptiness still remained in her heart. So much that she couldn't sleep as well as she used to. It was the middle of the night and she was still wide awake, just staring out of a window into the dimly lit town of Magnolia. "Ha…Cynthia…I'm so sorry…" This happened every night; it was becoming a routine for her.

Carla was also up every night for this…it pained her heart to see Wendy like this, but she didn't know how to approach her about it. So she just remained silent until Wendy eventually fell asleep, though with what happened a week prior, it was hard to imagine she was having the easiest time. "…."

[Flash back: One Week Ago. ]

"Is everyone okay…?" Mira asked once everyone safely returned to the guild. "That was quite the ordeal and a rather close call…if anyone is hurt I'll do my best to patch them up…"

"We're fine, Mira." Laxus said while waving a hand. "Nobody's too hurt, just exhausted from having magic used too much…"

"LAXUS!" Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen exclaimed, immediately clinging onto the Lightning Dragon without delay. "WE'RE SO GLAD YOU'RE SAFE!" This emotional reunion was quite comical, and even Laxus couldn't feel annoyed at this…well, maybe at the fact that it was public and everyone was watching.

"H-Hey…get offa me, woulda…?" Laxus grunted while attempting to push all three of the Raijinshu members off of him, but to no avail. He was stuck with them.

"We had some injuries fighting…but nothing a few bandages won't fix." Lucy said while rubbing the back of her head. "I'm really glad that's finally over with…I hope we don't have to deal with that madman ever again…"

"I could've taken him!" Natsu pounded his fists together, fiery sparks emitting from his being.

"You were unconscious the entire time…" Gray sighed. "I don't wanna hear it."

"You wanna hear this fist in your face?!" Not even five minutes back and Natsu and Gray were at it again…but what else was new?

And then Erza stepped into headbutt the two mages together, causing them to crumple to the ground in agony. "That's enough out of you two. I don't want to hear it for the rest of the week, understand?"

"Y-Yes…Erza…" Natsu and Gray both spoke in anguish as comical steam rose from the newly formed bumps on their foreheads.

"Idiots…" Lucy crossed her arms and let out a small huff. Still, there was a tiny smile that crossed her lips; she was relieved to see that everything was going back to normal…well, as normal as things could be, all things considered.

"I'm glad to see that everyone is safe and free from harm…" Makarov let out a sigh of relief. He knew it wasn't going to be long before the Wizard Saints started talking about this…and as one somewhat related to the incident, he knew he was going to have to discuss this. "Now is the time to relax, my children…"

"What happened with Sabertooth…?" Elfman questioned. "They seemed like they were really worried about something…"

"Minerva was the only one who was unaccounted for after the tower collapsed…" Erza explained. "It is very unlikely her to just vanish for no reason…I can understand why Sabertooth is worried, but I'm sure it's nothing. She'll turn up sooner or later."

"For now…" Lucy plopped down on a chair, completely falling over onto the table, yawning loudly after. "I'm spent…I don't even think I'll make it back home tonight…"

"Mm…" Wendy nodded slowly. As the rest of the guild began to return to normal, she secluded herself while thinking back to that one incident as the tower was beginning to collapse. That scent was forever burned into her nose and she would never forget it no matter what. "Cynthia…"

"Wendy, what's the matter?" Erza sat across from Wendy wearing a worried expression. "You've been quite distant since we've come back. Is something bothering you?"

"Yes." Wendy admitted quickly. "Erza-san…please tell me you saw her too."

"Saw who…?" Erza tilted her head.

"Cynthia! It was Cynthia!" Wendy placed her hands on the table and stood up suddenly. "I know for a fact that was her, you can't tell me otherwise! That voice…that scent…she saved me back there! I know it!"

Erza paused. Unfortunately…she herself had no way of knowing who it was that saved Wendy at the last second. There was a part of her that pained her to think that Wendy was just imagining things, though. "Do you really think it was her?"

"I know it in my heart…" Wendy said while placing a hand on her chest. "My heart always beats differently around her…but I guess I never noticed it since I'm always around her. But it was, I swear…!"

Wendy did seem certain of this…and as much as Erza wanted to believe her, there was still a detail that was bothering her about it. "If it was Cynthia…where did she go…? I think we both know that Cynthia would have come back with us if it really was her…"

"I…" Wendy bit her lip. "Mmmpgh…it had to be her…"

"Wendy…" Erza frowned. "I know you miss her the most out of us all…"

"It had to be…" Wendy repeated, not exactly wanting to hear anything else saying otherwise. "S-She's out there…maybe she just can't come back to me…to us yet? Maybe that's it…! Either way…I know she's alive, I feel it!" Even though she was so young, she was never more certain about something in her entire life.

"Then she must be alive." Erza firmly nodded. That somewhat dull look Wendy held since Cynthia's death was replaced with a slight gleam of life; it was enough for Erza to finally smile now. "And if she is…then I'm certain she'll show her face to you again soon, Wendy."

[End Flashback]

Those were words Wendy hoped would come true soon…but time passed and there was nothing. Maybe it was just an illusion in the end…? She was slowly starting to lose heart in her assumption, but she never wanted to give up on Cynthia no matter what. "I'll wait for you…I-I promise…"

.

.

Hisui yawned quietly, cycling through some important papers. With a moment to finally breathe and not be drowned in important political affairs, or being hounded by the unlikely and annoying duo of Ashnard and Waltz, she could focus on something important. "Ha…it's too late….but I won't have the chance to do this again anytime soon…"

It wasn't long before Emmeraude appeared, clad in something a little more…royal casual; how she obtained it, only she knew. The enigma snaked her arm around Hisui's neck in a too friendly manner, displaying a smile to accompany it. "My, my…Hisui dear, what are you doing up so late? You should be getting some rest for the days of end, little Jade Princess, you've been so busy these last few days, you deserve a little sleep."

"Oh…Emmeraude…" Hisui responded with a gentle smile. Now, which was stranger? The fact Emmeraude was in the palace like she belonged, or the fact that Hisui greeted her so familiarly. These questions aren't going to be answered just yet…Emmeraude works in mysterious ways. "I'm just looking through some things…you've seen all this stuff before…"

"Hmmm…" Emmeraude took one of the paper's glancing over it intently despite what Hisui just said. "Oh…the Eclipse Gate…yes, I do remember this…" Her attention was nearly solely focused on the device Hisui constructed that nearly brought about the end of the world at one point. "Quite a daring plan you enacted…no wonder Pregrande has been breathing down your neck in particular as of late."

"I know…" Hisui sighed heavily, resting her face in her hands. "What I did was horribly miscalculated…and as a result that country has been hanging over everything Fiore does. It is my fault…and I haven't been able to catch a break with all these evildoers wreaking havoc one incident after another…"

"You poor dear…" Emmeraude mused quietly before moving to give Hisui a shoulder massage. "You work too hard, and get so little in return. Worry not; Auntie Emmeraude will do her best to make sure you don't have so much to deal with."

With a sigh, Hisui relaxed and closed her eyes. "You've always been such a big help…"

Nearby, Arcadios was watching the exchange between Emmeraude and Hisui. This was a normal thing…it happened quite a bit…but the knight was still bothered by it. Emmeraude was known around the entire castle as a friend to Toma and Hisui for years now…and that was exactly it. Something about this bothered him. His head was fuzzy, but he couldn't quite remember when Hisui and Toma invited Emmeraude to the castle…his memories were fuzzy, but he wasn't going to say anything about it just yet. "…"

.

.

Thanks to Zalen, the White Eclipse guild was built and even better than ever; just a few renovations just as some more rooms and whatnot. Mary was standing at Calium's desk, arms crossed over her chest. "So, it's safe to assume I'm finally passing on this torch back to you?"

"It appears that way." Calium nodded while shuffling through some paperwork. "Thank you, Mary, for taking care of the guild while I was gone. I trust that things went well in my absence?"

"Pretty much." Mary nodded. "The veterans have been keeping up with their training, the rookies are still getting adjusted to life here, but I think they've been managing well under my initial training. As for those kids…they're still getting used to everything. But they've been trying, so that's all I can say on that."

"I see…" Calium gave an understanding nod. "That's good to hear. Sidney filled me in on the Isle of the Dragons. For an event that took place within the span of two days, it was really quite something."

Mary let out an exasperated sigh recalling that event. "Don't remind me. For a second it really looked like those kids weren't going to make it. I haven't heard everything that went down, but I just know I'm too old for dealing with stress like that." A mere joke that even Mary couldn't help but crack a smile at. "You've done a good job with these kids, Calium. All I did was make sure your absence didn't lead them astray."

"And you have my thanks on that. I knew if anyone could keep this guild going, it would be you." Calium then offered a small smile while setting his papers down. "Things are going to change soon."

.

.

"The preparations are nearly completely. Marde Geer sat upon his throne, one leg crossed over the other while resting his face against his fist. There was a small smile etched onto the Demon King's lips as he slowly began to kick one leg forward. "It is almost dawn." He was speaking to himself, but even so that grin of his slowly began to widen with each passing second. Just outside, the sun was beginning to rise on the horizon, the morning light shining down on all of Fiore. "I do hope you humans enjoy this light while it lasts…because this is the final dawn that you are ever going to see." Marde then stood up, taking up the book of END in his grasp. "Master END shall be revived…and he will drown the human world in a sea of flames, leaving behind nothing but ash in his wake. You disgusting humans have had the luxury of breathing only because I have allowed it for so long. But that will change today. Relish in this morning, insects…for this dawn signifies despair for what lies ahead. Things are about to change."

.

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Next Time: Flames of Despair.


	37. Chapter 37: Flames of Despair

A tube flushed from Hell's Core. Rose blinked awake slowly, grumbling from the chilly air. The demon glanced towards Lamy, who had a wide grin on her lips. "Riiiiiiise and shinnnnnnne!" The lamb exclaimed.

Groaning, Rose dried herself off before slipping into the clothes she left some time ago. "I fell asleep for a while in there…what's going on…?"

"Actually…" Lamy poked her fingers together. "I put you in there yesterday. You kept fainting once every other day after you got back from that little tower thing. I believe it has to do something with your fragmented consciousness…but I fixed it now! Fwahaha!"

Rose rubbed her head, completely confused but decided not to question it. "I see…Being near Wendy probably made me sick. I've been incredibly sick to my stomach since I laid eyes on her…I cannot wait to tear her fucking heart out…"

"Again with that potty mouth!" Lamy swooned. "Such a naughty little girl! Where does all that pent up aggression come from anyway?! I bet Wendy would just haaate to hear you say these words-!"

Before Lamy could say anything, Rose slammed her against the wall with her piercing red gaze. "Don't you dare utter that disgusting name in my presence ever again, are we clear?"

"Uwaaaah! You're not Jackal-kun! You don't have the right to touch me like this!" Lamy objected before her curse allowed her to literally slip from Rose's grasp and back onto her feet. "Also, I believe Marde-sama said he wanted to see you! So you should do something about that before he gets really, really angry!"

"W-…" Rose gave up and shook her head. "Unbelievable…"

"Rose-chan!" That voice belonged to little Sora, who surprised Rose by leaping onto her back. "You're awake now!"

"Oh…hey Sora." Rose gave a faint smile while making her way out of Hell's Core with Sora clinging to her back. "Yes, I'm fine now, thank you. I'll play with you a little later, okay? Marde-sama wants to see me first."

"Daity said the same thing…" Sora nodded before releasing Rose. "Sora wonders what's going on…it's gonna be big!" Tiny arms were thrown out as she spoke.

"I can only wonder what it is…" Rose pondered the thought before waving Sora off. She had to meet with Marde before he grew too impatient waiting. A few moments passed and Rose arrived at Marde's throne, where Jackal, Silver, Torafusa, Franmalth, Tempesta, Kyouka, Sayla, Keith and Ezel. "Oh…this is quite the party…"

"Isn't it?" Daityas appeared with a widening grin. The large throne room was now packed full of demons; on his end he had: Maggie, Sora, Rugal, Tayakata, Tobias, Ruika, and Arcturus. "A grand stage which signifies the beginning of the end of those pesky humans; personally, I would have loved to pick them off one by one. But this plan is just as promising, wouldn't you say, Marde?"

"Of course." Tapping his fingers along the arm rest of the throne, Marde grinned while clutching the book of END close to him. "This will be the last peaceful morning these humans will experience. There is still one more day needed for our plan to fully enact…however I do wish to instill despair into their hearts."

"And how do you want to go about this?" Maggie placed her hands on her hips, staring at Marde with intrigue.

"This is where you come in, little Rose." Marde grinned. "I'm sure you've yet to actually field test your new abilities. So I want you to cause as much destruction as you can. However…do not target any major areas just yet. Begin in the evening, understand?"

"Wonderful." With a nod, Rose grinned and proceeded to head out.

"You better be careful." Tayakata added as Rose left.

"I will be." Rose responded with a nod before disappearing.

"Jackal. As for you…the morning Rose has finished her duty, I have a special job for you." Marde turned his attention to the explosive demon. "You're going to be paying a certain building a little visit…and I want you to greet every single person there. Are we clear?"

Hearing those words caused the Demon Gate to grin madly. Jackal gave a slow nod. "Crystal."

Daityas then turned to his crew, pointing at Rugal, Tobias, Arcturus, and Tayakata. "As for you four…I have a special job for you later. Soon after Jackal takes care of his mission."

"Finally, a little bit of action." Taya placed her hand on her hip, using her other to flip her hair. "It was beginning to grow dull in these parts…though I can only help but wonder what you two have been scheming." Black eyes darted between Marde and Dait…it was clear they weren't always on the same page, hardly ever in fact. But when they came together for something…it could only mean big trouble.

.

.

"Oh right…" Calium walked into the main hall of White Eclipse where everyone else was relaxing. "There is something I have to inform you all of."

"What is it, old man…?" Cygnus said that last part as a reflex. Old habits die hard, and he was still getting used to seeing Calium as a young person instead of the old man that was around for years. "Er…no, I'm not gonna change that."

"Ahaha…" Calium laughed it off before continuing. "The other day, shortly after I returned, Sidney and I went to the Council and spoke to Siegrain. Sidney officially passed his Wizard Saint Title to me, so now I am Wizard Saint #2."

"Wow…" Luke blinked. "That title does fit you…I just never thought I'd ever hear it."

Sidney was sitting in his corner of the room. "Those meetings really weren't my type of thing anyway." He was literally just mumbling to himself. Nobody else heard a word of what he said.

"Anyways, that was all I wanted to inform you of." Calium nodded and returned to his office.

"I still can't believe he's back…" Aira let out a happy sigh. "Now it feels like this guild is whole again, and we have all the rookies and kids here too!" Clapping her hands together, the healer of White Eclipse had a gleam in her green eyes. "This guild is growing so quickly…"

"Peh…" Heather waved her hand dismissively from the couch. "Too big, too noisy…" As she said that she started to flip through the channels on the TV.

"You're still just as lazy as ever…" Reve shook his head, though there may have been the slightest hint of an amused grin on his lips.

"There's one thing that will never change though…" Aira shouted from the infirmary. In the next instant she appeared with a bundle of needles in hand. "It's shot day!" Those three words made the face of everyone in the room pale considerably. Shot Day was an infamous day in White Eclipse where Aira jabbed people in the arm with needlessly large needles to assist their immune system. It was all for good health! The delivery was just…not the best.

"You stay away from me with that needle." Luke shook his head.

"Oh come on Luke…" Aira pouted. "You always over exaggerate with these kinds of things…" With a sigh, the healer of White Eclipse waltzed over to Sidney and pointed the needle at him. "See, watch Sidney!" She turned to Sidney with a smile…and then Sidney just vanished in a puff of white smoke. "Oh…"

Selene decided to use this chance to sneak away. Not only that, but it was her turn to do shopping for the guild anyway. "Right…so…I'll be right back! Shopping!" With that call Selene slipped out of the White Eclipse guild hall and went down the mountain, eventually arriving at the town at the mountain's base. She was going to start shopping, but a vaguely familiar scent entered her nose and caused her to turn. "Huh…?"

Taya appeared before Selene, displaying a welcoming smile. "Selene…how long has it been? You are looking well."

Selene's purple eyes were wide in shock. The last time she saw and heard of Taya was during Tartarus' attack on Crocus during the Dealer fiasco. She was supposed to be dead….that's what Luke reported since he was on the scene at the time. "T-Taya…you're alive…?"

"Of course I am." Taya said with a faux grin, slowly closing the distance between the two. "If you think I would be one so easily to be killed…oh, you wound me, Selene. Why don't you come here and give your 'older sister' a big hug, hm? It's been so long…"

This was real. Even Taya's scent was the same…but there was off about this…Selene couldn't put her finger on it. Even though this situation was completely surreal, Selene found herself approaching Taya to wrap her arms around her for a hug. "Taya…"

"Oh, Selene…" Taya's slender arms tightened around Selene to return the tight embrace. …Or rather…they were tightened so Selene wouldn't have an easy time escaping. From the demoness's back, vectors sprouted. Before Selene could even react, a vector pierced through her stomach and she spit out blood immediately. "So naïve…but that's just what I like about you…"

"…." Selene's purple eyes were wide in pain. Her body was paralyzed and her breathing was cut short. There was a brief look of animosity at Tayakata that only lasted for a second before her eyes grew dull and closed, body falling limp against Taya's.

"I don't know what's planned for you, but sleep dreams, Selene….~" Taya cooed while gently patting the top of Selene's head before carrying her off.

.

.

The sun started to set over Fiore. Yet another day was coming to a close…but it would not be a peaceful one. This is where the peaceful days would end and the terror would begin. A cloaked figure slowly walked through a small town completely uninvolved with all of the situations going on in Fiore recently. Rose silently made her way through the area, seemingly having no plans to destroy the area…or rather; she was just looking for an excuse. She was granted such when a child bumped into her.

"O-Oh! I'm sorry…!" The child looked to Rose and gave an apologetic smile. "I wasn't watching where I was going and…"

"Stop, drop, and roll." Rose uttered with a sly grin. With a snap of her fingers, the child burst into dark red flames before he could even figure out what was going on. The town witnessed this moment and immediately fell into a panic. "Look at you all…scattering around like ants. It's kind of amusing, actually. I want to see you all burn!" Lifting her arm up quickly, a wave of demonic flames rushed out and covered half of the town, incinerating everything within its path; people, buildings, everything. The aftermath of a single wave of flame was melted buildings, everything else in between reduced to nothing but cinders. There was an oddly content sigh passing through Rose's lips as the destruction she caused. It was horrifying to see a small child who loved life to enjoy taking it away with such ease. As for the other half of the town where people tried to escape to, Rose turned on her heel and began to inhale. "Omega Fire Demon's…Rage!" Lurching her head forward, a stream of dark red flames spewed from her mouth in all directions, making escape impossible. The end result of Rose's mini rampage was a town completely wiped off the map; people and all. Nothing remained aside from gigantic burn marks that were seared deep into the ground. With a dark giggle, Rose began to walk off to the next location. "It feels great to finally stretch…this power is wonderful and has confirmed one thing for me. Cynthia is dead."

.

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Back in the Fairy Tail guild hall, Wendy's ears perked slightly. There was an odd sensation in her mind that didn't sit quite right with her. It was enough for her to start looking around worriedly as though she were searching for something. "Huh…?"

.

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Next Time: Unhappy Reunion.


	38. Chapter 38: Unhappy Reunion

Jet rushed into the guild hall, panting heavily while looking at the others. "W-We have a small problem…!"

"What's the problem, Jet?" Erza quirked a brow at the urgency Jet was displaying.

"It's been happening all evening! There are towns literally off the map!" Jet exclaimed, causing everyone's eyes to widen. "There's nothing left of them from what I've heard, there are pictures aplenty!" And as he said that he placed down several pictures via mini lacrima screen were quickly working their way through Fiore; the pictures displayed visuals of what used to be towns, now reduced to nothing but ash.

"W-What is this…?" Lucy gasped. "All of these towns…are gone…!? A-Are there any survivors!? Any at all?!"

To that, Jet could only shake his head. "Everyone has been killed."

A heavy silence filled the guild hall. It wasn't too long before Mavis herself appeared, staring at the pictures intently. What she saw was something she did not like and it left a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. "…These are intense burn marks on the ground here. Whoever was here used very powerful fire magic…" Tilting her head more, closer examination revealed a small detail to her. "…"

"Is something wrong, First?" Gray questioned. "You're staring at those photos pretty hard…did you figure something out?"

"Perhaps…" Mavis nodded slowly. "These towns…do they look familiar to anyone?"

Levy tapped her chin with her index finger; once it all hit she snapped her fingers. "Oh…! These towns…they start off pretty far from Magnolia…but going from picture to picture, it looks like whoever has been doing this is steadily getting closer and closer to this town. If they got to Magnolia at this rate…"

"We're just gonna have to make sure they don't make it here then!" Natsu interrupted the tense situation and slammed his hand down on the table. "We can take 'em no problem!"

"Natsu's right!" Lucy nodded. "We should…no, we HAVE do something before any more people are killed!"

"I agree." Mirajane gave a slow nod. "I don't want to leave any more people injured or killed if we can help it…"

"Then it's decided." Makarov said. "We will split the guild into small teams to defend each town outside of Magnolia. If anyone sees anything, I want it to be reported right away. If possible, capturing this suspect to turn them into the Council is also an option, but do NOT do so at your own risk. If it is too dangerous, I want you to evacuate the town with the people as soon as possible. Does everyone understand?" The guild gave a collect shout; they were all rallied up.

As the guild members decided to divide themselves into teams quickly, Mavis started to walk…or rather, float away. This caught Wendy's attention and her curiosity was peaked. "Uh…First…? Where are you going? We could still use you h-here…"

"Ah, Wendy…" Mavis gave a soft smile. "There is just something I wish to confirm with my own two eyes, do not worry. I will be back quickly to help everyone else and I'll check in on progress."

"Oi, Wendy!" Natsu waved Wendy over to Team Natsu with his usual grin. "Come on!"

"O-Oh! Right!" Wendy gave a nod before bowing curtly to Mavis, hurrying over to Natsu and the others.

Mavis waved Wendy off before turning around. The soft smile vanished instantly, replacing with something much more serious. "…There is something bothering me about those markings. If my thoughts are correct…then this is very bad."

.

.

Shortly after the sun set, Fairy Tail was in their proper positions. Various teams were scattered about in the towns miles away from Magnolia to ensure the safety of the citizens that resided there. Team Shadowgear took the closest town; making sure things were safe in the event an emergency evacuation was needed. "N-Now…" Levy was doing her best to calm the panicking townsfolk down. "P-Please, everyone…calm down…!"

It was no use. Everyone was too busy losing their minds over the potential threat. "I don't wanna be burned to cinders!" A panicking male shouted.

"Are we all gonna die!?" Another person exclaimed.

"Fiore's on its' last days!"

The paranoia of preceding incidents did manage to root its way into the hearts of the people. It was a little detail that was easily glossed over, what with their safety always coming in the end. But…it was hard to keep them calm. It all started with Fiore's End and since they, the incidents within the country kept piling up. It was only natural for the people to be afraid. That didn't stop Gajeel from raising his voice. "OI! EVERYONE QUIET DOWN!" That sure did the trick. Everyone froze in place and gave the iron dragon their undivided attention.

"That worked…?" Jet blinked.

"It's Gajeel…" Droy shrugged while munching on a chicken leg that just happened to be in his hand.

"As expected." Pantherlily merely nodded.

"We're doin' everything we can, got it!" Gajeel kept going. "So just calm down, will ya! We're not gonna let you all die, so shut up about it." Though it was a little much, it seemed to do the trick.

"Nice job, Gajeel!" Levy cheered before letting out a heavy sigh of relief. "That was starting to become a little too much for me…but there is one thing that still bothers me. These attacks are so uncoordinated…is whoever doing this really just causing destruction for the sake of causing it? And why so close to us, too? This cannot be some sort of a coincidence…there's a point we're missing here…"

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Mavis went to inspect the few towns that were completely destroyed. Bare feet walked upon completely scorched grass, the burn marks craving deep into the earth itself. "I see…" She mumbled to herself quietly, letting out an extremely heavy sigh afterwards. "These burn marks aren't normal, just as I thought. They're all the same…fueled by some hidden hatred…and the essence I get from these locations is all the same…Even though I can guess who is behind this…a part of me really hopes I'm wrong about this. I couldn't bear the thought of one of our own harming a single innocent life…"

.

.

Team Natsu – plus Juvia who tagged along solely because she wanted to be with Gray – took the town furthest away from Magnolia. It was the one most likely to be attacked next and it was no surprise that Natsu wanted to be the most involved in the action if possible. Erza was able to calm everyone down before the panic set in, making it easier to discuss evacuation plans in the event things went south. For now, things were just silent. "Come on, hurry up..!" Natsu shouted to the air as if it would draw the attacker in closer.

Immediately after shouting, Lucy slapped Natsu on the back of his head. "Natsu! Shut up! We're not actually looking for a fight!"

Rubbing the back of his head, Natsu grumbled. "I wanna take 'em down though…"

"Don't be an idiot." Gray scoffed. "We're not actually trying to pick any fights. The safety of the people comes first."

"Gray-sama's safety comes above all else!" Juvia chimed in. It wasn't long before she was standing in front of Gray with a closed box. "Juvia made Gray-sama some cookies, look!" Opening the box, Juvia did indeed make cookies…that were literally just Gray's face.

Seeing this, Gray began to sweat slightly. "Y'know…I don't exactly feel comfortable eating something that's in the shape of my face. That's pretty weird after all…"

"At least everything seems to be calm around here…" Carla stated while looking around. "Perhaps we'll be lucky and won't have to deal with anything. But maybe that's just wishful thinking…"

"I think we'll be okay!" Happy nodded. "This is Team Natsu after all!"

"I suppose there is nothing to worry about…" Carla let out a sigh. Of course, peace would not last very long after those particular words. For people began to shout in fear as half of the town erupted in searing red flames.

"It's happening to us!" The townsfolk shouted in fear, all scattering about as the red flames began to spread slowly. It was going to be a repeat of all the other towns before this one at this rate.

Spotting the danger nearly the instant it occurred, Erza was quick to give out orders to the others while shifting into her Aqua Empress Armor, equipping a sword made from water. "Everyone, calm down and get into positions! Gray, Juvia, Natsu! Help me douse these flames before they spread! Lucy, Wendy, Carla, and Happy, find any stragglers and evacuate them immediately!"

"Right!" Lucy and Wendy nodded. Though Lucy felt a like there was more she could do if she had a certain key with her. "If only I still had Aquarius…but that doesn't matter now. We have to ensure people are safe!" On that cue, she summoned both Loke and Capricorn to assist her on this matter.

"Hai!" Wendy nodded firmly, staring around at the flames beginning to spread. There was something odd about them…they were familiar to her which made her heart stop for a second. "…They're nearby. Lucy-san, I'm sorry but there's something I have to confirm…!" Wendy didn't even give Lucy a chance to respond, she just quickly ran off in the direction the flames were coming from.

"Wendy!?" Lucy's eyes widened at Wendy's sudden decision to leave. It wasn't like Wendy to deivate from the plan like this, especially when lives were at stake. There was no time to think about this; for now, Lucy needed to worry about the people and getting them out.

.

The hooded Rose steadily stepped forward, glancing around at the destruction she was causing. A pleased grin stretched along her lips from that, and the sight of her next victim: A child who was separated from their parents, cowering in fear at the flames surrounding them. "Aww…what's the matter?" Rose stood a fair distance away from the child who refused to answer her. "Lost…alone? With nobody to save you? It's quite a world, isn't it? When your family abandons you for naught, even though you loved them with all your heart? The world is very cruel." Pointing her hand forward, a stream of dark red flames threatened to spill from palm and towards the child.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" Wendy's exclamation came from more than a few yards away. The sudden cyclone was aimed directly at Rose. The unsuspecting demon found herself blown away by the tornado. Wendy quickly slid over to the child and helped them up, pointing them in the right direction. "Go that way! Away from the fire, understand!?"

"T-Thank you…" The child nodded and hurried away.

Having saved someone, Wendy let out a small sigh of relief before turning to face the culprit. "You must be the one-" She stopped mid-sentence, eyes widening as she stared at Rose, who was recovering from the Sky Dragon's Roar. "C-Cynthia…..I-Is that you…?" It was hard to believe…her eyes told her one thing, her nose said another.

Rose said not a word, instead staring intently at Wendy with intense rage behind those red eyes of hers. "Wendy."

.

Erza swung her blade of water rapidly at the flames in attempt to stop them from progressing, but no matter what the effort, they could not be doused. "What are these flames…? No matter what we do, they don't go out!?"

"It's actually really annoying…" Gray grunted. "My ice isn't working so well against it…Devil Slaying may have to come out, but the people need to be evacuated first…"

"What do we do?" Juvia asked. "At this rate, the flames will…"

Natsu stepped forward, wearing a large grin on his face. "Leave it to me! I'll make these flames dinner!" The Salamander opened his mouth to consume the flames…only to fail horribly. Not a single ember went into his mouth and he just ended up coughing a few times. "What the…? What are these flames…?" The sensation he got from them was far too familiar. So familiar he began to look around. "Where did Wendy go!?" No answer was needed. Natsu instead just bolted off.

"Where the hell are you going!?" Gray shouted. Unfortunately, his voice fell on deaf ears.

.

"C-Cynthia…" Wendy's eyes started to water. All reason was thrown out the window and she quickly threw herself forward, latching onto Rose's body. "Cynthia…! I've missed you so much! I knew you were still alive…!" Suddenly, all reason started to come back and quickly. "Don't tell me you did this…I-I know you would never hurt another person so brutally…"

"Wendy…" Rose allowed this contact until Wendy finished speaking…then suddenly threw her arm out to throw Wendy away from her, growling angrily. "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

"Agh…!" Wendy was thrown from Rose's body, landing on the ground with a thud. "Cynthia…? What's wro…" Before Wendy could finish, her body erupted in demonic red flames; a scream of pain escaped Wendy until the flames dispersed and she was on all fours, panting heavily with scorched skin.

"Wendy!?" Rose's eyes widened and she extended a hand only to stop herself and stare. "W-What was that…? Was that…my Curse…?" The result of physical contact with Rose caused flames to erupt on the one who made contact: Flame Body. "I…I like it…"

"Cynthia…what's going on with you…" Bringing herself up to her feet, Wendy panted heavily while staring at Rose. "W-Why…?"

"I see you still don't understand…" Rose shook her head, clenching her hand into a fist. "You don't know what it is I want from you. What I want from you right now, Wendy…IS YOUR LIFE!" Rose jumped forward while rearing her arm back, demonic red flames flaring around her hand. "Omega Fire Demon's Fist!"

Brown eyes widened in complete and utter shock at those words. Arms crossed, sliding back a great distance before wincing in pain. The demonic flames erupted around her body once again, causing pain but Wendy didn't falter this time. "C-Cynthia!? What are you doing!? What happened to you…?! I-I don't want to fight you…!"

Rose kept up the assault; suddenly appearing at Wendy's left with her arm reared back, flames trailing from her fingertips. "That's fine with me! I just want to see you squirm, damn it! Omega Fire Demon's Claw!" Swiping forward, Rose landed a hit on Wendy's side, causing Wendy to scream out in pain while tumbling across the burnt ground before coming to a halt on her hands and knees. "I…I have to kill you…Marde-sama's orders…are absolute…you…left me…to die…"

Tears started forming in Wendy's eyes. What was going on? Why was Cynthia attacking her so viciously…? Wendy absolutely did not want to raise a hand against Cynthia; to her, it was clear that something happened and Cynthia was being forced against her will to do this. "I-I'm sorry…I couldn't be there for you…so you hate me now for it..? I understand…I let you die. I was supposed to protect you and I failed…But that…that's no reason to hurt other people!" Shouting at the top of her lungs, Wendy lunged forward while aiming a punch at Rose's chest out of anger. Rose blocked the hit, however a sudden burst of wind emitted from Wendy's fist, severely damaging Rose's arm while sending her skidding backwards. Contact once again resulted in flames to erupt around Wendy's body and she fell to her knees, gasping for air. "Ngh…The Cynthia I know…would never hurt anyone…"

Rose was forced several feet back from Wendy's strike, now holding her arm in pain. Her expression was impossible to read. On the outside it displayed nothing but malicious murderous intent, but on the inside…who knows what that girl was thinking. There was only one thing on her mind, but how it could be perceived was literally unpredictable. "I-I….I don't think you get it…Cynthia is dead. YOU KILLED HER! ALL OF YOU!" Rose began to inhale, a spiral of darkened red flames swirling around her mouth as her cheeks began to inflate. "Roar…of the Demonic Omega Fire Dragon!" A combination of both curse power and magic threatened to be unleashed towards Wendy…however…

"I WON'T LET YOU!" Carla, in her transformed state, flew forward and aimed a swift kick at Rose's jaw, forcing her head to turn and unleash the funnel of flames in a different direction. The vortex of fire razed everything within a mile distance, leaving Carla wide eyed as she leapt away. "Cynthia!? What the…"

Rose brought a hand to her jaw, grumbling curses at the exceed's interference. "Damn you, Carla…"

Just hearing a swear word from the little girl was enough to alert Carla that something was dangerously wrong here. Of course she didn't have too much time to think about that as Rose's Curse activated, causing her body to erupt in demonic flames for a few seconds. Unprepared, Carla screamed before falling to the ground. "A-Agh…w-what was…that…?"

"I don't know…" Wendy replied while standing back up, though she was struggling to do so. "B-But I…I have to…" She was teetering now, on the verge of passing out.

Taking a step forward, Rose grinned deviously. "I'll make this quick." Or so she thought. A ball of fire dropped down from the sky above, causing a moderately powerful explosion. The little demon noticed this and quickly jumped back to avoid being caught in the radius. "…Natsu."

"Cynthia." Natsu already figured out what was going on here. Well…mostly. "What THE HELL!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" That was the million dollar question that Rose just refused to answer. "And why do you smell like…Tartarus…"

Rose narrowed her red eyes at those who stood before her. She felt sick to her stomach, yet enraged at the same time. Her good arm lifted up, a large blaze forming within her hand. "I don't have to answer you." Before she could actually continue her attack, several explosions occurred in the space between her and the Fairy Tail mages. "Wha…!?"

"Oi…" Jackal sat on the rooftop of a partially ruined building. "Don't get too carried away now! We still have an operation to complete. Marde-sama thinks you've done your job quite nicely and would like for you to return as quickly as possible." Jackal then shot a smarmy grin at Natsu.

"Like hell you're taking her anywhere!" Natsu was about to attack Jackal, but another line of explosions occurred and ended up blowing him backwards. "Gah!"

"You escape this time…" Rose withdrew from the area, only looking back once at Wendy before running off along with Jackal.

"C-Cynthia…please…wait…I'm…gonna…bring you…back home…again…" Wendy extended a hand out as if to stop Rose before running…but she just ended up collapsing and passing out on the spot due to her injuries.

.

.

En route back to Tartarus, Rose griped while holding her arm. "She got me good…damn. …Serves you right." Was she…talking to herself? Even Rose was surprised at this but she shook her head. "Next time we meet…I'll end her life…"

"So it was you…" Mavis stood in front of Rose, eyes narrowed. The two stood across from each other, looking directly at one another. This only confirmed Mavis' original suspicions. "Cynthia. What have they done to you…?"

"Now you're here too!? Leave me alone! Cynthia is dead and family didn't do a damn thing to save her!" Rose shouted at Mavis.

"Cynthia is dead?" Mavis tilted her head before shaking it slowly. "No. I don't think that's true in the slightest. Cynthia is very much still alive…and you are not her."

"Wha…!?" Rose glared. "How dare you…!?"

"It's simple." Mavis had no qualms in interrupting Rose. "Cynthia still lives on…even in that heart of yours that's now turned pitch black. Where's my proof, you ask? Simple…this conversation is happening. Surely you haven't forgotten the types of people that can see me."

Rose's eyes widened yet again, quickly glancing to her shoulder where the Fairy Tail mark should have been…but instead it was just the Tartarus guild mark. "Wha…but that doesn't make any sense…? I don't…"

"…I see. So that's what happened. You really are not Cynthia…and even now she's plotting against you…and you can't even see it when it's staring you right in the face."

"ENOUGH!" Rose screamed as darkened red flames erupted around her being. "SHUT UP! I don't even know why I'm wasting my time with you! I don't care! You'll be gone soon enough anyway!" Stomping off, Rose left large indents in the ground with every step she took.

Mavis didn't bother turning as Rose walked off. Instead she looked up into the sky, exhaling softly. "…I know dark times are approaching. I also know that there is indeed one person who is capable of pulling Cynthia out of that darkness. But if it's too dangerous and she fails…we'll have no choice but to say goodbye to them both…"

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Next Time: Good Morning Message.


	39. Chapter 39: Good Morning Message

The sun slowly arose on Fiore once again. The damage dealt to the country overnight was something that could not be so easily repaired, but leave it to the Council to begin implementing countermeasures. After receiving the reports in the morning, Siegrain started to get to work, holding a meeting with several other councilmen and his captains to discuss their next move. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice." Siegrain began. "It appears that this is the beginning of yet another large scale attack."

"I'm getting too old for this…" Odin sighed heavily while shaking his head.

This was quite the serious affair; Seigrain even had Gran Doma whom he jailed (in Darkness Rises; it's been a really long time) along with the rest of the Councilmen. "As former Chairman, I would like to hear your thoughts on this matter."

"…." Doma was quite resentful of Siegrain for being imprisoned for such a long time. Still, the protection of the people came first and he was granted freedom for longer than people originally believed. While he was stripped of his original power and position, Doma was working as a lesser council member as of late. "We must do what we can to protect the people. Though that must be difficult for you to do."

Taking offense to such a statement, Siegrain quirked his brow at Gran Doma. "What are you talking about former Chairman? Everything I do is for the people, haven't you noticed?"

"Decease…" Org shook his head. "This meeting is for the protection of the people…too many acts have occurred right under our noses and it's worsening our relationship with them. Imagine how the royal family has been dealing with these repercussions. It is up to us to ensure the people's safety and solidify that trust once again."

"How insightful. I couldn't have said it better myself." Siegrain nodded slowly. "I already came up with an idea to ensure the people would be safe. I call it, the Lockdown."

"Lockdown…?" A council member questioned.

"It's quite simple." Siegrain continued. "You see…lock down all towns and cities, placing members of the council accompanied with a large squadron. This way, no suspicious activity will go unchecked and will immediately be punished. The guilds won't have a say in this matter; they will just have to deal with it."

"Sounds good to me." Correll scoffed. "They've been getting too comfortable lately anyway. I think it's high time we remind them who really runs this country."

"I wouldn't put like that…" Doranbolt stared at Correll, who merely gave an indifferent shrug.

Lahar adjusted his glasses, a firm nod of agreement given. "I concur. It's about time we put the restrains back on again."

"I suppose we are all in agreement, then…" Gran Doma nodded slowly. "So it shall be done."

"Those are my words." Siegrain shot towards Doma. He then reached over to press a button to create several lacrima screens forming across the country to show Siegrain's face. "Good morning, Fiore. I know things have been looking rather dire as of late, but as Chairman of the Magic Council, this is going to change effective immediately. For starters…" Before Siegrain could finish his sentence, a high pitched noise filled the room. A vicious explosion ravaged the entirety of the Council HQ, nearly blowing the whole building apart; the lacrima screens fuzzed out.

The members present at the council meeting were sprawled out along the floor; some were even trapped under the rubble that fell from the room. Sitting at the top of it all with a wide grin was none other than Jackal himself, a heinous laugh escaping the demon as he watched everyone squirm. "HAHAHA! That's the look I love to see first thing in the morning!"

"W-What the…" Siegrain grunted while attempting to push himself up. "An attack…now!?"

"Siegrain-sama…!" Layanna quickly sprang into action, requipping Arc Angel, her basic sword. Leaping towards Jackal, the council guard prepared to unleash a horrendously powerful slash upon the Demon Gate. "Go back to hell, Demon!"

"HYAHA!" Jackal reared his arm back before throwing it forward. A bright light emitted from his palm and an explosion blew Layanna away before she could even get close, sending her crashing through a wall. "Know your place, little girl! Bow down before Jackal of Nine Demon Gates! The demon that slaughtered the Magic Council." Leaping down, Jackal grabbed Org by the back of his skull, a maniacal grin plastered on his lips. "BOOM!" A bright light shone from Jackal's palm before another explosion ensured; the Demon Gate blew Org's head and his body right off.

"Shit…!" Doranbolt gasped, bringing himself up to a knee while staring around at the injured others. "We…we have to evacuate!"

"I don't want you going anywhere!" Jackal was prepared to pounce onto his next prey: Siegrain. Before Siegrain was able to stand back up, Jackal grabbed the First Wizard Saint by his hair and lifted him up. "Oh ho…but you. I've special orders to keep you alive, unfortunately. But you should remember this act of kindness, Wizard Saint. I don't have to follow orders…" Jackal's speech was then cut off by Correll slamming an enlarged fist into his face, making him stagger backwards while releasing Siegrain.

Taking a boxer's stance, Correll shifted about while eying Jackal. "You got three seconds to explain yourself, Demon."

"Hmmm…" Rubbing his cheek, Jackal then pointed to Correll's hand. "My curse activates whenever you touch me. Will that suffice?"

"Wha…?" Correll glanced at his fist and by the time he made the connection, the seal implanted from making physical contact with Jackal exploded and the captain was violently thrown back.

"Now then!" Dusting his hands off, Jackal went over to the downed Lahar and Gran Doma. "The two of you…I have no orders to spare you…"

"There's no time…we have to escape…" Odin grunted while removing his wounded self from the scene.

"But…" Doranbolt's eyes widened. By the time Jackal got his hands on Lahar and Gran Doma…it was too late. Two explosions occurred simultaneously, leaving the council man awestruck from pure fear. This was the beginning of the end…

.

.

"Ah!" Shooting awake, Wendy looked around. She found herself in the Fairy Tail infirmary, arm and leg wrapped in bandages and lying next to Carla. "T…That wasn't a dream…? That really happened, didn't it…?" Mind wandered to the events of the night prior, where she ended up fighting against Cynthia, or to be more accurate: Rose. "Cynthia…"

Carla was awake. She just didn't want to let Wendy know yet for she was too busy contemplating what happened last night with the vision she had several weeks ago. Was it all real…? Would Cynthia really kill Wendy…? "…"

Moments later Lucy came into the room, wearing a relieved smile. "Oh Wendy…thank goodness you're okay. How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay." Wendy nodded. "I just…wish I could've gotten through to Cynthia a little more…I think she's really mad at me, along with something else…"

"Nonsense…" Lucy shook her head. "Someone did something to her…and whatever it is, we'll snap her out of it." Though it was very hard for Lucy to believe it would be so easy…after all, they discovered that Cynthia was the one responsible for the destruction during the evening yesterday. "The others are just in the main hall. Can you walk?"

"Mhm." Wendy nodded and hopped out of bed. "Carla? I know you're awake. Are you okay?"

With her ruse undone, Carla sat up. "I'm fine, don't worry. Let's go."

The three females left the infirmary and went into the main hall where they were greeted by the others. Mira was still reeling from the information she was given, staring down at the bar in deep thought. "Cynthia really did all that…? That's nothing like her, though…I refuse to believe she'd willingly hurt someone else…"

"That was her at the scene…" Natsu crossed his arms and grumbled. "She smelled really funky, too…"

"We have to find her again to make her talk. That girl is out of her damn mind…" Cana spoke between gulps of her beer. "I got a few words for her…"

"She didn't exactly seem so willing to talk…" Wendy said while rubbing her arm. "She was just yelling at me…"

Erza knelt down, gently placing her hand on Wendy's shoulder in a comforting manner. "Don't worry Wendy…we'll get her back no matter what her reasons are. It hasn't changed the fact that she's still one of us."

"Yeah!" Natsu grinned. "And I'll beat the ass of whoever messed her up!"

"Idiot…" Gajeel crossed his arms and merely shook his head disapprovingly. It was around that time that Siegrain's image appeared over Magnolia, catching everyone's attention.

"Good morning, Fiore. I know things have been looking rather dire as of late, but as Chairman of the Magic Council, this is going to change effective immediately. For starters…" Siegrain was then cut off; the screen immediately turning into nothing but static and fuzz. This alone was an indication that something very bad had occurred.

"What was he talking about….?" Levy questioned. "I don't like the way things are starting to go…I have a very bad feeling about all of this…"

A heavy silence filled the guild hall for a few moments. Soon, the doors flew open and an injured Doranbolt stumbled into the guild before collapsing, breathing heavily in attempt to catch his breath. "A-Agh…"

"What the…!?"

Wendy quickly ran over to Doranbolt and placed her palms over him, a soft sea-foam light emitting from her palms as she did her best to patch up most of his injuries. "Doranbolt-san…are you okay…!?"

"Is that…an angel…?" Doranbolt's vision was fuzzy but he was staring right at Wendy when he said that. It was more than enough to catch the girl off guard and she backed away with a horribly flustered and confused face. There was a little disapproval within the guild from his choice of words at the moment. Standing up, he rubbed the back of his head. "Thank you, Wendy…"

"What happened to you?" Makarov asked. "You looked horrible walking in…and what was with Siegrain's announcement? It cut off before it could finish…"

Doranbolt's expression immediately fell at the mention of that. "You see…Siegrain…no, the Council has…" The lacrima screens returned to the sky once again, only the image wasn't Siegrain…it was of a ruined Council Headquarters, corpses scattered about the entire building.

"HYAHAHA!" Jackal appeared on the screen, tilting his head curiously once realizing it was on. "Oh…was this thing on? Hm, well this is perfect! Good morning you pathetic humans! As you can clearly see, your precious law enforcing Council is no more! Thanks to yours truly of course." Holding up the injured Siegrain, Jackal's grin only widened before tossing the First Wizard Saint off to the side. "I've been instructed to deliver a message to this country. The end is coming! This is only the beginning! Soon, Tartarus be coming after all of you. Especially you, Wizard Saints, old and new. Your lives are in more danger than that of a simple civilian. In fact…some of my fellow demons are on their way to certain places to say 'good morning'. I hope you slept well, Fiore, because your next sleep will be peacefully eternal! GYAHAHA!" Jackal's maniacal laughter echoed throughout Fiore before the screen literally exploded.

"T-That was the one who was with Cynthia last night…" Wendy frowned. That was the first thing that caught her attention, the ensuring message left a horrible feeling that left her stomach churning. She felt sick seeing all those dead bodies in the building.

"I have many questions for what we just heard that I'd like to confirm with other guilds…" Erza placed her chin in her hand. "Wizard Saints, old and new…? What did he mean by…" An explosion occurring within town ended her thought process. The screams of the people outside caught everyone's attention as they turned to the town, where several explosions occurred. "What's going on outside?!"

.

Franmalth and Tempesta were moving through the town. Franmalth was consuming the souls of the bystanders that could not escape him, while Tempesta conjured tornadoes to wreak havoc on buildings. "GEHEHE! Yes, feed to me all your souls! It makes me ever stronger!" Franmalth grinned widely as each soul he absorbed continued to increase his strength.

.

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During the course of Jackal's announcement, a pair of shoes made their way up the snowy mountains. Tayakata stopped just before the White Eclipse guild hall, a place that she considered her former home was now nothing but a target on the list. She was not alone in standing before the building either. Tilting her head to the side, the vixen's lips curved into a sinister smile. "So, Selene? Shall we say good morning to everyone inside?"

Standing next to Taya was Selene. Her purple irises tinted darker than usual; an evil smirk curled onto her lips and she gave a slow nod in response to Taya's suggestion. "That's a great idea. I'm sure they'll enjoy it."

.

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Sitting on his throne, Marde only wore a small grin on his lips after Jackal's announcement. "Everything is going according to plan. They have been warned…and they will fall into confusion and panic which will lead to their swift, inevitable ends. The time has finally come at last…the extermination of every single Wizard Saint, and the beginning of the rebirth of Master END."

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Next Time: Soul Reaver.


	40. Chapter 40: Soul Reaver

The explosion that shook Magnolia alerted Fairy Tail that something was terribly wrong. The ensuing screams of the people followed and nearly the entire guild was ready to act. "What's going on out there?!" Erza shouted while pushing the doors open. Seeing the town in crisis was an alarming sight to say the least. "The town is being attacked?!"

"What!?"

"Those demons have already started their assault…" Mavis frowned slightly. "That announcement was merely a distraction that we were taken in by. I believe there are two of them here already…"

"They must have followed me…" Doranbolt grunted. "Either that, or this was their destination to begin with even well before the Council was attacked. This isn't a good situation either way, the people have to evacuate…!"

"He's right…" Levy nodded. "But what can we do? There's so much chaos going around…we don't even know the demons we're dealing with."

"The demon we should worry about the most is the one actively attacking the citizens." Erza nodded slowly. "That must mean the other one isn't doing anything destructive…"

"Then that is the one we will worry about." Makarov's voice caused everyone to turn to him. "There is already a small group out there that will be dealing with the more troublesome demon as we speak. Therefore, dealing with the remaining one will be our priority."

"I see…" Doranbolt nodded before beginning to head out of the doors.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Makarov narrowed his eyes at Doranbolt.

"There's someone I have to inform before it's too late." Doranbolt clarified while glancing at Erza. It was clear who Doranbolt was going to visit. "With the Council temporarily out of commission, the safety of Fiore now falls upon the guilds…"

"Before you go…" Makarov pointed to Doranbolt. A sleeve was torn off, only to reveal the Fairy Tail mark on his shoulder. "If the Council is gone…you won't be needing that disguise anymore, Mest."

"WHAAAAAAAAT!?" Eyes widened across the entire guild as Doranbolt was revealed to be Mest.

"He's actually a member of the guild!?" Lucy's arms flailed about. "How long has this been a thing!?"

"No time to explain." Makarov shook his head. "There is a demon in our town that we must be rid of and citizens that must be protected. Make it quick, brats!"

.

.

"How much will your soul cost?! How much? How much!?" Franmalth questioned as several appendages shot out from his back and wrapped around several people. Screams of pain shortly followed as the Demon Gate proceeded to absorb their souls from their very being. "Don't resist, not like it would make a difference in the end. Your souls all belong to be now!" Hideous laughter filled the air. Just when the lives of these citizens were in jeopardy of ending, several attacks flew towards Franmalth at once; a bolt of lightning, several emerald beams, bullets composed of Fairy magic, and Rune Magic. All of these attacks hit their mark and Franmalth was blown backwards, releasing the people in the process. "Guh!?"

Standing at the top of a nearby building was Laxus, Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen. The complete Raijinshu stared down at Franmalth, none of them seeming amused. Arms crossed over his broad chest, Laxus scowled towards Franmalth. "You demons have some nerve, ya know that? You think you can just waltz into our town and do whatever you'd like? Well, you got another thing coming you bastard."

Growling, Franmalth quickly rebounded from the Raijinshu's attack. His durability was not something to take lightly and the group took note of this immediately. "Striking me in the midst of my meal?! Do you know just how much that will cost? Just how much?!"

"What is this unsightly creature talking about…?" Evergreen waved her fan in front of her face gently while eying Franmalth. Her woman's intuition told her things were about to take a turn for the worse.

"It will cost exactly…1,000,000 souls!" Franmalth's arms extended to people still trying to escape. "And I'll start collecting your debt with them!" From his back, several spikes were unleashed towards the Raijinshu with full intent to skewer them.

Freed quickly acted, crafting runes along his back. "Dark Ecriture: Wings!" Purple wings spread from Freed's back and he flew down with his sword drawn. "I'll save the people!" The rune mage did just that; using his blade he repelled Franmalth's appendages. While Freed was excelling in the protection of the people, there was one person he should have been keeping an eye on more carefully: himself. After keeping Franmalth at bay from several fleeing civilians, an appendage wrapped around Freed and constricted him. Immediately, the Soul Absorption process began…and several other people were caught as a result of Freed's miscalculation. "Gah…!"

"Freed…!" Laxus, Evergreen, and Bickslow exclaimed in worry.

"Gehehe…" Franmalth tapped his fingers together, grinning mischievously. "Well well, what have we here? It appears your friend has gotten himself into quite the sticky situation. But you see, this works out very nicely for it will pay off that 1,000,000 soul debt you owe me. I can only wonder just how much his soul is worth!? Along with these other humans, this will be a considerable amount."

"Like hell we're going to let you keep his soul! Babies, Byron Formation!" Bickslow jumped forward as his dolls went into an O shape, spinning around rapidly before releasing a beam of seith magic towards Franmalth.

"Gehehe! When I take your souls, it will completely fulfill the debt! Rune Magic, Reflect!" It wasn't exactly correct…but with a swipe of his hand, Franmalth was able to completely replicate Freed's Dark Ecriture: Reflect. A wall of runes formed in front of the Demon Gate and the incoming beam bounced off the wall and right back towards Bickslow, who managed to evade just in the nick of time.

"You bastard…" Laxus' scowl deepened.

"How dare you use Freed's magic like that!?" Evergreen exclaimed. "You've no right you hideous beast!"

To the Raijinshu's complaints, Franmalth faced them with a simple grin. "If you want to free your friend, that's going to be quite a challenge! There's only a few minutes before his soul is completely absorbed into my being, along with the rest of these mere snacks here. How much time will you have left before defeating me? Absolutely zero! Gehehehe!"

Hearing those words, Laxus shook his head. With a scoff, the S class mage started cracking his knuckles. "I guess it's clear you really don't know who you've decided to mess with." Lightning started to crackle around the dragon slayer. The magical pressure he was releasing was enough to make any normal mage quake in fear…even a demon such as Franmalth could tell that he was not dealing with any ordinary human. "I make it a point to crush my family's enemies…" Standing beside, and slightly behind him, Bickslow and Evergreen could not be wearing a look more menacing. "You're bringing harm to one of my most trusted comrades. I'm going to grind you into dust."

.

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Wrapping a bandage around her arm, Rose grumbled to herself. Deeming her injuries not severe enough for another trip into Hell's Core, the little fairy turned demon decided to recover the old fashioned way. Several bandages wrapped around her arm, forehead and chest. "Stupid Wendy…" Several quiet obscenities followed.

"Rose-chan!" Sora rounded the corner, happily skipping over to Rose. Blinking, she observed Rose fixing herself up. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Nothing much…" Rose confirmed with a sigh. "I ran into Wendy and she got me pretty good…she's lucky whenever I see her I get sick to my stomach. Otherwise I would've killed her right then and there…"

"She hurt you…?" Sora's pink gaze became deadly. "Sora will make her pay…"

"The thought is appreciated…" Rose nodded and flashed a soft smile. "However I will be the one to make her pay. I won't allow anyone else to bring harm to Wendy. I am to be the cause of it all; it is part of my mission that Marde-sama gave me after all."

Sora nodded, completely understanding Rose's situation. "Sora understands. But Sora will do everything she can to help Rose-chan!" The pink haired demon then smiled.

It wasn't long before Daityas appeared before the two girls. His expression was all business to boot. "There you two are. Hurry up, there's a job that requires your services." Ushering them into the next room, Rugal, Tobias, Maggie, and Ruika were there waiting. "Good, everyone is here now."

"And just what is it you gathered us up for today?" Maggie questioned while examining her nails; it was clear she was having just barely any interest in leaving Tartarus to do anything.

With that question, Daityas merely grinned. "It appears from our informant that in order to continue with our little grand scheme, we need to hunt down a certain 'on the run' mage. I'm sure you're all familiar with him by now…" That grin on the son of satan's lips continued to grow, his sharp teeth showing as he licked his lips. "He looks identical to the current Council Chairman, after all…"

.

.

Tempesta slowly walked through the emptying streets of Magnolia. This demon was not like Franmalth in terms of wishing destruction and death; he was solely focused on the mission that he was assigned. Eyes slowly scanned the people before he found one whom he was searching for: Yajima. The old man and former Council member was on his way to Fairy Tail despite the evacuation attempt made by the guild. "…" A tornado formed along Tempesta's body and with incredible speed he rushed forward to grab Yajima harshly by the neck and pull him away.

"Gah!?" A choked cry of pain escaped Yajima, hands going to the demon's wrist in a vain attempt to pry his hand off of him. "R-Release me…!?"

"You are the target. I remember that much…and that is all I need." A vicious tornado formed along Tempesta's free hand. What was about to happen next wasn't pretty…but unfortunately for Tempesta, a sword was nearly plunged into his arm from afar, forcing him to drop Yajima and stare upwards from where it came from. "Who dares…?"

On a building above, Erza stood in her Heaven's Wheel armor, pointing a blade at the demon. "You will leave him unharmed if you know what's good for you." Natsu, Lucy, Happy, and Gray appeared beside her, none of them too pleased with Tempesta. Meanwhile, Happy took it upon himself to lift Yajima to safety.

"All right you bastard..." Natsu cracked his knuckles while grinning towards Tempesta. "I think it's time you answer for what's going on, you understand?"

There was a familiar high pitched noise screeching in the area. Lucy's ears picked up on this and she looked around. "What the…does anyone else hear that noise…?" Before an answer could be given, a line of explosions occurred on several buildings, blowing them to shreds while Natsu, Gray, Lucy and Erza became separated. Lucy and Erza fell onto the street, wounded slightly while Tempesta stood before them and shook his head.

"You're not supposed to be here…" Tempesta told Jackal, who was the source of the crazed laughter coming from nearby.

"Funny how we can say the same about you…" Erza and Lucy were side by side now, both glaring towards Tempesta.

"Are you kidding?! There's no way I'd miss this!" Jackal was going to continue laughing, but the sounds of his explosion being consumed cut him short. "Wha…?"

The residue of Jackal's explosions funneled into Natsu's mouth; for a moment the Salamander's stomach enlarged comically before returning to normal. Now glaring towards Jackal, a scowl took over Natsu's lips. "I remember you from last night. You were the one with Cynthia, weren't ya?"

"Is that so…?" Brushing himself off, Gray stood beside Natsu. "So in that case…where the hell is she, you bastard?"

"Keh…" Jackal merely grinned at the attempted interrogation. The battle with Tartarus was only in its warm up stages…and only the demons knew what was up their sleeves. The attack on the Council and Mangolia…they were only just beginning.

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Next time: The Storm.


	41. Chapter 41: The Storm

"GEHEHE!" Franmalth merely mocked Laxus after the threat the S class wizard made. "You really believe you can beat me so easily!? A Demon Gate of Tartarus will not be shamed so…"

Laxus wasn't having any of it. With his Lightning Body he was before Franmalth within the blink of an eye, rearing his arm backwards. "Iron Fist of the Lightning Dragon!" BAM! Laxus punched Franmalth square in the eyeball, throwing the demon gate backwards along with the rest of the people he had trapped.

"You struck me in the middle of my speech…" Franmalth bounced back from Laxus' blow quite easily. "You could've endangered your friend and all these people!?"

Unfortunately for Laxus, though Franmalth was annoying, he did raise a point. If not careful, injury could come to Freed and the other captured civilians; but at the same time, time was quickly running low and Franmalth needed to be dealt with as soon as possible. "Tch…"

"But more importantly…!" Franmalth grinned as lightning started to spark around his being; not just any lightning, but it was literally Laxus' own electricity. "That last hit tickled! It'll take more than that to put me down, gehehe!" Opening his big mouth, the Demon Gate released a large bolt of lightning exactly like Laxus' own roar towards the trio.

"What the…!?" Laxus, Bickslow, and Evergeeen leapt to the side to avoid the Lightning Dragon's Roar before staring at Franmalth with widened eyes. "The hell was that!?"

"Did that fiend copy your magic somehow?" Evergreen questioned. "It might be the same as when he used Freed's magic…but Freed is attached to him right now."

"If you simple minded heathens MUST know…I absorb the souls of everything! Even magic itself has a soul." Franmalth explained himself quite clearly before pointing his hand forward. "Dark Ecriture: Pain! Pain! Pain!" Franmalth was now utilizing both Laxus and Freed's magic to unleash purple tinted lightning bolts; even with Laxus's resistance to lightning these were going to leave a mark due to the Pain inscribed within them.

Evergreen crossed her arms, letting out a small shriek of pain as she was hit directly with an incoming Pain Bolt. "Gyah…! How dare you…use Freed and Laxus's magic like that?!" Wings expanded once again and the fairy mage flew high into the air. "Fairy Magic: Gremlin Bomb!" Throwing her arm to the side, glitter began to rain down onto a confused Franmalth. It wasn't long before the glitter began to explode violently, throwing Franmalth into the air! It was expected that Franmalth would drop those he had in captivity, however it was holding onto them for dear live! "Still not letting them go?!"

"Gehayaya!" Laughing, the stout demon gate twisted his body midair as a light surrounded his body. "It's time…for a REVOLUTION!" Poof! All within the blink of an eye, giant pink wool completely overtook that particular area of the city. "Who would've thought that magic from that little pink lamb way back when would be useful!?" Even as he said that…it felt odd. For some reason Franmalth could feel his power waning slowly…

"T-This is oddly relaxing…" Bickslow grumbled before lifting one hand up. "Babies, get rid of this blanket! I'm not trying to go to sleep yet!" 'No sleep, no sleep!' Following the orders of the one who controlled them, Bickslow's dolls unleashed several rapid fire beams of seith magic that exploded the wool before its tranquil effects became too severe on the trio. Landing back on the ground, Bickslow looked towards Laxus and Evergreen while preparing to take off his mask. "Laxus. Ever. I have an idea, I need one minute. I'll signal when I'm ready to go."

"Easy." Laxus nodded while cracking his knuckles. "This bastard has one minute left to laugh."

"Just leave it to us." Evergreen placed a hand on her hip.

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Tempesta had a whirlwind surrounding his arms as he glared at Erza and Lucy. Obviously displeased, the Demon Gate could see that he was not going to be able to complete his objective with those two women standing in his way. "You are preventing me from completing my mission. If you continue to stand in my way, I will destroy you. This is your only warning."

"It has fallen on deaf ears." Erza replied instantly while creating about 20 more swords in front of her and Lucy.

"We're not letting you cause any more damage." Lucy stated while holding her ground.

"Insolent humans…" Thrusting his arms forward, Tempesta released an incredibly vicious tornado forward just as Erza threw out her swords. The swords were drawn into the whirlwind and consumed the two females and lifted them off the ground.

"Star Dress: Cancer!" A bright light emitted from the tornado and Lucy in her Cancer Stardress slashed it apart with the two sharp blades in hand, only receiving minor damages from acting so quickly. "Erza!"

"Kanso!" Speeding forward just as Lucy dispersed the tornado, Erza entered her Purgatory Armor, bringing up her spiked blade for a horizontal slash strong enough to knock Tempesta right into a fortunately empty building.

Emerging from the building, Tempesta appeared only slightly damage from Erza's strike. "Burn…" With a simple exhale, the entire section of the city was lit in searing flames that began to burn away the buildings to nothing.

Lucy took to the air, shifting into another Stardress: Aquarius. Tempesta watched Lucy in the air, curious as to her movements. "Tidal Wave!" Twisting her body, Lucy whipped her hands forward to release a surge of water like a wave that extinguished the flames while sweeping Tempesta away.

From the wave, Erza emerged in her Lightning Empress Armor, the tip of the spear already fully charged with electricity. "Lightning Cyclotron!" Pointing the spear forward, a magic seal appeared and unleashed three bolts of blue lightning towards the drenched Tempesta; all three bolts were a direct hit and due to the water, the damage was amplified.

"Yeah, take him down"! Happy cheered, though he was still holding onto Yajima since there was currently no safe location to set him down on.

"Be careful how you carry me…my old bones aren't toys…!" Yajima scolded Happy.

"Blow." Tempesta, though wounded, did not slow down for even a second. Another cyclone shot forth, this one much more intense than the previous and swept Erza off her feet, sending her flying backwards.

"Erza…!" Lucy was still in the midst of her descent when Erza was attacked.

Tempesta used his curse to appear behind Lucy, a sphere of lightning forming within his palms. "Lightning." The sphere of lightning consumed Lucy while towards the ground where an explosion of lightning occurred; Lucy's scream of pain filled the air as several buildings were caught within the aftermath.

"Lucy! Erza!" Happy's eyes widened in worry.

Tempesta landed back on the ground before the injured Erza and Lucy. There was no cockiness in his stance, no overbearing confidence. He just stood there and watched them struggle to get up. "…"

"W-What is this guy…?" Lucy groaned while crouching on a knee, keeping one eye shut.

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"Where's Cynthia!?" Natsu lunged forward at Jackal while rearing his arm back, flames blazing around his fist. The Salamander threw his arm forward, but Jackal easily evaded the strike by jumping to the roof of a different building. "Bastard!"

"You're just gonna run, huh!?" Gray said while slamming his fist into his palm, a bone chilling aura emanating from around his body. "Ice Make…"

"HA!" Laughing loudly, Jackal held his hand out. The ground where Natsu and Gray stood shone brightly before exploding violently, taking out the entire section of the city…or so Jackal thought as Natsu once again interfered with his plans by eating the explosion. "Guh!? Stop that!"

"I didn't ask for the meal…but thanks anyway." Natsu wasted no time in lurching forward, unleashing a gigantic breath of flame towards the demon.

Crossing his arms, Jackal faced the flames head on, growling from the damage dealt. Just when he thought it was over, Gray was planning on attack from above, wasting no time in using his Devil Slaying. "Ice's Devil's…"

"Oooooh no you don't! Spiral Explosion!" Jackal quickly swiped his arm horizontally, a large spiraling explosion occurring on the spot. It caught both Natsu and Gray and set them in different directions. "Ooooh, that felt good." It was then several spears of ice composed of Devil Slaying shot out of the smoke. Having to act on instinct, Jackal dodged and weaved around what he could, though several spears did manage to hit their mark and the demon found himself growing from the pain. _"Tch…Silver's brat…"_

"We're not finished with you yet!" Natsu was above! "Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu brought his fist down and struck Jackal directly across the face, sending the demon staggering backwards. "Now where is she!?" Not letting up, Natsu just continued to let Jackal have it, delivering punch after punch and kick after kick.

"Now, wait a second! Listen to me!" Jackal was honestly trying to explain, but Natsu's hotheaded nature prevented him from getting a word in edgewise. The final punch by Natsu drove Jackal into the ground, where his eyes turned white. "…."

"Tch…" Gray scoffed and crossed his arms. "You didn't even let him say anything, dumbass. It looked like he was about to talk…"

Realizing this, Natsu blinked before getting off of Jackal and shrugging. "It doesn't matter. We can question him later, right?"

"Ha…" The dry sound of Jackal's voice made Natsu and Gray alert once again; both mages turning to see the demon standing back up with a grin on his face despite the blood dripping from his lip. "You should listen to your friend more often. How am I supposed to explain anything when you keep punching me? By the way…my curse activates whenever you touch me…and boy; you really let me have it, didn't you?" Lips widened, Jackal's fangs were exposed as he pointed at Natsu.

"…!" One look at Natsu made it all clear; all of those seals on his body from striking Jackal were ticking time bombs! "What the-!?"

"You're about to go boom." Jackal clarified.

"Gray, get out of here…!" Natsu barked as the seals started to shine brighter.

"Gah…! You idiot…!" Gray shouted back. The only sound that was heard after that was the loud explosion that ensued from Natsu. The Salamander fell back onto the ground with large, pure white eyes, jaw hung open as he lay unconscious. Gray could not escape the blast radius and was thrown back himself, covered by some rubble with heavy damage himself. "Ugh…"

"HA! Look at your faces! Absolutely priceless!" Jackal was having the time of his life, grimacing ever so slightly from the hits he took. It sure did sting. A sudden bolt of lightning dropping down not too far away caught his attention. "Hm? Wonder what we have going on over there…"

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"GEHEH! Just a few more minutes until the souls of your friend and these people are all MINE!" Franmalth let out yet another annoying laughter. The rune magic combined with all of what he was stealing was making him an extremely irritating opponent!

"We can't do anything as long as he keeps abusing Freed's Magic…" Evergreen touched down on the ground, trying to figure out a way to bypass the runes. She could overwrite simple runes due to just being around Freed for so long, but the way Franmalth was using them made it exceedingly difficult.

"I'll just break them." Laxus said while clenching his hand into a fist, gathering a large sphere of lightning above him. With no verbal command, the sphere flew towards Franmalth who was prepared to take the same course of action yet again.

"Forgive me, Freed…but I'm going to have to do this…" Evergreen was stepping up, since Bickslow was still in the midst of preparing his attack. Tracing her finger in the air, a set of runes formed; a spell taught to her by Freed himself in the event something like this happened. "Rune Magic. Dark Ecriture: Shut Down!" The runes Evergreen wrote exploded, shutting down any and all rune magic within the area for an extended period of time; the runes Franmalth grew so used to using just…stopped working.

"Wha…!?" A look of surprised painted on Franmalth's face as his reflective runes vanished; but he was not going to be put down so easily. Franmalth's body shifted to his hidden S class soul; Hades. Hands quickly moved about to create an Amaterasu Formula that exploded violently when meeting with Laxus' attack. "W-What!? How dare you interrupt me like that?! It doesn't matter, for I don't need those stupid runes! I have my own power that…that feels weaker!?"

"Tch!" Laxus found himself sliding backwards from the aftermath explosion. But from that reaction he could tell that Franmalth was on his last legs. "You talk about price this…and price that…but you're about to pay the ultimate price for daring to suck the soul out of my comrade with a smile on your face." Raising his hands up, Laxus began to prepare one of the strongest spells in his arsenal; a spell that Makarov himself possessed as well: Fairy Law.

"Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun!" Waving her arms, Evergreen released a torrent of high speed needles concentrated from dust. The amount was more than double what she normally conjured, all of it for the sake of pinning Franmalth down.

Skidding backwards from the Hades counterfeit attack, Bickslow's eyes began to shine bright neon green from beneath his mask. "You're an idiot, you know that?" Bickslow grinned while finally taking off his mask, tossing it off towards the ground; that wild expression he was known for finally showed itself after so long and he began to laugh hysterically at the Tartarus demon. "Not only are you not the only soul thief, but you aren't even the best one here, shithead! I'VE BEEN STEALING SOULS RIGHT FROM UNDER YOUR NOSE THIS WHOLE TIME! BABIES! IT'S TIME FOR THE FINALE! OMEGA FORMATION!" 20 possessed dolls floated in the air, all of them circling around Franmalth while pointing at him. Think of it as Bickslow's version of Thunder Palace. Each dolls unleashed a massive beam of seith magic that rained down on Franmalth, converging in the center on the demon where an explosion of massive proportions ensured. "YAHAHA! COME ON LAXUS, IT'S TIME TO FINISH THIS!"

"I couldn't agree more." Laxus nodded slowly. With the opening Bickslow presented, Laxus formed an immensely bright light within his palms. "You're about to pay the highest price for fuckin' with Fairy Tail. Fairy Law, activate!" With that command, a bright light engulfed the entire city of Magnolia.

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"W-What is THIS LIGHT?!" Jackal had to cover his eyes from the powerful Fairy Tail covering the entire town.

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"Is that Laxus?!"

Several questions floated around the Fairy Tail guildhall at the light produced from Fairy Tail. Meanwhile, Makarov just sat on the bar with the tiniest of grins etched onto his lips. "That's my grandson all right…"

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When the light faded, Franmalth was just…gone. But he left Freed and the several other people he captured in his wake. "Ugh…" Freed stood up slowly, staggering a bit however he was caught by Ever.

"Easy now…don't overdo it." Evergreen said softly.

"I'm okay…thanks everyone." Freed offered a weak smile to the Raijinshu. "We should do something about these people too…they were caught up in this…" Just before anything else could be said, Tempesta bashed through several buildings with Yajima's neck in his grasp. "W-What the?!"

Tempesta was paying the Raijinshu no heed despite the fact Franmalth had gone down. He was just preparing to end the former councilman's life when Laxus fired off a bolt of lightning that forcibly ended Tempesta's grip. "…Another one…?"

"So there were more…" Laxus cracked his knuckles. "Here I thought your disgusting friend was the only one here. But I'll gladly take another one of you out."

"I am the storm…the Calamity of Death. You are standing in the way of my objective…" Tempesta stated before his lower half turned into a cyclone. Taking off with blinding speed, his goal was to end Yajima's life before anyone notice…but Laxus was already right in front of him with Lightning Body. "…!?"

"Ha!" Laxus swung his leg down, and in one lightning coated kick he sent Tempesta right back into the ground. Tempesta recovered and tried once again, this time just trying to outmaneuver Laxus, but that was far easier said than done. Laxus was behind Tempesta this time, lifting and interlocking his hands over his head. "Lightning Dragon's Jaw!" In one swift motion, Laxus brought his hands down on Tempesta's skull and drove him into the ground with an electric shockwave booming out after. Tempesta lay on the ground, defeated after those two hits.

"That's my Laxus." Freed said with a cocky grin.

"YOUR LAXUS?!" Bickslow and Ever could already tell Freed was feeling better after that statement.

"Where did this one come from…?" Laxus scoffed while dusting his hands off.

"I believe…Lucy and Erza were combating it…but things went south and before I knew it he grabbed a hold of me." Yajima confirmed while rubbing his neck. "We should check on those girls."

"I'll keep an eye on this one." Laxus put his foot down on Tempesta. "What is it anyway…?"

"I recall nothing…" Tempesta mumbled, causing those around to go on alert once again. "They call me the Calamity…but that is all I know. I had a mission to follow…but you humans continued to stay in my way. There is naught I can do now that will keep me alive…however…I wonder if I can say the same for you humans." Slowly, a grin stretched onto Tempesta's lips and his body…exploded into a black mist that very slowly began to spread out into Magnolia. "Anti-Magic Barrier Particles…these will kill any human in range of them within seconds. Come, humans! Join me in an eternal trip to hell, and I shall be your guide!" Tempesta started to laugh hysterically, but his voice faded out slowly. This situation was dire…for if these particles continued to spread out with no one to stop them…Magnolia, and those who lived in the town were finished.

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Next Time: For My Family.


	42. Chapter 42: For My Family

"W-What the hell?!" Laxus' eyes widened at the black mist slowly spread out from Temepesta's former location into the Town. The Magic Barrier Particles were already doing their job, severely damaging the Etherano in the air; as a result, Laxus, Freed, Bickslow, Evergreen, and Yajima started to cough profusely. "Ugh…"

"W-What is this…" Bickslow choked, hands wrapping around his throat.

"I-I can't breathe…" Evergreen groaned while falling to her knees. "A-And it's…spreading out…the guild…we have to…"

"Freed…get everyone out of here…" Laxus ordered. "Now…"

Staring at Laxus in disbelief, Freed coughed before responding. "W-What?! B-but what about you…!?"

"Don't worry about me." Laxus forced a grin despite the veins started to bulge from his forehead. "Don't you know this by now…us dragon slayers have special lungs…this is…nothing…now Freed…get the others out of here, NOW." Opening his mouth, Laxus started to inhale the Magic Barrier Particles before they could spread out too far. Laxus was only managing to slow them down, but he would be damned if he let anyone get hurt under his watch.

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Jackal's eyes took a while to adjust to the light after that nuke just a few minutes prior. Blinking slowly, he was trying to figure out what was going on. "Huh….?" Something seemed very different…ah, there it was: the black mist spreading out into the city at a slow rate. "Heh…" A small smirk curled onto Jackal's lips. "So Tempesta has gone down, huh? Well…this little present he left should be more than enough to keep these humans preoccupied. As much as I'd like to stick around…I'll just leave it to Tempesta's ghost." Just as Jackal turned to leave, an arrow of demon slaying ice skinned his side, yet managed to nearly freeze him over. "…?!"

"Who said…you could go anywhere…" Gray panted heavily while glaring towards Jackal. "Natsu may be down…but I'm not through with you yet, you bastard…"

"You persistent cockroach…!" Jackal swung his free hand once again to create an explosion, one that freed hum and attacked Gray; however Gray was prepared to freeze it over this time, which made Jackal even more annoyed.

"I said this wasn't over!" Gray yelled once again.

"…." Jackal took a deep breath…before pointing and laughing at Gray. "HAHA! You think it's not over!? But it actually is stupid human. You should let me explain myself unlike your KO'ed friend over there. You see that?" Jackal pointed to the black mist on the other side of town. "I don't have to kill you. That will; it'll be a slow and painful death. And as much as I would enjoy watching you choke on your last breath…" Bringing a hand to his injured side, Jackal winced slightly. "I…have better business to attend to…" With that, Jackal made a speedy exit well before Gray could even say or do anything.

"Tch…!" Gray clenched his hand into a fist…Natsu was still unconscious, but that black mist Jackal was referring to…he had a very bad feeling about it.

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"Ugh…" Lucy shook her head while standing up. She was very disoriented and stumbled around before resting against the rubble of what was left of a building. "W-What was all that..? It happened so quickly…Are you two okay?"

"Waaaah…" Happy's eyes had swirls in them as he staggered about. "What happened…?"

"That demon got the slip on us…" Erza groaned. "Yajima-san is gone as well…this is not good. We have to find them before something terrible happens."

"It might be too late for that…" Happy lifted Lucy into the sky, gesturing to the black mist slowly nearing them.

"W-What is that…!?" Brown eyes widened. A cold sweat began to drip down Lucy's forehead as the mist steadily grew closer. She didn't know the exact reason, but every fiber of her being was telling her to stay away from that mist. Glancing at Happy and Erza, it was obvious they deduced the same conclusion.

"More importantly…why is it moving so slowly..? Is there something at the center of it…?" Erza questioned, but now wasn't the time for such things. At the moment, there was no way either of them were capable of stopping or even slowing down the mist. "We have to retreat back to the guild quickly…"

"I don't think there's a need for that…!" Aira rushed onto the scene, panting somewhat heavily. "That mist…I've read about it before in a really old book once. Those are Magic Barrier Particles…they can be absorbed through the skin or by inhalation…and they're incredibly lethal to humans. Even just small expose is enough to kill someone. If that isn't stopped soon, it will kill everyone in Magnolia. I saw the evacuation, but they won't escape in time…."

"WHAT?!" Lucy placed her hands on her cheeks, freaking out from the situation at hand. "So what are we supposed to do!? If we can't even get near it?!"

"D-Don't worry about that part…I brought along someone who can at least contain them…" Aira said with a reassuring smile.

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Laxus was reaching his limit. There was only so much he could inhale before it finally got to him. At the very least, he managed to get Freed to take the others back to the guild…but now that the mist wasn't being slowed down, it was only a matter of time until it reached there too. "D-Damn it…" Falling to a knee, Laxus clutched his chest with his eyes wide and pupils small.

"You Fairies are idiots sometimes…" That voice came from above, though Laxus did not have the strength to move his head up. Jaxon sat above the black mist on a tornado, arms crossed while shaking his head. "Inhaling such a deadly mist? It's almost as if you're asking the Grim Reaper to knock on your door prematurely."

"For my family…I'd do anything…this is…nothing…" Laxus meant those words with every fiber of his being. His condition was nothing if it ensured the safety of Fairy Tail. How far he had come since the old days in the guild…

With a twist of his finger, Jaxon manipulated the wind to create a mini tornado. This tornado sucked in the Magic Barrier Particles, keeping them all in one place; as a result the tornado was tainted black. The only problem now was keeping the tornado stable so the mist wouldn't accidently spread even faster. "And now…" Jaxon was prepared to freeze everything over, however that particular glory was stolen from him as the area suddenly became covered in ice stained purple. "…Well, that's one way to steal my moment."

Gray – with the unconscious Natsu over his shoulder – approached the area. The Magic Barrier Particles that fell were now rendered harmless. "I don't know what that was all about…but this situation is starting to get out of hand…"

Jaxon merely let out a defeated sigh. He totally had a cool moment prepared but of course, Fairy Tail had to be the one to get the spotlight and steal his thunder. What else was new? "Well, as long as it's over with." Shrugging, the weather god descended to the ground. "What's even happening here? Aira and I came over looking for someone and everyone was fleeing…"

"It's a long story…can you help me get Laxus back to the guild…?" As much as Gray didn't want to ask for Jaxon's help…things were too serious right now to give the cold shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah…" Jaxon waved a hand.

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With the commotion settling down in Magnolia…it took time for those in Fairy Tail to recover. Laxus, Freed, Evergreen, Bickslow, and Yajima were all in the infirmary from having inhaled the Magic Barrier Particles. Porlyuisca was looking over them to come up with a diagnosis. As for Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Lucy, Wendy too the liberty of healing their wounds the best she could. Now that there was time to regroup, it was only a wonder how things were going outside of Magnolia. "It appears…that the enemy has obtained the upper hand." Mavis sensed the troubled atmosphere in the guild and elected to speak on it.

Crossing her arms, Erza started to speak. "Laxus and his team are down, Yajima was caught in the attack as well…many people have been killed as a result from the attack…this was an assault that we were not prepared for…despite that we did everything we could to minimize the damage, I fear it wasn't quite enough." Her attention then went to Jaxon and Aira, who were lingering in the guild hall after assisting with the retrieval of Laxus and the Raijinshu. "Thank you two, though…we would not have been able to get Laxus and the others back to safety as quickly without your help."

With a modest smile, Aira proceeded to wave a hand back and forth. "Don't worry about it! Actually…we at White Eclipse have been looking for Selene. She was supposed to go out shopping for the guild since it was her turn…but she hasn't returned yet. So we're all really worried and have been heading out to other towns to see if anyone has seen her. I know she wouldn't just up and disappear like that…"

"So we came here only to see that people were fleeing…and those who hadn't dropped dead. The hell happened in this town to cause such a disturbance?" Jaxon inquired.

"Tartarus." Makarov clarified. "They have made their move on us once again…and it appears that they will try to reach their goal using any means necessary…" Though he was usually calm and collected, even Makarov felt a rush of anger. Laxus' move especially important in keeping everyone safe…and even then he was not able to save everyone. There were still people caught within the black mist…and just the very thought of what occurred enraged Makarov. But he had to remain calm for his children. "…If I recall correctly, I believe they said something about targeting Wizard Saints…and council members."

"But the Council has already been destroyed, right?" Cana sighed. "What else could they want?"

"Is it possible…" Placing her hand on her cheek, Mira's eyes tilted to the ceiling. "That maybe…even former Council members are also targets…? That would serve for the eradication of every single link pertaining to the council. But then…why?"

"I don't think this is something we should be doing on our own." Mavis lifted a finger. "There are other guilds we should be contacting. They have Wizard Saints and I am certain they will want to discuss a plan before it is too late as well."

"Genius as always!" Lucy clasped her hands together.

"…" Leaning over to Jaxon, Aira preceded whisper. "Who are they talking to…?"

"Beats me…" Jaxon shrugged. "But if it's all good with you…we're going to go back to our guild now. It's clear Selene's not here and I'm sure the others are going to want an update on this…"

Natsu on the other hand, was raring to get moving. "Let's just go! We can take them out before they even make another move. They asked for this…" Clenching a tight fist, veins protruded from Natsu's forehead. "They want this war?! Then they can have it! I'll burn all of them to nothing if it's the last thing I do!"

"It will be if you charge in so recklessly!" Erza raised her voice to convey her point. "This isn't something one person can do alone…not even as a guild can we do this alone. We have to take this one step at a time, do I make myself clear?"

While everyone was talking, Wendy was listening, but her thoughts drifted elsewhere. To her, this started with the Rose encounter. Wendy hoped from the bottom of her heart that Cynthia wasn't going to do anything horrible again such as take another life or even hurt something. Tiny hands clenched into tight fist; a determined fire building within the sky dragon. _"I'll save you again, Cynthia. So please…just wait for me. I won't let you go…"_

Makarov opened up a lacrima screen to communicate with the other guilds. While he was waiting for someone to answer, he noticed the screen for White Eclipse was not responding in the slightest. There was only static. "Huh…? That's odd…did something happen to White Eclipse too…?"

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Cobra sat on a rock in a slightly forested area. While the others of Crime Soricere were discussing a plan based on the announcement earlier and with the information Mest had given them, they were painfully unaware of the incoming storm that would soon approach them with no warning. Cobra was the only person capable of providing such a warning…Turning to the others, the poison dragon wore a very serious expression on his face. "Everyone. They're coming!"

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Next Time: Demons vs. Sinners


	43. Chapter 43: Sinners vs Demons

"Erik, what's the problem?" Jellal asked shortly after Cobra's warning.

"You can't hear it?" Perhaps that was a rhetorical question for everyone excluding Cobra. "No…can you not feel it? That cold chill starting to work its way down your spine…?"

Placing her hands on her hips, Angel tilted her head, quirking a brow at Cobra. "If you're trying to scare us…it's not funny…now isn't the time for such childish pranks." Of course, to doubt Cobra's hearing was never to be underestimated, and in a grim situation like this…if he said something was coming for them, something was coming.

"Who's coming for us and why?" Ultear wanted to get right to the point. Now that they were aware of the incoming threat, it was time to mount a suitable defense against it.

"Those demons of Tartarus…it appears they have some business with us. Nothing we will enjoy." Cobra continued speaking. His words only increased the tension of the atmosphere. "I suggest we do everything we can to protect Jellal."

Hearing those words made Jellal quirk a brow. "Protect…me…?"

"What do you mean by, 'protect' Jellal?" Meredy wore a quizzical expression on her face, however that question was not going to be answered directly as it was just about time for…them to appear.

"My…don't spoil our surprise like that. Now it's in poor taste…" The air began to distort before a void appeared; from the void, Rugal stepped out. Behind him: Maggie, Ruika, Sora, Rose, and Tobias stepped out. "We came out all this way to surprise you…"

"But more importantly…" Maggie twirled a few strands of her white hair around her finger. "We came for that man in the back over there. So if you louts would be so kind as to step aside, we won't make this very painful, loves."

"So they really showed up?" Racer rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand, grinning towards the demons. "Well…I don't know what you want with Jellal, but you're a fool to believe we'd hand him over so easily."

"I do not like being awakened by such useless prattle…" Midnight mumbled. "Your business here is detrimental to my sleeping…and those who interfere with my sleep fall into my endless darkness."

"How edgy." Ruika shrugged her shoulders indifferently at Midnight's reply.

"You heard them, Jellal, desu-ne." Hoteye turned to Jellal, Meredy, and Ultear, giving a nod. "This will be us paying you back…go escape while you can. We will not allow these demonic ruffians to manhandle you."

"Everyone…" Jellal had mixed feelings on leaving the Oracion Seis on their own to combat these demons…but at the same time, he could feel that they genuinely wanted to protect him. So he would not let their emotions go to waste. "Meredy…Ultear…let us flee for now. I will leave this to them."

"But…" Meredy didn't want to leave them on their own. Ultear placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded slowly. That was enough for Meredy to understand and follow the others without question.

The Oracion Seis vs. The Six Demons. Both sides stood across from each other, neither too pleased with the other. "These numbers are actually quite fitting…" Cobra slid his hands in his pockets, purple mist beginning to emanate from his person. "Six vs. Six. We will crush you soundly and put a hole in whatever plan your higher ups have planned." Eyes then shifted to Rose. Cobra could already tell, but he didn't make any comment on it for it wasn't his place.

"Six vs. Six?" Tobias quirked a brow and opted to keep speaking when…

"Shut up, Tobias." Maggie cut him off. "I believe you've miscounted. You see…there's one friend of ours who should be arriving very shortly…"

"Wha…?" Cobra blinked before his one eye widened.

It all happened within an instant. Something dropped from the sky and created a shockwave as a result; a dust cloud formed around the man that appeared on the battle field. The dust slowly began to settle and Arcturus rose from the ground, a wide grin plastered on his face. "That was fun." The Darkness Demon himself arrived on the scene, tilting the numbers fro to 7 v 6. Licking his lips, eyes were set on Angel, who was practically frozen in a type of fear she had never experienced before, not even in the Tower of Heaven. The aura of ferocity of these demons displayed was truly something else. "A fresh virgin, huh…? Sometimes, these missions really lead to the best meals…"

.

.

Taking his sweet ass time, Sliver waltzed up the mountain leading to White Eclipse. He was indulging himself in the snow, so he was the last to arrive behind Selene and Tayakata. "Oi, oi…! Why don't you slow down and enjoy the snow? I'm an old man, I don't move as quickly as I used to, you know."

Arms crossed, Taya rolled her eyes at Sliver's remark. "We were ready to begin without you; you know that we cannot afford to squander time so leisurely like you have decided to."

"I can't believe this…" Selene rubbed her temples before staring at Taya. "Can we finally begin, now? I want to give these lying bastards a taste of their own medicine."

"Of course." Taya pointed her hand forward, a pitch black sphere materializing within her palm. "After you, Selene dear."

"With pleasure." Selene cracked her knuckles before beginning to inhale, shards of diamond swirling around her mouth as her cheeks puffed out. "Diamond Dragon's…ROAR!" Lurching forward, a large vortex of diamond was released, much larger than the guild building itself. At the same time, Taya released the sphere she was charging up to strike the building in time with Selene's roar. The result was a massive explosion that shook the entire mountain. No doubt no White Eclipse member was expecting the explosion that just occurred; evident by how all of them were either trapped under some rubble or on the ground, staring up at their sudden attacker in shock.

"What wonderful faces. I absolutely adore and pity that look of contempt and despair." Taya smiled sadistically, her gaze falling right on Reve. It only lasted a second…but it was clear in that brief passage of time that the disconnect between the two was confirmed.

"Now now…" Silver chuckled, intruding on the scene with a carefree attitude. "Don't look so glum. I heard when you make those faces for too long, it'll freeze and stay like that. Kinda…like this." Instantaneous Freeze. Before anyone could even utter a single syllable Silver completely froze every present member of White Eclipse in his demonic ice. After seeing the damage he did, Sliver gave a faux frown before chuckling softly. "Aww, see? What did I tell you? Faces like that are terrible!"

"…." Selene did not expect Silver to take it that far…but she didn't care. Simply shrugging her shoulders, she quite literally turned her back to White Eclipse and began to walk off. "That felt great."

"A little anti-climactic, but we did the job anyway." Silver rubbed the back of his head. Taya silently followed behind; that smile never leaving her lips.

Even as the demons of Tartarus and Selene walked off…there was one person who was capable of melting the ice that Silver possessed. Though it was slow…the flames of Kuro Crane burned bright…

.

.

Rugal swung his katana at Cobra with accurate precision. Despite the swiftness of his slashes, Cobra was more than capable of swaying out of the way of each and every slash. "Come now…for a demon of your caliber, I expected a little more accuracy. But of course, all of your actions are meaningless, because I can hear it all."

Rugal aimed yet another slash at Cobra's torso, but it was swiftly evaded. "Hm…your hearing is truly impeccable to be able to avoid all of my slashes. I expected nothing less of the famed Poison Dragon…but I'm afraid I must do everything in my power to ensure you do not stand in my way." Rugal then stabbed his sword into the air, using his curse power to tear open a void; that void then released a gigantic beam of energy that covered an exceptionally wide radius.

"…!" Cobra crossed his arms, a wall of poison forming before him. This wall only lasted so long against the beam of energy before it was blown apart and Cobra found himself thrown back from the force. "Tch…!" Sliding along the ground, he could oddly no longer hear, or see Rugal. "What...? Where on earth…"

"Not on earth…" Rugal's voice echoed before a void opened behind Cobra, the demon emerging to slash Cobra's back. Luckily for Cobra he could hear this at the last second and quickly twisted his body to evade, however he was still hit and staggered forward before Rugal vanished once again. "I must concede to your hearing…I'm sure there no place in this dimension you cannot here…but does your hearing extend to that of another dimension?"

Rugal's assault continued. Voids appeared and Rugal slashed Cobra, just barely managing directly hit the poison dragon. Damage was damage and it was starting to annoy Cobra. "Tch…! So this is how you choose to fight? Such cowardice from a Tartarus Demon…" Right as he said that, Rugal emerged for a frontal assault. Having Rugal take the bait was all a part of Cobra's plan. Swiftly evading the next slash, a fist coated with poison was slammed into Rugal's chest where it then exploded, sending the demon skidding backwards. "About time."

"Hm…" Rugal winced just slightly from the poison seeping into his system, however he paid it no mind. "Interesting. But I will not allow you to stand in our way for much longer. Move or you shall be moved."

"Heh…" A smirk curled onto Cobra's lips. His sleeves began to deteriorate and purple scales started to form along his arms until they nearly resembled that of a dragon's. Dragon Force was active and Cobra was going go all out. "Putting my life on the line for that man…how things have changed." Thrusting his arm forward, a magenta magic seal formed in front of him. "Poison Dragon's Fang Thrust!" From the seal, two spiraling streams of poison resembling sharp fangs flew forward towards Rugal with full intent to chomp down on the demon fiercely.

"A valiant last stand. You have my respect." Rugal nodded to Cobra before taking a hold of his blade once again. Dashing forward, Rugal cut through a majority of the Fang Thrust. What he fail to remove would in fact poison him severely, but his focus was on the task at hand. Just before reaching Cobra a void was cut open just in front of the poison dragon and Rugal slipped though. Another void then opened behind Cobra and Rugal's foot was pressed against Cobra's back, kicking him into the void that was then closed. Cobra was now lost in the void…. "But that is all it is. A last stand."

.

Rose and Sora stood back to back, not even glancing in Racer's direction as he ran around the two girls in circles, coming to a halt every so often just to make some sort of remark. "What's the matter? You two don't want to play? I'm not one for hurting little girls, but you're giving me little choice in the matter."

"…Why is his nose so long and sharp?" Sora asked Rose.

To that, Rose shrugged. "I dunno, it looks kinda dangerous, though. I wonder if it would snap like a twig if I pulled it?"

"Hmmm…" Sora crossed her arms and tilted her head in deep thought. "Maybe we should rip it off and use it as a weapon! Yeah, Sora would love to stab him with it!" Just the mere thought gave Sora a far too gleeful grin a child should be wearing.

"Noted." Nodding, Rose turned and pointed at Racer. "Hey. You. Pinocchio. Gimme your nose."

"Why you…!" Deciding to hear no more of this childish back and forth between the two, Racer reared his arm back and charged forward, slamming his fist into Rose's cheek, following up with a kick to Sora's side. Due to the momentum he had behind him, Rose slid back several yards before coming to a halt with her head snapped to the side while Sora rested on a knee. "Heh."

"….." Rose spat out some blood before grinning widely. "Didn't your mother ever teach you some proper fucking manners? It's not polite to hit a girl, least of all a little girl. Otherwise you just get…burned." On that cue, Rose's Flame Body Curse activated, searing demonic flames erupting around him.

"Gyah…!" Racer cried out, staggering backwards in pain. He was going to run, however he suddenly found himself bound to the ground; betrayed by his own shadow, Racer was now unable to move.

"You're our new toy." Sora's innocent smile sent a chill down Racer's spine. "We're going to break you, right, Rose-chan?" Smiling at Rose, Sora then used her own shadow to conjure several spikes. These obsidian spikes flew towards Racer who crossed his arms, gritting in pain as they stabbed and grazed him.

"Nggk…these little girls…." Racer growled lowly form pain before conjuring several red magic seals beside him. These seals manifested several tires and motorcycles with their engines revved and roaring to go. "This has been fun…but I can't afford to waste any more time. I won't let you anywhere near Jellal. Dead Grand Prix." On that vocal cue, the vehicles and all its parts drove at full throttle towards Rose and Sora.

Rose sighed, shaking her head all disappointedly. "Oh…how humans struggle when at their last legs. I've never noticed it before until now." Shrugging, dark red flames flickered around her body before she pointed her head forward. "Omega Fire Demon's Rage." Exhaling, a large wave of flame was unleashed from Rose's mouth; the torrent completely consumed all in its path. Nothing stood a chance at the end of it all. Racer lay on the ground, not moving an inch with heavy burn marks all along his body. "Whew. Such a waste of time. And here I thought he was going to provide us with a little more fun."

"Sora agrees. That was no fun at all." With a small sigh, Sora started to walk off along with Rose. They did have a job to do after all. The only thing that mattered in the end was the capture of Jellal Fernandes, and nothing was going to stand in their way of completing their objective.

.

With use of one hand, Arcturus held up the gravely injured Angel right off the ground. She was barely alive and that fact alone made Arcturus frown. "Hey now. You're not supposed to be dead just yet. I enjoy eating my food when it's still got some life left in it. I savor the flavor more that way…" Looking Angel over, his tongue dragged against his lower lip and he moved in for a taste…sinking his sharp fangs into her shoulder. In that instant Angel let out an extremely loud cry of pain while kicking about in Arcturus' grip. Pulling back, Arcturus licked the blood from his lips and smiled. "Now that's a good taste. I'm going to have to take you back and finish you off for later."

"A-Ah…" Angel panted heavily. One eye was shut and the other just weakly glared at the demon. "How…foul…you demon. You think…you can just do whatever you want to an angel…? Such…blasphemy…that cost…is far more than you can ever hope to compensate for." She managed to drop roughly 20 golden coins on the ground. Suddenly, a large, bearded angel emerged from ground wielding a large hammer. This angel then swiftly brought the hammer down on Arcturus; the ground shattered and caved in on impact….and with his free hand, Arcturus's palm flatly held the hammer and he was unscathed. "Huh….?!"

"Angels…peh…never been a fan of them." Arcturus spat. The darkness demon then unleashed a wave of darkness from his hand, shattering the angel with complete ease. Turning his attention back to Angel, it was clear she had little fight left in her. "Now then…where were we?" At that moment, a spiraling beam of darkness struck his wrist; the sudden impact made him drop Angel and he was quite annoyed at the mark it left on his hand. "…Oh. You're still alive?"

A wounded Midnight held his fingers forward, panting heavily with a look of anger. "I…will not fall asleep by your filthy hands, wretched demon."

.

Jellal, Meredy, and Ultear. They could all feel it…the Oracion Seis was losing. But they were holding off the demons. As much as Jellal wanted to turn back to help them, that was not an option. He was the target, and judging by Tartarus' actions thus far, who knows what they would do to him if he allowed himself to be captured. "Tch…!"

"I think we're safe here…" Meredy let out a heavy sigh. "I can't believe Tartarus has come after us…what could they want with you?"

"They were after all Council members based on that announcement." Ultear crossed her arms, frowning a bit. "…So in that case…I may be a target as well."

While the trio began to discuss Tartarus' motives, Tobias and Ruika were watching above on elevated ground. "Heh…time to drop in…" Tobias cracked his knuckles but Ruika completely ruined his moment.

"Shut up, Tobias." Ruika shook her head. "To be honest, I don't even want to do this...I question why we still follow orders. But for now…I suppose I will follow them and do my part to the best of my ability…for now. So follow me, and don't screw up like you usually do, got it?"

Well, that was…something. But Tobias found it very relatable and gave a nod of his own, preparing to jump whenever Ruika was. "Yeah, yeah…I got it."

.

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Next Time: No Chance to Repent.


	44. Chapter 44: No Chance to Repent

Falling to the ground, Angel placed one hand on her bleeding shoulder as exasperated breaths escaped her. After Arcturus literally took a bite out of her she lost all feeling in her arm. She could not believe that she was actually in danger of being eaten alive by a demon. Such a possibility never occurred to her even once, but now that she was staring death in the face…it made her face pale. Any other kind of death would have been acceptable given the situation…but this… "N-Ngh…"

"Types like you are the worst…" Arcturus tilted his head while staring at Midnight. Even through the bandages covering his eyes, his gaze was deadly. "The kind of guy that gets in the way of a man and his stomach. That's a crime, you know? One punishable by death."

"You talk too much." Midnight had grown tired of this exchange. Lifting an index finger up, his Reflector Magic activated. "Spiral Pain." On that cue, a vortex appeared around Arcturus. This vortex contained invisible blades that sliced at the darkness demon. Cuts began to appear along Arcturus' clothes and skin and to Midnight this just meant damage was being dealt.

"Feh…" Arcturus merely scoffed at Midnight's Spiral Pain. "You call this, 'pain'?" Arcturus questioned while tilting his head. His mouth opened and tongue hung out, a sadistic sneer painting his features. "Come on, if you're half the mage you claim to be, try something else. Any mage I've encountered worth their salt could at least provide a sizable injury…"

"You mock me, demon?" Midnight's eyes narrowed before flashing for a moment. It looked as though several fouls demons began to surround Arcuturus, preparing their own beams of magic to utterly annihilate the demon before them. Lifting his arm up, he released a beam of darkness that he could manipulate at will towards Arcturus. "Dark Rondo." The piercing effect of this spell would no doubt inflict terrible damage on even someone like Arcturus. At least, this is what Midnight believed.

Arcturus merely sighed, a hand reaching up to undo the bandages around his eyes. "Here I thought a criminal band would provide some entertainment. So far, not even a little." Once the bandages came off, his eyes slowly began to open. "Empty Eye." A flash blinded Midnight and Angel as a shockwave produced from Arcturus. This shockwave completely nullified all magic within a one mile radius, even his own, but that wasn't a problem since he was a demon.

"W-What…?" Midnight couldn't do anything. His illusions were cut through with such ease it left him bewildered. "My magic…my illusion…"

"All pathetic." Arcturus shook his head as streams of darkness began appear around his mouth. "Darkness Demon's…Rage." Arc threw his head forward, a massive torrent of darkness shot from his mouth at Midnight. Midnight had no defense for this and was quite literally blown away by darkness much darker than his own.

Watching Midnight get blown away caused Angel's eyes to widen. "M-Macbeth…!" Out of pure worry Angel stood up and prepared to run in the direction Arcturus unleashed his Rage, but before she could get too far Arcturus merely chopped the back of her neck. Angel's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed, unconscious.

"Ah, you're not going anywhere except with me. Besides, this mission isn't done just yet." Arcturus then grabbed Angel by the leg, allowing his wings to spread from his back before taking into the air.

.

Hoteye was down on a knee, panting heavily while staring up at Maggie. The lava demoness was casually filing her nails without a care in the world, hardly scathed by any of Hoteye's attacks. "I do hate it when my warnings fall on deaf ears. I'm beginning to suspect I shouldn't waste my voice on you cretins."

"This…isn't a very favorable situation at all…" Hoteye admitted. However the last thing he was going to do was just kneel over and fall before a demon. "But…I will not hand over Jellal without a fight!" Pointing two fingers down at the ground…it started to liquefy, dragging Maggie down slowly like quicksand.

"Bloody hell…?" Maggie's gaze went towards the sinking ground. Before she could say or do anything else, the liquefied ground wrapped itself around Maggie to form a solid cocoon. Only seconds later did Hoteye detonate his spell; the cocoon wrapped around Maggie exploded violently. The only remains of Maggie left after such an attack was globs of lava scattered about on the field.

"Whew…" Hoteye let out a heavy exhale. He truly believed he managed to finish Maggie off…oh, but how naïve he was to think such a thing. Hoteye didn't notice the little globs of lava crawling across the ground to reform into Maggie. It was only made apparent when the lava demoness spoke once again.

"Blimey…didn't you know it's rude to touch a lady without her permission?" With an irritated expression, Maggie's arm shot forward, tendrils emerging from her arm to impale Hoteye in the chest. Using her high strength, she merely flicked her arm backwards and sent Hoteye soaring with grievous wounds. "Bloody hell…" Maggie then casually dusted off her clothes with a small groan. "Got my clothes all ruffled…"

.

.

"On my cue…" Ruika held up three fingers, keeping Jellal, Meredy, and Ultear in her sights. The trio was very unsuspecting of their presence which provided the perfect opportunity for an ambush. "Three…two…one…now."

On Ruika's cue Tobias conjured a red magic seal before him. "Flame Dragon!" From the seal, a dragon composed of harsh flames shot forth, diving down towards the unaware trio at an alarming speed.

Jellal sensed the rise in magic at the last second. "…! Watch out!" Right as he said that, the Flame Dragon exploded on the ground before all three of them, scattering the trio upon impact. "Gnk..!" Flipping, Jellal planted one hand flat on the ground while sliding back to force his momentum to stop. "We were being followed?!"

"It was a shame you couldn't even sense us. I guess you're really slipping…" Ruika said while shaking her head. She was prepared to pull out a key; however a sphere struck her shoulder and made her recoil. "Tch…time magic…"

"How unfortunate. You can run as much as you want, but you won't be able to hide." Tobias finally arrived on the scene himself, tugging at his scarf with a cocky grin. "By now those six idiots should be soundly defeated and perhaps even dead. All because they were thinking about your safety."

"Don't listen to them, Jellal." Ultear spoke while keeping her eyes on Tobias and Ruika. "I will keep these two busy. Meredy, go with Jellal."

"U-UI…" Meredy swallowed before nodding. Exchanging glances with Jellal, the two decided to go on ahead while Ultear dealt with Tobias and Ruika. "Please be safe…"

"Of course." Ultear nodded before turning her attention back to the two demons. "Now then…I will make sure you don't take another step forward."

.

.

"Ultear's going to be fine, don't worry." Jellal eased Meredy's worries. "For the time being, we must escape and think of a plan of action…"

"Peek-a-boo, Sora sees you!" Sora dropped down from above, right in front of Jellal and Meredy. Rose then dropped down as well, wings sprouted from her back along with a wide grin of her own.

"Ah ha! Found you." Rose crossed her arms and laughed evilly. "Now we'll get the credit for bringing you in. Man, this is a good day already!"

"A-Aren't you…" Meredy recognized Rose right away, but getting the confirmation to her question wasn't going to happen, for both her and Jellal were bound to the ground by their own shadows. "W-What is this…!?"

"Sora doesn't want you two going anywhere." Sora gave a firm nod along with a childish grin. "Rose-chan and I are going to have a lot of fun with the two of you…" Sora's childish grin slowly morphed into something more monstrous; a face one would see just before their own death. Before Sora could do much of anything else, a cyan blade stabbed right through her chest. There was no physical harm done, but it was more than enough to briefly collapse her nervous system and make her fall over motionless with widened eyes. "…W-What…." Even though she was a member of Tartarus, Sora was still just a little girl so the level of pain was a little more than her body could currently handle.

"Sora…!?" Rose immediately turned to Meredy with a look of hatred. With flames blazing around her fist, she leapt forward to punch Meredy in the face. Luckily for Meredy, since she was no longer bound by her shadow she could bring her arms up to block. The force Rose put behind her punch was more than enough to send the pinkette skidding backwards across the ground.

"Agh…" Meredy groaned, feeling her arms throbbing and crying out from the burning sensation of Rose's punch. Before much else could occur, flames briefly erupted around Meredy as a result of Rose's Curse. Meredy fought through the pain and turned to Jellal. "Jellal! GO!"

Jellal didn't need to be told twice. Nodding to Meredy, a golden aura quickly enveloped his body. By use of Meteor, Jellal escaped the scene leaving Meredy to deal with the two demons.

"As for you…" Meredy wasted no time in creating a Sense Link between herself and Rose. "I don't know what happened to you, but I won't allow you to bring any harm to Jellal." Meredy lifted her arms up before slamming her hands down on the ground, creating a geyser of sensory blades to erupt from beneath the ground. This did manage to catch Rose off guard and deliver a large amount of pain, and of course whatever Rose received, Meredy would receive in full due to their link. "Agh…"

"Oof…" Rose grunted in pain while sliding backwards, staring at the pink 'band' on her wrist. "What is this thing…? Get it off me now."

"Not until you answer my question." Meredy shot back.

"I don't have answer to you!" Rose exclaimed while red flames began trailing from her arms. She sped forward to 'slash' Meredy with these wings of flame. "Omega Fire Dragon's Wing Slash!" Meredy was thrown back by Rose's attack. Of course, what Meredy felt, Rose felt. However Rose was immune to the sensation of searing flames on her skin, she could still feel her own raw power in full. "Agh…" After sliding to a halt, her knees quivered slightly before turning back to Meredy. "You are…very damn annoying. You can't beat me on your own terms, so you have to do this…!?" Rose shouted. She then placed a hand on her head, feeling a severe headache coming on. "N-Ngh…agh…"

"Cynthia…" Meredy clenched her hand into fist. "I don't know what these monsters did to you…but you have to fight it! Does Fairy Tail know!? Don't you think they're going to come and save you? You don't have to do this!"

"Y-You…" Rose growled.

It all happened at once. A flood of uncontrollable emotions poured out from Rose: Hate, anger, sadness, regret, happiness, and confusion. This whirlpool of emotions was too much for Meredy to even begin trying to understand let alone feel, and Rose felt the exact same way. Both females let out a shriek of pain before Meredy was forced to severe the Sensory Link before she ended up suffering emotional trauma. "W-Wh…What happened to you…?" Meredy panted heavily with a cold sweat beading down her forehead. "Cynthia…?"

Having mostly recovered from her pain, Sora sat up while watching the interaction between Meredy and Rose with widened eyes. "Rose-chan!?"

Rose heard 'crack' within her head. It wasn't her skull…but rather, her mind. Whatever it was, it was driving her insane. With ragged breaths, she stared up at Meredy, flames flickering around her body once again. "W-What did you do to me? My head…no, stop, shut up! Cynthia is…d-dead…! I'll kill you!" Rose didn't even know what she was saying anymore. Her arm was pulled back and she just lunged at Meredy with her palm open.

"C-Cynthia stop…!" Meredy screamed, completely frozen in fear at Rose's shouting. The last thing Meredy was saw Rose lunging at her before it all went black…

.

.

Jellal believed to have found a small place to hide. "I'm sorry everyone…" He looked back regretfully. The fact that everyone risked their own safety in order to protect him… "I must go warn Fairy Tail of this…perhaps they can do something."

"Sorry, but you won't be going anywhere…" A void opened up, Rugal stepping out with his katana in hand. "I'm afraid I cannot let that happen."

"Tch…" Jellal didn't think they'd catch up so quickly. Nonetheless, he could handle one of them easily…well, that was until the others started showing up: Tobias, Ruika, Maggie, Rose, Sora, and finally…Arcturus from the sky with an unconscious Angel in his hands. "…!"

"You finally decide to stop runnin'?" Tobias questioned. Both he and Ruika looked banged up…but clearly it didn't matter much in the end.

"They're all dead or left for dead." Arcturus said while holding up Angel. "This one's coming with us too as a snack."

"Sorano…!" Jellal glared daggers at the demons that surrounded him. "You…"

"Now you could've easily prevented this by coming with us…" Maggie said while running a hand through her hair. "But instead you just left your comrades for dead. Not a good leader, are we? For shame, love…for shame."

"If you do not come quietly with us, I will make sure to rob the last breath of those who still live and bring the remains of their life to a swift end." Rugal's voice was calm, but serious. Jellal had no options here. "They will no longer have any chance to repent for any sin they have committed."

"…As long as you leave them be." Jellal dropped his guard. There was nothing he could do for himself, or for those who fought to protect him; their lives were in danger and there was naught he could do. He felt utterly powerless in this situation. Right then, he was knocked the hell out with a swift chop to his neck from Arcturus.

"Gotta love these types of missions. All right, let's head back so I can start my feast." Arcturus grinned.

.

.

Erza felt an odd chill crawling up her spine. She couldn't quite describe what it was but it did take her attention off the discussion for the time being. "…?"

Lucy patted Erza on the shoulder to get her attention. "Erza, are you okay?"

"Huh…?" Erza blinked before giving a nod. "Yes, I'm fine…don't worry about me. Let us begin the discussion of the plan. These demons will not get away with this."

.

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Next Time: The Counterattack!


	45. Chapter 45: The Counterattack!

"So how are we gonna kick these asshole's asses?!" Natsu looked around, just waiting for a plan of action to follow. As long as it involved kicking a Tartarus' demon's ass, he was going to follow it.

"We have every guild on this communication, yes?" Erza glanced around, noticing that the White Eclipse signal was still out. It only remained this way for a few moments before it clicked up, showing Calium on screen. "Oh…Master Calium, is everything all right?"

"We are fine." Calium reported. "An unexpected event occurred and temporarily blocked our channel, however everything is all right. What seems to be the issue now?"

"Tartarus is making their move and continues to advance." Makarov explained. "They are targeting the Wizard Saints…old and new. So it is imperative that we form an alliance as quickly as possible. We should send mages to other guilds for added protection."

"I agree with Makarov-san!" Sting exclaimed. "There is strength in numbers. We can't afford to stay divided like this. It will only make us easier targets."

"As much as I hate agreeing with the dragon slayer…" Satoshi tipped his hat. "I suppose he has a point. The wind's been moving in an unsettling fashion…so I believe it would be best to be there for each other."

"You don't have to worry about Black Phoenix." Anri said while rudely eating a sandwich. She was indeed listening but perhaps she was taking the situation less seriously than everyone else. "If anyone of those nonthreatening demons even tries to step foot in my guild, I'll send them to the abyss of the void forever more."

"That's nice 'n all…" Mac commented. "But I reckon it's better to stick in greater numbers. Only a fool would try to solo Tartarus." Right after he said that, Natsu was literally about to bust out of the guild, but Erza grabbed the back of his scarf and yanked him back into position.

"You're not going anywhere just yet. Keep still." Erza demanded.

"So, what is the plan?" Minoru spoke. He usually wasn't one for these discussions but Avani was currently resting and he was the guild master of Radioactive Decay so it naturally fell on him. "I'm going to be setting up a defensive rune around this guild to prevent any demon from stepping inside. Though we what we're dealing with I'm not sure how effective it will be."

"Always thinkin' ahead." Satoshi commented on Minoru's plan; however it only just irritated silently aggravated the usually silent guild master.

"Regardless…" Minoru continued. "With the Council out of commission…it falls on us to be on the defensive."

"You are absolutely right, Minoru." Makarov nodded. "Which is why we will not allow these demons to rob anymore lives from us; I will divide my guild into teams and send them out to a few guilds. I'm sure the rest of you will do the same." With that, the communication shut off. Turning to his kids, Makarov prepared to break them into groups. "Is everyone ready to move out?"

"Yes!" Wendy nodded. "I'm going wherever Cynthia ends up going! I want to save her as soon as possible!" Wendy's goal was only driven forward by that odd sensation she felt earlier. Those two were more connected than the surface revealed.

"We're not letting those demons get the jump on us anymore." Gray grit his teeth. Just looking at the damage done to Magnolia got his blood boiling and he was going to make sure that Tartarus' paid for what they did.

"What about Sparky and the others?" Cana questioned. "How are we going to help them…?"

"I just need a sample of blood from the demon that created the Magic Barrier Particles." Porlyuisca said while emerging from the infirmary. "If I can get that, then I will be able to create cure for them."

"Sounds simple enough." Gajeel grinned. "Just another excuse to beat the shit out of those demons, I like it."

Levy spoke up even as everyone was getting pumped up to fight. "I was thinking…if the Council was in danger…doesn't that mean the former members like Yajima-san are also in danger? Shouldn't we do something about them, too…?"

"You're right, Levy." Makarov was already on top of things.

Mavis sat herself on the bar, looking to each and every one of her Fairies. "Sixth and I have already devised a plan for everyone to cover as much space as possible without being exposed to a surprise demon attack. Everyone, our counterattack begins now!"

While everyone was getting hype, Erza pulled Jet over to the side and handed him a letter. "Jet, I have a very important request for you. I need you to take this letter somewhere important; it will inform them of our current situation. I believe their assistance will be crucial in fending off this attack if it will grow as grave as I fear it."

Seeing to whom the letter was addressed to, Jet's eyes widened. "O-Okay…! I'll be there and back in a flash!" With that, Jet zoomed out of the guild at full speed.

.

.

Zalen was freaking out at the ruined guild he LITERALLY just rebuilt a few days prior. It was a mess, and knowing how much of a neat freak Zalen was… "I….I just built this?! And it's already in ruins?! WHY!?" Comical tears began falling from the building mage's eyes like a never ending waterfall of sadness. Truly, he was at such a loss for words.

"Did you see who attacked us…?" Saraya asked while looking at the others. "I saw a face I did not recognize…and the other…"

"That was undoubtedly Selene…." Luke turned his hand into a fist and punched a piece of rubble, anger written all over his face.

"After we spent all that time looking for her…?" Draco looked at Luke, not exactly as big a fan of this situation like everyone else. "What the hell happened to her while she was gone?"

"Whatever it was…" Roxanne crossed her arms over her chest, letting out an annoyed huff. "Might just have to beat it out of her, just to be safe."

"I'm not really a fan of having one conversation with her and later she tries to kill me…" Tyson remarked. "What, did I say something to offend her?"

"Doesn't matter." Reve stated. "She turned on us. She's no longer a member of White Eclipse, she's an enemy."

"Oi…" Heather placed her hand on Reve's shoulder. He was tense as all hell, given the situation. "You saw her too, didn't you? Taya?"

"I thought she was dead…" Luke scowled. "I saw it happen…"

"Is everyone okay…!?" Aira and Jaxon finally returned to the guild, only to see it in ruin.

"I've…had better days…" Micaiah was leaning against what was left of a support beam, a hand brought to her chest breathing heavily with a red face. Vanya was supporting her; even though the woman was blind she could clearly sense something was wrong with Micaiah.

"Micaiah-chan…take it easy…" Vanya said. "Your heart rate is off the charts…"

"How many enemies do you guys have…?" Shinji scoffed. "It's like this place gets destroyed every other day…"

"Ease up…" said Yuji.

"…." Sophie didn't say anything. Instead she just looked off in the distance with her usual blank stare.

Mary then chimed in, clapping her hands loudly to get everyone's attention. "If you can move, get moving. Other guilds are going to be attacked and the demons are going to keep attacking. We can discuss the specifics later. Kuro, I want you to…"

Kuro nodded, already knowing what Mary was going to tell him to do. "I know. I'm on it, Mary."

"A dark time is coming…" Leon commented. "I will not forgive anyone who harms my nakama…but I promise to put my best foot forward in saving those tainted by darkness."

"Don't bother with Taya." Reve said while requipping a pistol. "Leave her to me. Because the second I see her again…I'm going to shoot her on sight."

.

.

In Hell's Core, Lamy was tending to those who returned: Franmalth and Tempesta. She was only slightly annoyed considering how they were when they left. "Geez…what happened to you two in the short time you were gone?! Both of you were in body bags, huh? Fwahaha! Also, Tempesta, this needs to stop happening. Did you blow yourself up again…?"

"Those humans! They avoided my cost!" Franmalth was very bitter about his defeat at the hands of the Raijinshu. All of those souls he consumed just stolen by Bickslow aggravated him to no end, and that was saying something considering her wore that smarmy smile 24/7.

 _"_ _Everything was done for the sake of the mission….humans…have died…."_ That was all Tempesta was going to be able to say. Because once he was reborn, he would have no recollection of anything prior to his revival.

"That's it." Lamy started with an annoyed huff. "This time I'm going to turn you into a hunk when you emerge. Of course your new look will never compare to that of Jackal-kun, but it will give me something to look at while he's away!" Lamy was already on board with her own idea and she started to wiggle in place with a content smile. She then glanced over at Minerva in the tube, arms crossed while she tapped her foot. "You're still not ready just yet…but you just might be the most hideous butterfly I've ever created!"

.

Elsewhere within Tartarus, Jellal was thrown before Marde's feet in the throne room, magic sealing stone cuffed around his wrists to prevent him from trying anything funny. Arcturus grinned while holding up Angel, who was still unconscious. "Here you go, boss. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go eat."

"Wait…" Jellal was practically begging for Angel to be spared. "Do not bring any harm to her…she did nothing wrong. Just…tell me what it is you want and leave her out of this."

Hearing Jellal's plea, Marde merely smirked. "As I thought…humans are so fragile with their 'bonds'. It's sickening sweet…and easily exploitable. Arc, you will hold on your feast of that human female. For she will be the bargaining chip to make Jellal do whatever it is we please."

Hearing that, Arc frowned but he understood. "As long as I get to finish her off later, you won't hear any complaints from me."

"But of course." Marde replied, crossing one leg over the other. Arc dropped Angel and just walked off; meanwhile, Marde returned his gaze to the sneering Jellal. "Preparations are not complete quite yet. You will sit comfortably while we wait. But while we wait, I'd love for you to tell me a story. The story that is the Face project."

.

.

News of what was happening in Fiore spread throughout the rest of Earthland as usual; how it happened was still unknown since the situation was still contained within the country. Ashnard was prepared to grill the royalty of Fiore once again for their incompetence. As such, a screen appeared in the throne room and Ashnard appeared on it, shaking his head with a smarmy grin. "I grow tired of reminding you of your ineptitude…" He was going to continue, however the one on the throne wasn't whom he was expecting.

Emmeraude was sitting in Toma's throne, one leg crossed over the other while her head rested against her fist. "Oh, King Ashnard. It's been quite some time." The woman spoke while kicking her leg softly, smiling towards the tyrant. "What has your attention this time? You've been causing my little Hisui so much stress lately hounding her over every little thing." Hisui was sitting next to Emmeraude in her own seat, just glaring at Ashnard.

"Now what are you doing in that seat?" Ashanrd questioned. "It doesn't suit you. What of the situation in Fiore. I have Intel that once again, that country's danger could spell the end for Earthland. I grow tired of having to remind this country that…"

The emerald haired woman giggled before shifting her legs, leaning back in the seat with a growing smile. "Everything is already under control. The guilds are acting on their own accord, and I've already had the King rally up the troops to counter attack. I think I could be a better ruler of this place than Toma, don't you think Hisui dear?"

"Mhm…" Hisui gave a firm nod of agreement. "Emmeraude is always acting quickly for our best interests. Some of her ideas even my father hasn't thought of."

"What the…" Ashnard quirked his brow at Hisui's words. Something wasn't right here….but in the end it literally was not his problem despite that he was curious as to how Emmeraude ended up sitting on another country's throne so comfortably. "Very well….I'll be eager to see how your leadership pans out."

"Another thing." Emmeraude added. "Protos Heis is without a doubt in this area…and from the reports of that Lambda Virus you've been so eager about…the results will be quite interesting." Before Ashnard could say anything else, Emmeraude cut the connection, purple painted lips pursing together before she giggled. "Having an entire country underneath your heel….It's good to be Queen."

.

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Next Time: An Explosive Confrontation!

Writer's Note: I will gone over the weekend after today, so chapters will resume sometime next week!


	46. Chapter 46: Explosive Confrontation!

"The wind ain't blowing too nicely outside…" Satoshi sat in the guild hall of Shaman's Haven, taking a sip of sake after the communication with all of the other guilds. "These demons are stirring up unnecessary trouble for the rest of us…"

"Just let me at 'em!" Mason shouted with confidence. "I'll take out any demon that even tries to step up to Shaman's Haven. They won't have a chance."

"Settle down, Mason…" Satoshi could not help but grin slightly at Mason's excitement. "We're not making any hasty moves until those reinforcements from another guild arrive. Until then we're sitting put."

Hearing that reinforcements were coming just made Mason's grin wider. "Heh…I hope some of those girls from Sorcerer's Weekly drop by. They're not on the covers for nothing, you know?" This young man was secretly hoping their backup would be along the lines of Mirajane or Jenny.

"I'm still worried…" Melanie – yeah, the same one from Twilight Zone it's been a while huh – said while poking her fingers together. "They're after the Wizard Saints, right?" A concerned gaze went to Satoshi. "Doesn't that put you in danger, Master?"

"Mm…" Satoshi was well aware of this fact, but he did not show much concern as to not worry those in his guild. "I'm not worried."

"Of course, you've got us." Azur flexed. "Roy's not back yet, but I guess it won't take long for the big guns to arrive after that message we got a few hours ago. But we'll just have to hold the fort down on our own."

"Exactly." Mason nodded a few times. "Just leave it to me. I will take charge in Roy's stead!"

"Who died and made you leader, short stack?" Azur looked down at Mason with a mix between a quizzical expression and a cocky grin. "Just leave the leadership to the big kids, aka me, got it?"

"You tryna go!?" Mason puffed his chest out, glaring towards Azur. Comical lightning began to zap from their shared gaze, but leave it to Melanie to shove the two away from each other.

"You two need to knock it off…!" The water dragon slayer exclaimed. She was about to say more, however her nose twitched from an unfamiliar scent. "…? What is that smell…?" Furthermore, her ears were picking up some high pitched squeal. "…! Wait a second, everyone get down!" Right after she said that, a large explosion blew off most of the Shaman's Haven's guild hall.

Luckily, Azur created a shield of water vapor to protect everyone present from the force of the explosion. Dispelling the barrier, he stared up at the somewhat disappointed Jackal. "Looks like one of them decided to drop in early…"

"Keh…and here I was hoping to blow at least one of you to bits. How unfortunate." Jackal ignored everyone else excluded Satoshi. "All right, Wizard Saint. I'll make this quic-" Before he could finish, a metal pellet struck him square in the forehead, snapping his head back. Growling, the explosive demon stared at Mason, who held his slingshot at the ready while sticking his tongue out childishly.

"You're gonna have to go through us first, ugly." Mason said.

.

.

"Leave Tartarus…" Tobias was reading a message on his lacrima phone from Rugal and Rukia. The three already decided that they had enough of Tartarus; demons or no. It was a thought that lingered in their minds for a while now and with this 'final operation' Tartarus began, it was just about that time. Rukia and Rugal were already prepared to 'vanish' during this operation; Tobias was the only one who had to mull this over for several reasons. One of them being: what would happen if they left? Surely, neither Marde nor Daityas would just ALLOW them to leave. But if they were gone, what could they do…?

Marde appeared behind Tobias, Jellal was forced to go with him as well for what was about to be a 'demonstration'. "What does that message say, Tobias?"

With a chill rushing up his spine, Tobias quickly crushed his device within his palm and turned to Marde with a nervous smile. "Oh, nothing, Marde-sama…! Wait…why is the captive roaming freely around with you?"

"Until everything is set, he is to accompany me. He has little reason to resist due to us having his little female friend locked in the dungeon." Marde explained. "But that is not relevant to this topic. I want to know what you were talking about. Would it have anything to do with Ruika and Rugal's lack of activity lately?"

Was Tobias really going to rat them out? "Ah…it was just…a discussion on what would happen if we left Tartarus. O-Of course though the offer sounded tempting at first, I realized I could never really go through with it and I'm sure they feel the same way."

"I see…" Marde nodded slowly. In the next instant he grabbed Tobias by the neck and slammed him against a wall, glaring towards Tobias. "Tempting? After all we've done for you, it's 'tempting' for you to leave? I see you've forgotten your place in this castle, Tobias. You are but a disgusting who happened to catch Daityas' eye. You do not have any right to try and up and leave as you place. You know what? You don't deserve your soul anymore. Franmalth."

On that cue, Franmalth, fully recovered, appeared. "My my…I'm very disappointed, Tobias. I liked you. But how much is the price for such treason? How much? Your soul." Several appendages shot out from Franmalth's body and wrapped around Tobias who had no way out. After a few moments Tobias became an empty shell, dropping to the floor while Franmalth consumed his soul; it was just the pick me up he needed after Bickslow's stunt earlier. "Ah! Much better!"

"…." Jellal quietly sucked in a breath. If Angel had not been brought into this castle he would've longed made a move long ago. But after watching how they dealt with insubordination with no remorse even he felt a little hesitant.

Keith happened to witness the event, now approaching Marde shortly before leaving for his set operation. "Marde-sama…I see an opportunity here. Can I take Tobias' empty shell and experiment on it?"

"Do whatever you wish, Keith." Marde replied and started to walk off, Jellal reluctantly following behind. "I will not allow anything to stand in the way of the revival of Master END. Not even those branded with the same mark."

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.

Azur formed a chained hook composed of water vapor and threw it forward at Jackal. The demon caught it just before it struck him, facing the mage with a toothy grin. "Before we start, I should probably let you know…my curse activates whenever I touch something. Like so…" Just like that, a line of explosions traveled down the chain until finally reaching Azur, blowing him through a wall. "HAHA! That never gets old!"

"Master, just leave this to us!" Melanie said to Satoshi before pointing her hands at Jackal. "Water Dragon's Prison!" The slayer formed a sphere of water that trapped and suspended Jackal in midair. "Mason, now!"

"On it!" Mason pulled his slingshot back, a yellow magic seal forming just in front of him. "Lightning Shot!" Releasing the string, another pellet shot forward, breaking through the yellow magic seal to become coated in high voltage electricity. The pellet shot into the sphere of water trapping Jackal, super charging the water to inflict massive damage on the demon. "How's that!?"

Gritting his teeth from annoyance and pain, Jackal's body emitted an explosion that dispersed the water from around him. "Okay, I'm done toying around with you humans! Every time you always seem to get in my way somehow!"

"Someone sounds a little irritated!" Azur thrusted his arms forward, unleashing several spears of scalding water vapor at Jackal. The demon crossed its arms, sliding back from the spears that struck him.

No one let up. Lightning exploded from around Melanie's body, activating her Water-lightning dual mode. Her cheeks began to inflate as she inhaled, collecting both water and lightning within her mouth. "Roar of the Water Lightning Dragon!" Throwing her head forward, a fierce torrent of water infused with lightning was sent forward. This struck Jackal and lifted him off his feet, the two elements blowing the demon away and out of the guild. After the roar, Melanie panted softly and nodded to her fellow guild mates. "I think we did it!"

"Not bad, not bad." Mason nodded several times. "How was that, Satoshi!"

"Well…" Satoshi was about to say something, but the ensuing explosion cut him off. A helix explosion occurred, more or less completely destroying the Shaman's Haven's guild hall, burying everyone under the rubble. "Agh…these demons…" Satoshi grunted while pushing some of the rubble off of him. "They really know how to disrupt the wind's flow…"

"I'm really getting sick of you humans putting up a fight…" The moderately injured Jackal rotated his shoulder while giving a sick grin. "But you know, it's fun watching that will to fight drain from your spirit slowly. Makes this annoying effort all worth it. Who should I start with first?" Melanie, Mason, and Azur were all incapacitated by the debris that fell on them, and it was clear if Satoshi made a move they'd all be at risk anyway. "Let's see…." Before Jackal could do anything else, a bomb was thrown in his face and exploded, causing him to stagger several steps backwards. "What the…!? What NOW?!"

"Yeesh…" Roy bounced a bomb in one hand. Although his face was always covered by a mask, that disapproving frown on his lips was very visible. "I leave for a few days and things go to hell." But he gave a nod of approval to the trio that tried to defend the guild and Satoshi. "You guys did great. I saw you kicked his ass out of the building, so this brat of a demon had to destroy it from the outside."

Roy's words got under Jackal's skin. With a feral growl Jackal pointed at Roy. "Who the hell are you?!"

"Roy. The Ace of Shaman's Haven. Explosive specialist." Roy responded before juggling several bombs in his hands." And I gotta say…what I've seen from you…is nothing more than a mere child playing with a firecracker."

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Emmeraude let out a small sigh, reading through the reports of Fiore's current status. "Demons attacking…Wizard Saints and Council members are either targets or dead…and there have been an unforgiving amount of casualties. Tartarus is quite an issue, isn't it?"

"Indeed…" Hisui frowned. "They've always preformed stunts in the past, but nothing to this caliber…I don't know what they could be after…"

Standing up, the new self-appointed Queen of Fiore began to walk off. "After taking a gander into those files, I have a feeling; something that links both of them together…and if that's the case, then my reign over this country won't even start."

"Emmeraude, where are you going?" Hisui stood up and started to follow behind the new Queen with a concerned expression.

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.

Roy and Jackal threw punches that clashed. An explosion occurred from the force of their collision and both of them slid back. Jackal's curse seal was branded on Roy's fist, causing the demon to laugh. "AHAHA! NOW BLOW TO BITS!" BOOM! An explosion occurred on Roy on the spot…and when it faded, Roy was just fine. "W-WHAT?!"

"I've dealt with explosions far worse than this." Roy said while shaking his hand as steam came from it. "This is child's play." The ace then pointed at Jackal's hand, where a similar seal lay in wait. "But uh…you got a little something. Called a Sticky Bomb, right there on you."

Jackal's eyes widened as he glanced at his own hand. That seal lit up before exploding powerfully, sending Jackal flying backwards as he received a taste of his own medicine. Sliding backwards after landing, Jackal stared at Roy with widened eyes. "W-What the hell are you!? Are you mocking me!?" With a roar, Jackal swung his hand forward to create a spiral explosion on Roy.

"Definitely." Roy smirked before pulling out his bomb bag, opening it up as a vacuum effect. The vacuum of his bottomless bomb back sucked in the explosion. Tying the knot on the bag, Roy then gave it a mighty toss at Jackal where…a larger spiral explosion occurred! Roy's special bag doubled the strength of Jackal's own attack! With a roar of pain Jackal flew backwards before landing on the ground, completely enraged.

"DAMN YOU HUMANS! EXPLODE INTO A MILLION PIECES! DIE DIE DIE!" Jackal began to rapid fire curse bombs at Roy. At the same time, Roy began to throw bombs just as quickly as Jackal, explosions filling the area until Roy's finally came to a halt. This led Jackal to believe Roy was finished. "HA! There shouldn't even be a body now."

And through the smoke, Roy's hand was right in Jackal's face. "Boom." An icy/fiery explosion occurred, sending Jackal skidding across the ground on his back. "Come now, demon…you're not going to defeat me."

"You…" Jackal's lips turned into a deranged smile. Extending his hand forward, several black spheres formed around Azur, Satoshi, Melanie, and Mason. "I'll play a game with you, how's that sound!? I'll let you pick which one dies first, and if you so much as twitch I'll kill them all!"

"Agh…" Roy's momentum stopped completely as everyone was put in danger.

"Roy…!" With everyone's lives at sake, this situation took a grim turn.

"So what now!?" Jackal questioned, his insanity rising every second. "WHO'S GONNA DIE!?"

"YOURS!" A voice shouted from out of nowhere. Natsu arrived on the scene, slamming his elbow into Jackal's chest to send him into an empty building nearby. "I choose yours." Behind him, Happy, Lucy, Wendy, and Carla arrived and witnessed the scene.

"You again!?" Jackal shook his head. "You just don't learn, do you!? My curse!"

"Oh, that? See, I figured something out from our last encounter…" The seal on Natsu's elbow shone brightly; however before it exploded he put it in his mouth and…BOOM! While it exploded, Natsu seemed 100% fine. He learned from last time. "Eating a bomb…actually isn't all that difficult."

"W-What the hell…"Jackal's eyes widened in what was pure fear. These humans he was dealing with…they couldn't be human…

With an animalistic grin on his lips, Natsu stared at Jackal. "Time for payback. 100 times over."

.

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Next Time: The Big Bang.


	47. Chapter 47: The Big Bang

"Great…" Satoshi rolled his eyes at Natsu's arrival. "Of all the people to come and lend a helping hand, it just HAD to be a dragon slayer, didn't it? Tell me how else this day could get any worse." As an Aspect, Satoshi would forever hold the highest distaste towards Dragon Slayers. Melanie was included in this for her reveal during the fight against Jackal, however considering her devotion to the guild as a guild master his feelings started to conflict.

"So…ready for round 3?" Natsu's grin at Jackal widened considerably.

"You…why don't you just lie down and die!?" Jackal was seriously fed up with all of this. Lunging towards Natsu, the explosive demon reached his hand out, a line of powerful explosions occurring and racing towards Natsu.

"Like I'd die to the likes of you!" Natsu bent his knees dodged to the side, easily avoiding the explosions before tucking his arms in while dashing forward. "Fire Dragon's Wing Slash!" Spreading his arms out, wings of flame trailed from his arms, adding an aerodynamic evasive maneuverability that increased his overall speed. In the blink of an eye Natsu sped past Jackal while slashing him with the wings of fire, inflicting a moderate amount of damage.

"You're all so very annoying…JUST EXPLODE!" Jackal uncrossed his arms and turned around, slamming his palm to the ground. A bright light started to emerge from the cracks in the ground underneath Natsu's feet before a rising explosion in the form of a geyser shot out, launching the Salamander into the air with a surprised cry.

"Natsu…!" Lucy cried out in worry.

"Natsu-san…!" Wendy shouted.

"Heh…" Though he sure felt that explosion it wasn't enough to slow Natsu down. Flipping in midair, flames surged around his body once again and he dove down towards Jackal while rearing his arm back. "Fire Dragon's…IRON FIST!" With all this momentum behind him, Natsu swung his fist at Jackal, a searing wave of flame overtaking the demon as he was crushed into the ground. There was a seal on Natsu's fist as a result, but as before he just swallowed it and negated the damage, smoke emitting from his lips. "Heh…"

"He's totally kicking that demon's butt now!" Happy cheered.

"Dazzling Blaze…" Natsu raised his hands over his head, creating a large fireball within his grasp. "Of the Fire Dragon!" Throwing his arms forward, Natsu unleashed this gigantic sphere of flame towards Jackal. Yet another direct hit, sending the demon gate skidding across the ruined ground before coming to a halt. "Oh, I'm not finished with you yet!" Natsu lunged forward, preparing to unleash hell on Jackal no matter what it took.

"YOU…" Jackal's limit was finally reached. He had enough of these humans just coming in and ruining whatever fun he was having every single time. Jackal's eyes turned feral and his entire being started to change dramatically. His body grew larger, his face contorted before becoming that akin to a hound with razor sharp fangs, his arms grew and claws lengthened. Jackal reached his Etherious Form. Just before Natsu could punch him, Jackal, well, beat him to the punch. Jackal's enlarged fist struck Natsu and an explosion occurred on contact, shooting Natsu far away.

"Ah…!" Wendy covered her mouth from Jackal's transformation.

"Just when you thought he couldn't get any uglier…" Carla quietly remarked.

"Is Natsu okay?!" Lucy asked.

"Just fine!" Natsu came to a halt, gritting his teeth while staring at Jackal.

"YOU HUMANS WILL ALL FALL TO THE MIGHT OF TARTARUS!" Jackal lost his mind by now. Jackal was a feral beast at heart and his assault on Natsu showed that; the rampaging demon clawed repeatedly at Natsu, looking for blood! Each slash had a vicious earth shattering explosion that followed.

"LIKE HELL WE WILL!" Natsu roared back, deftly stepping to the side to avoid Jackal's explosive slashes. "You demons have done far too much damage already! Taking Cynthia, killing innocents…Laxus had to sacrifice himself just to lower the casualties!" The fire dragon's fist was set ablaze once more and a vicious punch struck Jackal's face, making the demon stagger.

"THAT WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING! YOU'LL ALL BURN AND DIE!" Jackal growled whilst slamming his claws into the ground. The ground under Natsu shone brightly before exploding violently.

Natsu crossed his arms to defend against the explosion. When it faded his body was bruised and his outfit torn, but he refused to fall. "You bastards just don't understand…we're going to stop you no matter what!" Natsu reared his arm back, fire and lightning starting to swirl violently around his fist. "LAXUS! LEND ME YOUR STRENGTH!" Leaping forward with all of his might, Natsu gunned to take out Jackal in this one shot. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!" Natsu threw his arm forward with every ounce of strength he could muster, aiming to slam his fist directly into Jackal's chest for the finishing blow. A gigantic wave of lightning and flame shot forth from the fire dragon's fist, overtaking Jackal completely while completely taking out several buildings in the process. When the flames and lightning receded, Jackal lay on the ground in his normal form. "Got you, bastard."

"N-Natsu, look…!" Lucy pointed at Natsu in a panic. There were several seals on his body and all of them exploded before he could really do anything about it. After the fire dragon just lay on the ground in pain, but with a victorious smile on his face.

"Man…" Mason rubbed the back of his head. "He showed up and took care of that demon real quick…"

"Hah…" Jackal coughed, catching everyone's attention. "You don't really think…that this is the end for me, do you?"

"He's still got some fight in him, huh?" Roy walked over to Jackal, planting his foot firmly on the demon's chest in the event he tried any funny business. "So, what's your angle, demon? What exactly is Tartarus after?"

"Tartarus seeks to revive Master END…but that is all you will learn from me. Because…" Jackal's body started to shine brightly and a twisted grin formed on his lips once again. "YOU'LL ALL EXPLODE WITH ME!" He was about to self-destruct!

"He's going to blow up!?" Azur gasped. "Talk about a sore loser!"

"W-What do we do…!?" Melanie began to panic.

"We're not going to lose to you." Happy's wings spread out and he picked up Jackal, beginning to soar into the sky. He ended up having an unexpected passenger in the form of Roy. "Huh…!? H-Heavy!? What are you trying to do!?"

"LET ME GO! BOTH OF YOU!" Jackal couldn't even squirm if he could; this was his last resort after all.

"This is high enough. Thanks, cat." In the next instant, faster than the blink of an eye, Roy knocked Happy down to the ground while keeping a tight hold on Jackal. "Looks like we'll be the only two on this trip to hell, yeah?"

"DAMN YOOOU!" Jackal's final scream was the last thing heard before his body lit up in a massive explosion that would have no doubt destroyed everything within a mile radius.

"ROY…!"

All fell silent and the only thing to fall from the smoke cloud lingering in the air was…Roy's mask. Shaman's Haven was just about ready to mourn when…

"Whew…Now that was a top notch explosion…" Roy's voice came from afar. His outfit was tattered and he looked only slightly worse for wear. His mask off revealed his yellow eyes and the scar that ran from his forehead to his cheek. "But all's well that ends well, right?"

"Don't scare us like that!" Melanie shouted.

"…I wasn't scared." Mason huffed.

"That was quite a move, Roy." Satoshi tipped his hat to Roy in respect. "One worthy of an Ace. Not bad."

"All in a day's work." Roy responded while picking up and dusting his mask off. "This is gonna take a while to clean…"

While everyone finally had the chance to relax, Wendy took this time to begin healing people. First was Natsu since he had more pressing injuries after dealing with Jackal; Roy was up next despite the fact he insisted he was fine from Jackal's suicide bombing, and then she moved onto Melanie, Azur…and finally Mason. "Mason-san, do you need healing?" Wendy asked.

"Actually…" Mason looked Wendy right in the eyes. His retinas changed to pink, using his Ocular Magic to pull a little prank. The direct high contact with this particular color meant that Wendy would suffer from an insufferable infatuation to the boy. "I do~"

Hearts started to flow from Wendy as Mason's magic worked. But only for a second, Wendy snapped out of the spell herself due to stronger feelings lying elsewhere, plus Carla was quick on the draw to thwack Mason on the head. "Now's not the time for your pranks! Wendy's going through something serious right now."

"Ouch…" Mason rubbed the back of his head, blinking since Carla was in her transformed state. "Wait…when could you…?"

"Not funny." Wendy puffed her cheeks out before healing Mason's injuries. She then stomped away from Mason before arriving at Satoshi. "A-Ano…Satoshi-san…can I heal your wounds?"

"That's nice…" Satoshi's kind tone turned to something a bit harsher when conversing with Wendy. "But the last thing I need today is a Dragon Slayer doing anything else for me."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Natsu took offense and was face to face with Satoshi. "We just came to help!"

"And I appreciate that." Satoshi replied. "But my luck would have it be dragon slayers to lend a hand. I don't like dragon slayers at all."

"That's a little rude…" Lucy crossed her arms under her chest.

"It is what it is." Satoshi replied very nonchalantly, though his tone only further aggravated the Fairy Tail mages.

"Don't let him get to you." Roy commented with a shrug. "What's more important is figuring out what it is Tartarus is after exactly…"

.

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Erza and Mira was in the house of Crawford Seam, the former Magic Council Chairman until the Tower of Heaven fiasco. He was without a doubt a prime target of Tartarus, and what better protection to leave him in than in Fairy Tail's most reliable duo? The former chairman poured the two drinks which they happily accepted. "Thank you, former chairman." Erza said once finishing her drink.

"It's the least I could do for you two, having come all this way to ensure my safety." Crawford gave that old man smile. "I didn't think Tartarus would resurface so quickly."

"It's the least we can do." Mirajane smiled sweetly. "We want to make sure that nobody else is hurt or even killed. A lot has happened already and I fear that it's only the beginning of what these demons have in mind…"

"The only thing we can do now is ensure that no harm comes to you." Erza clarified.

"Oh goodness. Such valiant protectors. You've touched this old man's heart…" Crawford chuckled silently. A few more moments of peaceful silence lasted before both females picked up on the growing numbers suddenly forming around them outside.

"…Looks like we have some uninvited guests…" Standing up, Erza took a quick glance towards Mira who nodded back in response.

"Well then…why don't we take care of them quickly?" Mira said while standing up.

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The scene now shifted to Lamia Scale. Gray, Juvia, Kagura and Blues were sent there to help Lamia Scale in the event that Jura was potentially overwhelmed. Of course Gray and Lyon couldn't get along on this subject for the life of them and ended up arguing. "We don't require your assistance, but feel free to watch how a true Ice Maker works when the demons strike." Lyon smugly told Gray.

"You idiot!" Gray fired back. "If anything, you'll probably slow us down!"

"G-Gray-sama…" Juvia tried her best to ease Gray, but he was too far riled up by Lyon's presence.

"Those two can't get along for anything, can they…?" Blues playfully nudged Kagura, but in the end all he got was a death glare.

"Don't touch me." Kagura bluntly replied, sending a shiver up the blue dragon's spine. "Fraternizing is the last thing we should be doing. Who's on lookout duty right now?"

"Uh…" Blues rubbed the back of his head.

Jura remained calm, despite the fact that he was a potential target. Chelia approached him with a look of worry, however. "Jura-san. What should we do if things get bad? I don't want to even think about leaving you behind."

"Do not worry about me." Jura put on a smile. "If anything, the survival of those here is most important to me. And do not put yourself at risk, Chelia-dono." Without her magic…Chelia was a more vulnerable target than anyone else.

"Don't worry; I'll make sure nothing bad happens to her!" Raven gave a thumbs up. He could also feel Sheri's piercing gaze from behind him burning a hole through his very soul. "….Because if I don't she's gonna kill me."

Just outside the Lamia Scale guild, an unlikely group appeared before guild, all of them aiming for Jura's head: Torafusa, Keith, Silver, and last but not least…Rose. Silver was leading the charge so to speak, cracking his knuckles at the familiar presence he sent waiting inside. "Well, well…looks like the fun is just about to begin…"

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Next Time: Big Brawl!


	48. Chapter 48: The Big Brawl

Though Crawford's house was mostly destroyed, Erza within her Black Wing Armor, and Mira in her Satan Soul stood tall over some rubble. Several grunts of Tartarus were subject to their wrath. "Is that all?" Mira practically spat those words out to the defeated grunts. Shaking her head, she looked to Erza to confirm that the area was clear.

"That's all of them." Erza nodded. "How strange. I expected to see familiar faces when it came to the former Chairman…"

"Perhaps they just didn't think me too important?" Crawford suggested while hiding behind some rubble.

"Strange…" Erza repeated while looking around. She then felt her body growing…weaker. "W-What…What's going on…? I feel…"

"M-Me too…" Mirajane placed a hand on her head, staggering about from sudden dizziness.

"Tsk tsk…" A familiar accented voice clearly had some disapproval. Maggie's heels clicked along the ruined ground while glancing at the fallen grunts. "They can't even handle a simple job, how disappointing…"

"M-Maggie…" Erza attempted to tighten her grip on her sword, but the opposite happened: she could hardly hold onto it and it just dropped to the floor. As soon as that happened, Maggie's arm shot out to wrap around Erza's neck and drive her into the ground. "Ack…!"

"E-Erza…!" Mirajane tried to move, however Maggie just did the same thing and forced Mira onto the ground with a choked cry. The second she hit the ground her Satan Soul faded away and she fell unconscious.

"I expected a bit more of a fight…" Maggie sounded very disappointed before looking at Crawford. "You drugged 'em, didn't ya?"

"I-I had to make sure they didn't pose any problems! They were very perceptive women, you see…" Crawford explained, however his words only made Maggie roll her eyes.

Kyouka appeared on the scene moments later, much to Maggie's chagrin. "Hmmmm…" Kneeling down, she grabbed the barely conscious Erza by the chin, licking her lips in anticipation. "Yes…I think I'll have a little fun with this one. Luck seems to be on my side today…"

.

.

Lucy tried to get a lacrima working. After all the damage Jackal did to the area, it was a miracle anything was working. After a few moments something finally popped up and she connected to Makarov back at the guild. "Ah, finally! Hello? Is this thing on…?"

"Oh, Lucy. How is everything over at Shaman's Haven? Was everything a success?" Makarov questioned.

"Mhm…" Lucy nodded. "Natsu took care of one of the Demons attacking the guild. We made it just in time. Unfortunately, Cynthia wasn't with him…"

Crossing his arms, Makarov nodded slowly. "I see…so we're still missing her. Satoshi, is there any information as to why Tartarus is acting the way there are?"

Satoshi was on screen now, tipping his hat as a greeting to Makarov before nodding. "My Ace Roy figured out something. It seems that Tartarus wishes to activate the Face Project. I know we as Wizard Saints haven't been told much about it, however multiple members of the Magic Council had clearance to this. Those are the same members that are now deceased…."

"Face…" Makarov mumbled.

"A mighty weapon that is capable of erasing all magic on Earthland." Roy explained for those who were in the dark. Immediately, he caught the attention of everyone. "Yeah, crazy I know. Why would Fiore be in charge of such a device? As it turns out, it was a mutual agreement from the other surrounding countries, because if Fiore even tried to make a weapon of this caliber on their own who knows the shit they would've received from it. From what I learned…it can only be activated if either all parties involved have given consent, or if they're deceased. Also…only Chairmen of the Magic Council have access to it."

"What…?" Natsu's eyes narrowed at that information. There was something very wrong about to happen. "HAPPY! We gotta go, NOW!"

"What…?" Happy was confused but did as Natsu said. Wings sprouting, Happy lifted upNatsu and took to the sky before flying off.

"N-Natsu! Happy! Wait…!" Lucy reached a hand out but the duo was already long gone before anyone could stop them. "What were they getting so worked up about…?"

"Me too…" Wendy sighed before taking a look around once again. Unfortunately for her, Cynthia was nowhere to be found. "I wish she was here…that would ease my worries a lot."

Lucy placed her hand on Wendy's shoulder, offering a supportive smile. "Don't worry. We'll find her soon and bring her back here even if she's kicking and screaming!"

Wendy's lips curled to a small smile and she nodded to Lucy. "Mmm!"

"We'll come back to the guild for now, Master. We don't have any leads at the moment…though I wish I knew where Natsu decided to fly off to…" Lucy said while scratching her head before turning off the communication. "Thank you for letting us use your lacrima, Satoshi." A slight bow was given to show her respect to the Wizard Saint.

"It was no problem." Satoshi replied.

"…One more thing real quick…" Roy spoke. "There's something that's been bothering me for a while now…and I don't know if it's related to this incident or not, but…who's sitting on Fiore's throne again? It's Toma, right? Or is it that emerald haired woman, Emmeraude…? I can't quite remember…"

"Huh…?" Mason scratched his cheek before giving a shrug. "It's the lady, right…?"

"Ah…I guess it's nothing." Roy then waved off Lucy, Wendy, and Carla. "Anyways, we'll keep you updated over here. Thanks again for lending a hand."

"Not a problem!" Lucy said with a bright smile. "Come on you two, let's go back."

.

.

Just outside Dawn City, multiple Tartarus followers started marching towards the Empyrean Dawn guild. They were searching for Lucius Kaiser and only knew that he was somewhere within the city; more specifically within that guild. Standing on the balcony of the guild, Kaiho shook his head slowly. "I see they are after me as well. I was at least expecting one of their commanding officers so we could subject them to interrogation hell…" A small sigh passed his lips. "But no such luck. I suppose it cannot be helped. Marshall, if you would."

"Of course, Dancho." Marshall stepped out of the guild with a wicked smile on his face. He intercepted the Tartarus soldiers outside the city and slowly unsheathed his blade. With the embodiment of Wrath, even drawing his sword sent an uncomfortable aura outwards. Raising his blade above his head, he then brought it down and…a gigantic shockwave occurred, slicing through the ground while taking out a large number of soldiers.

"Whoa! Who is this monster….!?" A solider questioned while placing a hand over a cut on their arm. However the blood literally starting to rise from his cut against his will.

"My my…" Cecelia appeared while tapping her cheek. The blood she drained from the soldier turned into a blood scythe which she held within her grasp. In a single slash, she easily decapitated several other soldiers that attempted to get the jump on her. "Hubert, why are you just standing around? I thought you wanted to get involved in his action yourself."

"Well…" Hubert started; however before he could say much else, Nina appeared with a big grin on her face.

"Hell yeah! This is the kind of action I've been waiting for!" Nina grinned while placing two fingers to her temple, activating her Random Select magic. The slots were in her favor today, because she got to use Bomb and Rainbow Fire magic! "Let's go!" Igniting the fuse of the bomb with multicolored flares she hurled it down for a brilliant explosion that scattered the remaining forces.

"Sigh…" Hubert adjusted his glasses, pulling out his rune blade. Shifting the weapon to a bow, he pulled the string back before letting it go, shooting off an arrow composed of light that scattered and turned into many. "Rain of Light." These 'arrows' of light impaled those who were too unfortunate to dodge, however these arrows also covered an incredibly wide radius and left little to no breathing room. "If this is all Tartarus has to offer against us and Kaiho, I am very insulted. Worms have no business crawling into the hawk's nest…"

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"Can I burn the building down…!?" Rose questioned while looking to the others, who didn't seem to really care whether she did or not. Taking it as a yes, she turned and started to inhale with dark red flames flickering around her mouth. "Omega Fire Demon's…"

"Nah, wait a second." Silver placed his hand in front of Rose, causing her to huff and cross her arms. "Let me invite them with a nice chill and see how that goes. I detect some familiar power in there; I hope it's not just a hoax…" Silver cracked his knuckles before swiping his hand forward. In an instant, purple tinted ice moved to coat the Lamia Scale guildhall and completely freeze it over…but midway similar ice clashed with Silver's and just resulted in an icy explosion. "Ho…?"

"I knew it!" Blues said while exiting the building. "Way too many smelly demons around here for it not to be dangerous! Nice one, Gray!" Blues then cut his eyes towards Torafusa, though that particular demon didn't even give him a second glance.

"That was nothing." Gray said while crossing his arms. Standing outside the building; Gray, Lyon, Juvia, Kagura, Blues, Chelia, Raven, and Jura! Lamia Scale's defense force was ready to act!

"Gray-sama…! Look!" Juvia immediately pointed at Rose, who stared intently at Gray and Juvia. "Isn't that…!"

"Cynthia!?" Gray and Chelia exclaimed at the same time.

"…." Rose said not a word, just glaring at the foes before her. She did not respond to the name Cynthia despite how much she may have wanted to internally.

"Cynthia! What the hell are you doing over there?! I'll go get her…" Gray took a step forward, but Silver appeared in his face in a flash, catching him off guard. "…!"

"Sorry, but I got more important business with ya than that girl there. Hope you understand. Ah, who am I kidding!? You will soon enough!" Gripping Gray by the collar of his shirt, Silver and Gray literally vanished from the scene!

"Gray-sama…!" Juvia reached for Gray but was unable to reach him before Silver vanished with her beloved. "Everyone…please…help Juvia get Cynthia back! I don't know why she's over there, but you know she doesn't belong on that side!"

"Of course! Cynthia is my sister after all!" Chelia nodded while unstrapping the bow on her back along with Raven. "I may not have magic…but I'm certain love can reach her if it's strong enough…!"

"Worry not; we'll do everything in our power to retrieve Cynthia-dono from these demons." Jura's voice was filled with conviction, for he felt this was the least he could do in this situation.

"Such feeble minded creatures…" Keith said with a bit of mockery. "We're only here for but one thing…and if you dare to stand in our way humans…" Slamming the bottom of his staff into the ground, it ruptured and cracked before several skeletons rose from the dead. "I will be more than happy to add you to my list of experiments. That I promise you, in the name of the Nercomancer."

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Reappearing somewhere north where snow caked the land, Silver tossed Gray like some ragdoll. The Ice Make mage tumbled before catching himself, sliding to a halt while glaring at Silver. "What the hell is your problem?"

"I told ya…I have business with you." Silver clicked his teeth together, giving a wide grin. "It's been quite a while, boy…"

"…" That tone Silver took. It felt slightly familiar to Gray in a way he couldn't believe. Eyes narrowed and he shifted into his Ice Make stance on instinct, staring up at Silver. "Who are you?"

"I'm hurt you don't remember me…" Silver chuckled soft as a dark purple aura emanated from his being. "But it has been so many years; I guess it's only natural." Before Sliver could say more, a flaming spear cut through the cold air aimed at his chest! Silver extended a hand out and froze the flaming spear in place, letting it drop to the ground. "Now who's this? Interrupting some family bonding time."

"I knew I'd find you soon…" Kuro Crane emerged, his eyes narrowed at the Ice Devil. "You brought danger to my family…so as the Fire Devil Slayer…I'm going to incinerate you."

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Next Time: Strike!


	49. Chapter 49: Strike!

Arriving on the scene of the crime, Natsu and Happy landed on the debris of what used to be Crawford's house. Upon landing, Natsu started to sniff around immediately. "Mira and Erza were here not too long ago…!"

"R-Really?" Happy looked around.

"Yeah…" Natsu nodded while putting his nose low to the ground. Using his enhanced sense of smell, he dragged his face along the broken floorboards before coming across the plants. "These herbs…they were drugged. And…Maggie was here too!? What happened here?"

"What do we do, Natsu?" Happy questioned.

"We go after them, of course!" Natsu stood up and pounded his fists together while nodding towards Happy. The Exceed picked up on this and went over to Natsu once more, lifting him into the air before flying off into the distant. "Don't worry! We're coming for you both!"

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Kagura gripped the hilt of Archenemey while dashing towards Torafusa, using her Gravity Change to decrease the gravity around her body to make her movements faster. Once reaching the Demon Gate, she slipped the sword from its sheathe and aimed a horizontal slash at the demon's chest. It was a direct hit; however it was arguable if any damage was dealt. "…!"

"Pathetic." Torafusa merely grunted before turning around the second Kagura slipped by him. With his sharped fin extending from his arm, he aimed to cut Kagura down right there; however she brought up Archenemy to defend against the slash. Sparks flew before both sides for a few seconds before they leapt away from each other.

The second Kagura and Torafusa distanced away from each other, Blues made his move. Water swirled around his fists and he slid into the space between Torafusa and Kagura. "Blue Dragon's Iron Fist!" Swinging his arm forward he landed a direct hit on the Demon Gate, forcing it to slide back several feet from the impact of his blow. The aquatic slayer was not done just yet! Leaping into the air, Blues spread his arms wide before bringing them back down with force. "Blue Dragon's Wing Slash!" The second he brought his arms down, several sharp, high pressure beams of water shot forth, raining down on Torafusa. Though the Demon Gate did defend against the attack, Blues' strength was shown as the cobblestone ground the demon was completely and utterly sliced through.

"Is that all the power you can really muster?" Despite the property damage Blues may have caused, it seemed that Torafusa was unfazed by his attacks. "Humans are truly weak creatures…"

"I wonder about that…" Lyon spoke while preforming the Ice Make motions. "Ice Make: Eagles!" With an elegant wave of his hand, several frozen eagles flew forward, all converging on Torafusa at once. The eagles shattered on contact, though it looked like Torafusa had seen much better hits. "Tch…"

"Seriously?!" Blues grit his teeth in the slightest bit of annoyance. "I guess these guys are made of pretty tough stuff. Figures it wouldn't be so easy…"

"Easy or not, we have a task to do regardless." Kagura said while keeping a tight grip on the hilt of her sword. "So be quiet and fight. I can't concentrate with you talking."

To Kagura's comment, Blues rubbed the back of his head sheepishly while staring at Torafusa. "…And I can't concentrate without talking. So…we're kinda stuck…"

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"Skeletons…everyone's favorite thing to deal with…" Raven rolled his eyes while firing off consecutive arrows of wind at the slow skeletons Keith sent towards the group. With Chelia by his side they were able to pick off the skeletons rapidly.

"I'd rather Kagura not deal with these…! I think she's still bothered from that Daryan encounter…" Chelia mumbled before flipped forward, releasing a wind arrow from her bow that took the form of a raging tempest, mowing down the army of mini skeletons in its wake. "Now, Raven!"

"On it!" Side by side, Raven and Chelia drew the bowstrings on their bows, gathering a cyan and emerald wind arrow within both strings. Once they released, these arrows of wind spiraled around one another before merging together, rushing directly towards Keith! Once this unison arrow reached Keith it pierced right through him, leaving a gaping hole in the middle of his chest.

"Did we get him!?" Chelia questioned.

"Ho ho ho…" Keith's voice was calm, yet taunting. His body easily reconstructed itself from what would have been a devastating blow otherwise. "Children taking to the field of battle? How amusing…I suppose they would make good experiments in the future. I'll have to collect your corpses, but that won't be a huge problem."

"Absolutely no effect…" Raven grit his teeth.

"I have a problem with that." Jura clapped his hands together. A golden light wrapped around several chunks of rock and rubble scattered about from the battlefield. With one hand motion, these rocks flew towards Keith as though he were a magnet, piling on top of him. "Supreme Rock Crush!" Hands then formed on either side of the pile of rocks, coming together in the middle for a clap that created a resounding quake. Keith was nowhere to be scene after Jura's attack.

"Oh, nice one Jura!" Raven turned while offering thumbs up.

"…Ah yes…the power of a Wizard Saint. Quite formidable indeed. You would make an excellent corpse solider." Keith's body was a black mist that steadily reformed where Jura was! "Yes, I think I'll take every human here and turn them into my servants, starting with you!" Keith's misty body, composed of Magic Barrier Particles, surrounded Jura in attempt to invade his system.

"Jura…!" Chelia was quick to act, firing off a wind arrow that turned into a strong current of wind that blew Keith's body away a fair distance. Luckily Chelia was just fast enough to prevent any serious damage done to Jura…but he would still be unable to fight now after that as he was knocked unconscious by Keith's surprise attack. "Ugh…"

.

"Cynthia-san, please snap out of it!" Juvia swiped her arm horizontally, sending sharp scythes of water at Rose. She made sure to keep her distance since Wendy's warning still rang in her head.

 _"_ _If any of you run into Cynthia, please be careful! If you touch her, your body will erupt in flames!"_

"Tch…! I hate having to repeat myself…" Rose grunted while swaying her body through the incoming scythes of water. Some of them managed to graze her skin but durability was her strongest point! She closed the gap between herself and Juvia while rearing a fiery fist backwards. "I am NOT Cynthia!" With that cry she threw her fist forward at Juvia's abdomen, an explosion of demonic flames ensuing. While Juvia managed to block the attack itself, the burst of flames is what truly caused damage; with a cry of pain the water mage found herself sliding backwards as steam emitted from her body.

"Agh…" Juvia's burnt arms trembled from under Rose's might. She didn't want to fight Cynthia like this, but she was willing to do whatever she had to to ensure that Cynthia returned to the guild safely. Thrusting her arm forward, the aquatic mage unleashed a powerful beam of water that cut across the ground while rushing towards Rose.

Rose crossed her arms, sliding back from Juvia's beam of water despite trying to hold her ground. Arms were bruised but she was ready to counter attack…until Juvia wrapped her watery arm around her waist. "Huh…!?"

"Please forgive Juvia for this…!" Juvia shouted while shutting her eyes, raising Rose's little body up before bringing her down harshly to the ground. She knew she was better off not touching Rose, but perhaps she could knock some literal sense into the girl! Either way, Juvia's attempt would earn her some searing flames as a result. "Ngah…! Those are strong flames…" Juvia tried to keep her hold on Rose to repeat the process, but during the second trip up she found herself releasing Rose to grimace in pain.

"Oof…!" Rose tumbled about in the air before somehow managing to land on her feet, staggering slightly before regaining her footing. "You're all the same stubborn bunch…I hate having to repeat myself 50 times over…!"

"If Gray-sama were here, perhaps this would be much easier…" Juvia grumbled, however it appeared that Keith overheard her. In the next instant, the Demon Gate appeared between Rose and Juvia with a menacing grin on his face just as Juvia received another eruption of demon flames from Rose's curse. "A-Ah!?"

"Keith, this is my fight!" Rose shouted.

"You can deal with those children over there." Keith simply waved Rose off with his staff to Chelia and Raven. "I want to deal with this one personally…"

"Cynthia…!" Chelia called out to Rose, causing her to turn with an irritated expression. "Yikes…that's not a good look for you. Now I don't know what's gotten into you…but you're causing Wendy a lot of grief, and as much as I don't want to hurt you…you're not really giving me a choice right now."

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Gray turned to Kuro, furrowing his brows before pointing at Sliver. "Stay outta this! This is my fight, got it!?"

"I don't care." Kuro responded with a shake of his head. "This demon put my family in danger…so now I have to slay him; it's as simple as that. As long as you stay out of my way it should be easy enough, right?"

"Now boys…" Silver chuckled at Gray and Kuro's little spat. "Don't worry. There's enough Silver to go around…" With a wicked grin, the demon inhaled briefly before throwing his head forward, releasing a torrent of purple tinted ice at the pair. "Ice Demon's Rage!" The beam of ice took both Gray and Kuro off guard, sweeping them off their feet while completely freezing over that section of the mountain.

"Agh…!" Gray grunted while sliding along the icy terrain. Coming to a halt, he wasted no time in leaping forward, bringing a hand to his side in the process. "Ice Demon Zeroth's Blade!" Gray smoothly slid to a halt just in front of Sliver, unsheathing a blade of demon slaying ice for a swift slash across Silver's chest. The slash was a direct hit that sent Sliver sliding backwards before coming to a halt.

"Ah…" Sliver glanced down at his armor, noticing the deep gash in his skin. "That's some power you got, Gray. It's almost just like mine, how about that?"

"I never told you my name…" Gray had to pause for a moment to wrap his head around this situation.

Meanwhile, Kuro sprang back into action with devil slaying flames wrapped around his fist. "Fire Devil's Thermal Fist!" Coming to a stop in front of Sliver, Kuro aimed his blazing fist right at the demon's armored abdomen. It was a direct hit which caused Sliver to stagger backwards a few steps before coming to a halt.

Sliver grunted before wiping away the blood leaking from the corner of his lip. Despite the damage taken he could still face the two Devil Slayers with a smile. "As I expected…this was going to be very interesting indeed!" With a quick swipe of his hand, another explosion of ice occurred where Gray and Kuro stood, sending them rocketing off in different directions. "Come on now! Can you slay this demon, or will you die trying?!"

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.

Now leave it to Natsu to barge in unannounced until the last second. With Happy's assistance, Natsu broke right through one of the walls of the castle. "ALRIGHT YOU BASTARDS! I'M GONNA KICK ALL YOUR ASSES!"

"I thought we were SNEAKING in!?" Happy flailed his arms about. But it was too late to stop Natsu once he got that firing going. Before Happy could say too much more, Natsu bolted down the nearest corridor, using his nose to sniff out Mira and Erza.

"They should be around here somewhere…" Natsu muttered to himself. He didn't make it too far because lightning raced down the hallway in attempt to fry him; luckily he sensed it coming and swayed to the side just in the nick of time. "Tch…!"

Tobias slowly walked forward with his hand extended, lightning sparking around his open palm. His eyes were shaded by his hair and he didn't say a single thing after. "…"

"Tobias! Get outta my way, or I'll kick your ass again!" Natsu shouted with flames flaring around his body…but Tobias did not respond. Taking this as his answer, Natsu lunged forward while rearing his arm back. "Then I guess I'll just have to make you move!"

"….." Tobias slowly swiped his hand. Just before Natsu could truly reach him, an instantaneous frost covered the entire hallway. It all happened within the blink of an eye…Natsu never saw it coming, but Happy saw everything. Natsu was completely frozen solid on the spot by none other than Tobias, who was usually known as one of the least threatening members of Tartarus. "Intruder…detained…"

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Next Time: Frozen Tyranny


	50. Chapter 50: Frozen Tyranny

"Geez…" Blues grunted while sliding backwards from Torafusa's blow. "What the heck is this guy made out of!?"

"Our attacks seem to have little effect on him…" Kagura was annoyed by this fact, however she kept her composure and instead focused on finding any potential weak spots in Torafusa's stance. "We have to strike in one spot if we wish to take him down."

"Just leave it to me." Lyon said with a confident smirk. "I'll expose this demon's weakness to everyone."

"You humans talk far too much…" Torafusa was quite annoyed, but he intended to finish this battle before it dragged on for too much longer. Spreading his arms out, his power began to spike. A blackish aura radiated off the demon's body before his entire being enlarged; arms grew bulkier, teeth turned sharper. Torafusa entered his Etherious form. "Etherious!"

"Wh…!" Lyon's eyes widened at the sheer power coming from Torafusa. "What is this…I didn't think he could get any more powerful!"

"This poses a problem…" Kagura did not falter. But she knew that this uphill battle just became that much steeper with Torafusa's Etherious form.

"This is nothing! I'm not about to lose to an oversized fish!" Blues spoke with a confident grin, not the least bit shaken by Torafusa's increase in power. A white aura radiated from his body to mix in with the aquatic aura already present. "White Water Mode!" With his dual mode active, Blues lunged towards Torafusa with his arm pulled back, white water swirling around his fist. "Iron Fist…!" Thrusting his arm out, Blues aimed a powerful punch to the demon's chest…..that was caught with ease, even though Torafusa was sent sliding backwards several yards. "Guh!?"

"Pathetic." Increasing his grip on Blues, Torafusa spun around once before hurling the dragon slayer directly towards Kagura! Blues crashed into Kagura rather violently, too.

Lyon watched as the two had an unfavorable collision before turning his attention to Torafusa, bringing his fist to his palm for another Ice Make Spell. "Ice Make…!" Before Lyon could finish, Torafusa was already on him and landed a fierce uppercut to the dynamic ice maker's stomach. Lyon grunted loudly before landing harshly on the ground on his back, clenching an eye shut while staring up at the Demon Gate. "Agh…what power…"

.

Things weren't so well on Chelia and Raven either. Rose was too much for the both of them, especially since Chelia had no magic of her own to work with. Rose slipped past the constant bombardment of wind arrows from the duo before sliding to a halt just in front of Raven, swinging her fiery leg at his chest. It was a direct hit and he was sent soaring backwards. "Raven…!" Chelia cried out, but Rose then slammed her fist into Chelia's cut, forcing her to hunch over and cough. "Ack…"

"How sad…" Rose took a few steps backwards while shaking her arm. "If you still had magic to work with, I think this would be going very differently. But you already knew that, didn't you?"

"Ngh…Cynthia, why are you being so mean and evil? That's not like you…" Chelia groaned while staring at Rose. She found it odd that she wasn't continuing to attack, so she figured now was her chance to try and change the tide!

"Cynthia is dead. How many more times do I have to say it before…" Her senses screamed danger. Leaning backwards, a gigantic wind arrow just barely cut her chest before it exploded just a few yards away. "…!"

"Darn it…" Raven grunted while falling to a knee. He didn't have much time to recuperate for Rose caused an eruption of Omega Flames at his location. With a cry of pain the archer was thrown backwards before landing on the ground. "Agh…"

"Raven…!" Almost on some instinct, Chelia responded to Rose's attack on Raven with a punch to her face. Her eyes widened upon realizing what she had done, but she didn't back down. "I…I didn't mean to punch you! You're just…so irritating right now! Don't you know what you're actions have been dooooIINNG!" Rose's curse activated shortly after Chelia's contact, causing Chelia's body to burn with demonic flames.

"I keep hearing the same nonsense from everyone and I'm sick of it!" Rose shouted. "I'm not…!" And before she knew it, Chelia did the unthinkable: slammed her skull right into Rose's to knock her over to the ground!

Without thinking about it, Chelia then sat on top of Rose to pin her to the ground and maybe talk some sense into her. "Don't you understand it! Damn it, Cynthia! You've been causing everyone so much pain and worry! You know Fairy Tail loves you! You know Wendy loves you, too! So much that she's been crying herself to sleep for who knows how long, and you have the nerve to deny who you are!? This girl I'm holding down is NOT Cynthia, but I know that girl we all know and love is buried in there somewhere…!" Flames erupted around Chelia's body once again, but by some force she was not letting Rose go even though her life was in jeopardy. "So wake up already…!"

"Chelia…" Rose stared at Chelia with widened eyes….before a skeleton latched onto Chelia, harshly throwing her to the ground and pinning her there. "…!"

"Agh…" With no magic, Chelia was stuck. Not only her, but Raven, Jura, and the others of Lamia Scale were beginning to get pinned down as well from the skeleton's under Keith's control. "What is this…!? L-Lemme go…!"

"How unsightly. You should be focusing on your mission, Rose. You know what it is you must do." Keith spoke while restraining Juvia in the process, tendrils of darkness wrapped tightly around the water mage's body to constrict her movement. "You must kill Wendy Marvell. You are not in the condition to be carrying out this mission anymore, but worry "

"…Right." Rose shook her head before nodding. Wings sprouted from her back and she started to fly off, presumably back to Tartarus Castle.

"Cynthia, no…wait!" Chelia tried to escape but with the skeleton holding her down she couldn't.

"No…! Cynthia-san…!" Juvia attempted to struggle within Keith's grip, but it was to no avail. The last thing she wanted was for Cynthia to actually bring harm to Wendy. "If Gray-sama were here…!"

"You talk a lot about Gray…" Keith's grin widened, his stiched mouth beginning to open as he leaned into Juvia's ear. "It's quite ironic…for that man is fighting a slain devil as we speak. His own father…and when he dies, I will use him as a corpse as well. Perhaps I'll use yours to slay him."

"You're wrong…Gray-sama would never…!" Juvia struggled to speak. She believed in Gray to the very end and wasn't worried. But this current situation…against Keith and Torafusa, things were not looking so favorable…

.

.

An icy explosion covered most of the mountainside. Gray took a flipping leap backwards, several platforms of ice forming along with him. Once reaching the desired height, Gray took a full leap forward, sharp purple tinted ice forming around his skull. "Ice Devil's Bashing Skull" Gray dove directly at Silver, smashing his skull into Sliver's chest plate. The impact was more than enough to send the ice devil tumbling backwards before he caught himself with a grin.

"Not bad, son…but you'll have to do better than that!" Silver recovered from the blow almost instantly, swiping his hand sideways to create a trail of devil slaying ice that instantly closed the gap between Gray and Sliver, slicing through the ice maker to create a grievous wound in his side.

"Gnk…!" Gray's eyes widened and he started to collapse before narrowly catching himself. "Nothing I do works against him…"

Kuro sprang into action, quickly placing his hands on the snowy ground. "Fire Make: Devil Tornado!" From Kuro's spot, a raging tornado of devil flames emerged, rapidly spinning towards Sliver with the intent to burn him alive.

"That's cute, boy." Sliver chuckled before extending his hand outwards towards the tornado. A chilling frost emitted from his palm, completely freezing over the tornado before it struck him and shattered it into small pieces of ice. "You'll have to do much better than that, you know." From Sliver's extended palm, a ray of purple ice shot forth directly towards Kuro, piercing right through side!

"Gah…!" Kuro's eyes widened as the beam pierced through his side and blood splattered from his mouth. He didn't fall to the ground immediately but instead took to a knee, placing a hand on his bleeding side while glaring towards Sliver. "I don't believe it…nothing is working!? There's no way this is a normal demon…"

"Don't be so upset!" Sliver used his speed to appear in front of Kuro with his fist draw back, devil slaying ice wrapped around his hand. Sliver swung right for Kuro's face and it was a direct hit, sending him spiraling backwards a few yards. The Ice Devil then turned to Gray with a fangy smirk. "After all…I've been a special demon for years now. Don't you remember, Gray? The demon responsible for killing your father…your mother…your master. It is I, Deliora! And using your father's corpse to exact my revenge on you is…"

"SHUT UP!" Gray wasn't hearing any of this. Even though he could see his father's face in the demon in front of him, he refused to accept this. In a somewhat blind rage, Gray lunged at Sliver while covering his hands in devil slaying ice. Once reaching close range Gray just began swinging, throwing his hands wildly at the demon. Some punches landed and Gray's final punch was aimed at Sliver's chest plate, succeeded in forcing him backwards. Keeping the momentum up, Gray crossed his arms before uncrossing them, gigantic curved blades of ice forming in his hands. "Ice Make: Devil Bringer!" Gray then brought these swords down on Sliver where…Sliver caught them both in his hands. "…!"

"Ah, thanks for the meal, kid…" Sliver grinned before chomping down on the ice before him. It only took a second for him to devour Gray's attack whole before he fired back with a blade of his own. Raising his hands above his head, Sliver created a singular, large black of devil ice in his hands. "Ice Devil's Impact!" Silver then brought this sword down on Gray, a chain of icy explosions ensuing that overpowered Gray.

"GYAAH!" Gray cried out before landing on the gravel with a pained grunt. "Tch…he's…strong…"

"Fire Make: Hermes!" Mini wings of flame appeared on the soles of Kuro's shoes. These wings allowed him to hover above the ground while increasing his speed. The Eclipse mage used this increase in speed to circle around Silver with a trail of flame following behind him. Within seconds a complete circle formed around Sliver. "Devil's Trail." With a snap of his fingers, the flames shot up into the air with Sliver inside. But of course…it didn't last long as the flames froze over and shattered. Kuro expected this and flew forward and engulfed his own fist in white flames. "Flame Devil's Thermal Strike!" Thrusting his fist at Sliver's stomach, contact resulted in an immense fiery explosion to add to the destructive force of this attack. After the smoke cleared, Sliver was indeed blown backwards…however Kuro found that his arm was frozen solid as a result. "Ah…!"

Sliver spat out some blood before grinning devilishly. Placing his hands on the ground, a geyser of spiked ice rose up and struck Kuro, making him tumble until he was near Gray. "I'm disappointed Gray. I was hoping for some quality bonding time…but your friend over here is ruining it…don't you think?"

"Don't talk like you're my father!" Gray screamed before standing back up. He didn't let his anger get the best of him, but even so Sliver was just too strong. "I have an idea." Gray finally spoke to Kuro.

"What is it…?" Kuro questioned.

"What are you two plotting over there?" Sliver butted in like some nosy father overhearing a conversation around the corner.

"Ice Make….Cannons!" Gray formed several cannons in front of him and Kuro. The heavy artillery weapons were pointed directly at Sliver, who just grinned in the face of it all.

"Hah? You think that's going to work on me? You've got another thing coming." Sliver laughed as the cannons fired and the impact…was not what he was expecting. Eyes widened as it all clicked in an instant; the cannon balls were fireballs wrapped in ice! Flames and ice battered the Demon Gate and he couldn't move to fight against it. Against this dual onslaught from Kuro and Gray, even Sliver had to cross his arms while letting out several grunts of pain.

"Now…!" Gray had one of these 'cannonballs' in his grip. Rearing his arm backwards, ice formed in the shape of an armored gauntlet along his entire limb. "Ice Make: Vambrance!" Shooting his arm forward, a deafening BOOM echoed out in the mountains as the sphere flew like a meteor towards Sliver, who had no time to defend against the blow himself. The sphere pierced a gigantic hole through his stomach. Mouth gapping open, the Ice Devil slowly collapsed to the ground, defeated.

"Ha…" Sliver let out an exhale. "…you beat me."

Gray formed another blade of ice in his grasp, slowly walking over to Sliver while raising his arm up….he had such conviction before, but now his arm started to tremble. "Why did you lie to me?"

"So you already knew…?" Sliver chuckled weakly. "I guess I can't hide anything from my own son. I wanted you to kill me…to end this cursed body of mine. I thought for sure a blow like that would have been the end of me…but even now, I still draw breath…." Sliver explained it all…that because of Keith his corpse was found and was currently being used even now. "I became an ice demon to defeat the strongest demon of all…END. That cursed flame demon that is the heart of Tartarus' motives…I needed to destroy it at all costs…"

"Father…." Gray's arm was shaking terribly now. After hearing all of it, he just couldn't bring himself to finish the job. "I…I just can't do it…" Tears streamed down the ice maker's cheeks and he dropped his sword. "I can't kill you…!"

Sliver offered a soft smile. "You cling to your beliefs…I can understand that…"

"Then I will." Kuro formed a blade of flames in his hands while pointing it at the downed Sliver's neck…but Gray immediately responded by clashing his sword with Kuro's. The two devil slayer's locked eyes.

"I won't allow it." Gray scowled. "You will not lay another hand on him."

"I don't care about your family struggles." Kuro said while narrowing his eyes to a fierce glare. "This demon brought harm onto my family…and I've been tasked with his death. You know very well you'd do the same if the situation were reversed!"

"I won't let you kill my father." Gray wasn't moving on this issue. Gray and Kuro were in a deadlock, and neither of them were budging an inch…

.

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Next Time: Sea's Wrath.


	51. Chapter 51: Sea's Wrath

"WHEN THEY SAID GIVE A DOG A BONE THIS ISN'T WHAT THEY MEANT ON!" Toby snarled while slashing at Keith's skeletal soldiers. Unfortunately, his claws weren't doing too much because these skeletons had no nerves to paralyze.

"This situation is steadily beginning to grow grim…your shouting isn't helping." Yuka grumbled while firing off constant waves of anti-magic towards several skeletons. Unfortunately for them, the numbers were rising while theirs were steadily decreasing due to the amount of mages being pinned down and no one could get to Juvia and Keith to subdue the Demon Gate.

"Do you see this?" Keith still had Juvia ensnared within his grip. No matter how she struggled she could not escape him. "This is the beginning of the end for you humans. By the time this day has ended, I'll have a multitude of corpse soldiers at my disposal."

"Juvia…will not let you…." Juvia grumbled. "Juvia will defeat you…!"

"That's quite amusing…" Keith chuckled. "Because if you were to defeat me…then your beloved's father will also cease to exist. Do you really wish to bring your beloved such pain? No matter what you do…you all lose." Slowly, the black tendrils around Ketih began to grow, wrapping around Juvia even tighter. "Enjoy the last seconds of your life, human; a pity that you were held back by such feeble emotions…those emotions is what separates the humans from demons."

"Shit…!" Lyon turned, watching as Juvia started to become consumed by Keith.

"Do you see this, humans?" Torafusa couldn't help but grin as the inevitably of the situation slowly began to set it. "This is why you'll always remain inferior to humans."

"W…We have to do something…! Juvia…!" Chelia tried to move, but she was still pinned down by a skeleton right on top of her. There wasn't anything anyone could do about the situation!

"We'll…!" Kagura started to move forward, but Torafusa stood in her way before she could move too far. She was forced on the defensive, bringing her blade up to avoid being cut in half by the Demon Gate's razor sharp fin. "Tch…!"

"You shall not interfere." Torafusa spoke with a menacing grin. "I am still your opponent, human."

It wasn't much longer before Juvia's body was completely swallowed by Keith's body. Juvia wasn't to be seen after the orb dispersed, leaving everyone in horrific shock. Keith remained still with a wide grin on his stitched lips. "I will add her body to my number of soldiers. Torafusa. I believe it's time we ended this charade, don't you think?" Before Keith could say anything else…his body began to…swell…? "..,?!"

"Juvia…will not allow herself to fall like this. There is far too much she has to do! Even if it hurts Gray-sama…Juvia cannot allow a demon like you to continue living!" Juvia's voice came from within Keith himself. The Necromancer's body continued to swell up before it exploded with Juvia right at the center! Keith's head fell on the ground, his last expression akin to life ending shock.

.

.

"You don't want to do this, Fullbuster." Kuro's gaze narrowed at Gray. Their blades were crossed, yet pointing at the other's neck. Any sudden movement could've spelled the end for either mage.

"Don't make me." Gray replied.

Silver only let out a dry chuckle at this situation. He never thought he would've seen the day where his son would stand up for him like this…it only made his time left that much more enjoyable. "You've grown up into a fine young man, Gray. I'm certain that you will shine in your future…I entrust the mission of destroying E.N.D to you…" With Keith's defeat, Silver's time quickly came to an end, and his body slowly started to vanish.

"Wait…!" Completely ignoring Kuro, who also dropped his guard from watching Silver disappear, Gray knelt down at his father's side. "I…I'll do it…I'll defeat E.N.D. That I promise…"

"That's my boy…" With one final smile, Silver's body slowly disappeared. Leaving Gray alone with Kuro, quite possibly the last person he wanted around.

"…" Kuro didn't say a thing. Instead he turned and began to leave. His job was done here, even if it wasn't by his hand. Plus he also knew Gray wanted some time alone after losing his father in front of his eyes. Gray was left alone to grieve for the father he hardly got to know…

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"Keith…was defeated?!" Torafusa's eyes widened at Keith's defeat. Juvia fell onto the ground, nearly passing out since Keith's body was composed of Magic Barrier Particles. At the very least those corpse soldiers Keith had assaulting everyone dissipated.

"Keep your eyes on ME!" Blues took a step forward, slamming his water coated fist into the demon's chest. The direct hit showcased Blues' power and Torafusa was sent sliding backwards, nearly falling over from the dragon slayer's might. "Now THAT'S what I'm talking about! I'll take care of this guy, you go check on Juvia!"

"Juvia, are you okay?!" Sheri, Chelia, Kagura and Lyon rushed over to Juvia's side. "She's barely breathing…"

"WE'RE WINNING NOW RIGHT!? ON!" Toby glanced around. The only demon left in the vicinity was Torafusa, who was currently dealing with Blues. "LET'S JUST JUMP HIM!"

"It doesn't work when you're going to announce it like that…" Yuka just sighed heavily.

"Give it up, demon!" Blues stated with a proud grin. "We've got you surrounded. You don't have a chance at beating all of us now."

"…." Torafusa glanced around. Perhaps Blues' words could ring true…but instead the aquatic demon just smirked. "You humans are far too arrogant for you own good. The slightest glimpse at victory and you're full of yourselves…allow me to bring you back to the reality of the situation. Torafusa spread his arms out and in that instant the entire town was flooded with black water. Nobody saw it coming and could prepare for such a technique. "I will drown you all within the depths of Davy Jones's Locker!"

"…!" For those unaccustomed to water, breathing was difficult. Not only that, but Torafusa's black waters were composed of something else entirely; whatever it was, it was causing the lungs of all of them to burn…and at this rate after they slipped into unconscious, they would die.

Blues…was not subject to this rule. Being the son of a water dragon, he had the ability to hold his breath under water for incredibly large amounts of time. It wasn't indefinite for he would have to come up for air at SOME point, but he could hold his breath longer than most. Perfect considering the underwater situation he was thrust into. _"Shit…I can't even see anything. What's up with this water, too…?_ "

"So you still breathe?" Torafusa quickly swam over, slamming his fist into Blues' jaw. The impact was enough to make Blues lose a little bit of air before he regained himself. "It will only be a matter of time until you fall as well! You think you can beat me underwater? Don't be such a fool."

Was Torafusa mocking Blues? Oh no, he wasn't about to have any of this! Blues kicked off, showing his swimming prowess and swam forward while rearing his arm backwards. Within his palm, an abundance of water dragon slaying gathered in the shape of a sphere which he hurled forward with all his might. "Blue Dragon's Bomb!" The sphere rocketed towards Torafusa, who ended up getting caught in the widespread explosion. Using this as an opportunity Blues closed the distance between them and swung his leg forward. "And Talon!" Just before Blues could actually strike Torafusa the scales around the demon hardened…and the force of impact reverberated through his limb painfully. "Agh…!? What the hell are you made out of: titanium!?"

Blues' reaction to Torafusa's scales only made the fish grin wider. "Your water will never break my scales…" Rearing a razor sharp fin backwards, Torafusa then slashed across Blues' chest for a direct hit! A large gash formed across Blues' chest and proceeded to leak out.

"Ngh…!" Blues grit his teeth, swimming backwards to retreat before he took another fierce wound. He quickly glanced around at the others…they were all unconscious and he wasn't sure how much longer they'd have left in these carbonated waters. Ignoring the pain in his chest, Blues spread his arms out before twisting his body counter clockwise. "Blue Dragon's Cyclone!" His rotation in the water created a whirlpool of water that rocketed towards Torafusa. Even the Demon Gate had to cross his arms to endure the brunt of the hit as it blew him backwards. "How's that!?"

"Pathetic! Water does not work on me! I am the embodiment of the seas' wrath! I am its curse!" Torafusa swam forward, slamming his hardened fist at Blues' chest once again. Aiming for the wound inflicted extra damage and sent Blues spiraling backwards until he hit the surface of the ground, down on a knee.

"Agh…" Blues lost a little bit of air. His chest was in agony from the open wound and carbonated waters flowing into it. At this rate he was going to bleed out before drowning…the black waters were stained red with his blood. "Blue Dragon's Wing Slash!" Swinging his arms down, several sharp crescents of water flew towards Torafusa. These crescents could cut through solid steel; however Torafusa swiftly swam through the crescents and slammed his leg into Blue's side, sending him tumbling away. "Agh…!"

"Can't you see that your efforts are futile? You cannot best me in the contest underwater…it is impossible." Landing in front of Blues, Torafusa then took his huge arms and wrapped them both around Blues, beginning to squeeze the life and breath out of him. "Now I will enjoy squeezing you until you've taken your last breath under water!"

Blues let out a strangled cry of pain, now feeling the black water filling his lungs. Was this the extent of his power? Bested by some oversized fish…? No…that's not quite right. He wouldn't allow things to end like this. His brother didn't die on the Isle of the Dragons just for him to die like this! Not to mention…there were people counting on him! To die underwater would disgrace Aquaeon's name, and the last thing he would ever do was fail his father like that! "I'm not…about to lose…to some oversized fish…!" Blues growled as the area began to tremble!

"W-What…!?" Torafusa could hardly keep his constricting grip on Blues with the violent shaking. "How are you doing this!? You should be dead!"

"A dragon never yields…it latches onto its prey and doesn't give up until its last breath! And I haven't reached that last breath yet!" Blue scales started to form around Blues' arms, face, chest, legs, and his back: Dragon Force! The dragon slayer let out a feral growl before brute forcing his way from Torafusa's grip! "You call yourself the wrath of the sea!? Then you haven't seen anything yet!" Blues then opened his mouth, willingly beginning to inhale the black water's that flooded the entire town! IT was a painful process but a necessary one to get his point across. After a few moments he completely drained the town of Torafusa's waters, leaving the Demon Gate with an utterly shocked expression.

"What…you actually consumed…but those waters…" Torafusa was at a loss for words.

"What's the matter…you look like a fish out of water." Blues spoke with a fangy grin. Arms were held out at his sides, channeling the raw magical and curse power now flowing through his entire being. "Allow me to show you the true wrath of the sea! It is I, the son of Aquareon! Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Blue Dragon's Ruinous Waves!" From behind Blues, a dark blue tidal wave rose up. This wave was composed of his own magical power and the curse power he absorbed from Torafusa's waters. On his command this wave rolled forward before crashing down on Torafusa powerfully, sweeping the Demon Gate away in its wake, completely dragging him under to the depths of what Blues considered to be a vast ocean.

"I-IMPOSSIBLE…!" As Torafusa was swept away, his life force started to fade instantly. To be defeated by a water magic in the water…truly the biggest shame he could have faced as a prestigious demon of Tartarus….

With the battle having been won, Blues panted heavily, holding an arm up and four fingers. "Wild…four…" Now that he drained his magic and energy, he collapsed, passing out on the spot. The battle at Lamia Scale had been won and with no cost….

.

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Next Time: Burning The Phoenix.


	52. Chapter 52: Burning The Phoenix

"So that's what happened…" Makarov nodded slowly. "They have been bolstering their forces from within even now. Tartarus is proving to be a very strong opponent this time…"

Happy was weeping, clinging to Lucy's chest after witnessing what happened to Natsu. Lucy was of course doing her best to console the Exceed. "It's okay Happy…we'll find a way to save Natsu, Erza, and Mira."

Soon there was a lacrima communication incoming from Lamia Scale. Upon answering, Kagura was on the other line, wrapped in bandages along with a few others in the background. "Is this working…?"

"Kagura?" Levy hadn't expected her to be the one to call. "How are things at Lamia Scale? Is everything okay!?"

"Everything is fine. We've fended off the demons that attempted to attack." Kagura's words felt like a rush of fresh air over everyone's worries. Slowly but surely they were pushing the demons back. "Also…we encountered Cynthia briefly."

Those were the words that caught Wendy's attention. "Really?! Is she with you!?"

Kagura shook her head slowly. "No…it looked like Chelia almost got through to her, but she managed to escaped. I apologize…"

"Ah…" Wendy's excited expression shifted to one of disappointment.

"That is all to report. I'll contact the others and update them as well." Kagura reported before the communication shut off.

"Then I think that's all the reason we need." Gajeel spoke with a widening grin, slowly cracking his knuckle. "We know where that castle is. So what's stopping us from charging in there right now? They've got some of our own captive; I don't see a reason why we shouldn't be storming on their front door right now like they did us. Besides, we can't stay on the defensive forever, we'll never stop their stupid plans that way."

"I agree with Gajeel!" Cana nodded firmly. "I'm gettin' sick of these demons running about like they own the place. I say its high time we put them in their place once and for all! If we don't…then it's the end of magic, right? We can't have that."

"If Natsu and Erza were here…I'm sure they'd say the same thing." Lucy said with a firm nod.

"I can even track the fastest route to the castle!" Levy snapped her fingers. "I'm sure the other guilds are going to be tired of sitting around and doing nothing, too. Let's get moving, right Master? First…?"

Makarov and Mavis looked at one another before nodding. They silently agreed to take action before Tartarus' forces had the chance to recover. "Very well. All forces, prepare for battle!" Right after Makarov said that, the doors creaked open slowly…eerily. Elfman slowly trudged forward with an exhausted look in his eyes.

"Elfman…?" Max tilted his head curiously. "Dude, you good? Did something happen? Where's Lisanna….?"

"We….got…separated during the attack on Black Phoenix…that's what happened." Elfman paused so many times it almost seemed like he was stalling for time. "I'm sorry…I just need to rest for a little bit…"

Lucy watched as Elfman made his way off. It was then that a voice only she could hear rang in her head. _"You musn't trust him…"_ That voice echoed as a high pitched squeal echoed in her head for a split second. "Ooogh…what was…that…? Don't trust him…?" It was that voice again, but that wasn't important this time…what was important was Elfman's strange behavior. Cana also held suspicions about Elfman…just what was he hiding?

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.

Deep within the dungeons of Tartarus, a bound, bare Erza panted heavily. Kyouka was taking her sweet time with Titania, enjoying the sounds of her pained screams. It was like music to the demon's ears. "I'll keep asking until you answer me. I want to know everything you know, Erza~" Kyouka stroked Erza's cheek gently in contrast to the harsh torment she was receiving.

"I…I told you…I don't…know…" Sweat dripped from Erza's face as she panted heavily. How she was still conscious was nothing short of a miracle. "Y-You…tell me…where is Cynthia…?"

"That's not what I asked you." Kyouka hummed with a shake of her head. In the next instant her claws extended and she slashed Erza across the chest. With Erza's sense of pain multiplied tenfold, the aguish she felt could not be describe in words; only by the loud scream that she emitted. "Tell. Me. What. You. Know." Each word was accompanied by a slash, drowned out by Erza's cries of pain.

"She's really going to town on that one." Tayakata happened to pass by the chamber and only gave a mere shrug. "How humorous…I wonder how long she'll be able to last…" With a quiet chuckle she was off on her way.

Rose happened to pass by the chamber as well, though she came to a stop shortly after. Blinking slowly, she found herself staring at Erza's torture. "…."

"You're being very uncooperative. Such a shame, if only you would lend me a hand and I wouldn't have to harm you so severely…but your screams are quite blissful to my ears. So I don't mind doing whatever it is I need to do to make you talk, Erza~" Kyouka purred before snapping her fingers. "Give her another voltage."

From above Erza, a slime demon planted itself on the red headed female. Erza weakly lifted her head up, looking past Kyouka at Rose with widened eyes. "Cyn…!" And before she could utter another syllable, an abundance of high voltage electricity coursed through her body. A strangled cry of pain escaped her before she lost consciousness, falling to the floor with widened eyes, drool rolling down her lip.

"….!" Rose quickly turned away from the scene, shaking her head as she began to walk off. "It doesn't concern me…it doesn't concern me…" She told herself over and in some sort of denial.

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"Our numbers are just dropping so rapidly…" Lamy let out an annoyed sigh. With all the other demons catching losses it was making it extremely difficult to focus on the task at hand within Hell's Core since they were inside the tubes to recover. Jackal was defeated, Keith was defeated which meant the loss of Silver as a result, Torafusa was defeated…somehow the humans were managing to hold onto their defenses.

"They are merely fighting to drag out their story as long as possible." Sayla remarked while flipping through the pages of a book. "Although no matter how they struggle, it will inevitable come to an end, such as all stories do." Closing the book in her possession, she stared at Mirajane who was unconscious within a tube. "And a new story will begin from their end. That is the essence of storytelling."

"Fwahaha…" Lamy's annoying laugh echoed throughout Hell's Core as her face pressed against the glass of Mirajane's tube. "She's so fuckin' pretty, isn't she? Oh man…" A twisted smile formed on the little lamb's face. "I'm going to enjoy turning her into the ugliest damn butterfly this world has ever seen…"

.

"Is everything in order?" Marde questioned. With both Jellal and Crawford present, he was prepared to initiate his grand scheme.

"But of course." Crawford gave a shrewd smile and a nod. "I've taken the necessary steps needed to activate Face. It was a bit of a pesky process since Jellal does hold the key required to activate it…however I have removed it from him, therefore making him useless! I am now the key isn't it wonderful?"

"You traitorous…" Jellal clenched his hand into a fist, yet was halted by Marde.

"I see. Then Jellal…" A special lacrima appeared in front of the former wizard saint. "Jellal, I want you to place all of your magic into this crystal. I don't think I need to remind you of what's at stake if you don't comply…"

"Tch…" Jellal sucked his teeth before grasping onto the crystal. A golden glow wrapped around the crystal as he filled it with his magic. After a few moments it was finally complete; Jellal pulled back and panted a bit. "T-There…"

Marde merely grinned as Jellal complied with his demands. "As expected." With a snap of his fingers, a vine rose from the ground and pierced through Jellal's chest, rising into the ceiling to keep him pinned there, steadily bleeding out as a result. Crawford suffered the same fate with a vine piercing his chest as well, nearly sending him through a wall as a result, which would begin the Face Counter. 60 minutes until the end of all magic. "You humans are both utterly foolish."

.

In the prison section, Maggie was flaunting around Natsu's scarf in front of his eyes, and he couldn't do anything about it since he was locked behind bars with magic sealing cuffs slapped onto his wrists. "This is quite the fancy scarf you've got here, eh? I think it looks good on me…what do you think?" Draping the scarf around her neck, she grinned deviously at the clearly enraged dragon slayer.

"Give that back…!" Natsu roared before mindlessly charging headfirst into the prison bars, only to bounce backwards with a comical bump protruding from his head. "Ugh…!"

"Natsu…" Lisanna sat with her back turned, stripped of all clothing along with magic sealing cuffs also around her wrists. She had to look over her shoulder to see what was going on and she wasn't a fan of it one bit.

"I think I'll be keeping this, loves." Maggie's grin grew wider before she started to walk off.

"Damn it…!" Natsu growled. "I can't believe this is happening…I just tried to save Mira and Erza and Tobias of all people caught me off guard…"

Now sitting back to back, the two childhood friends had nothing they could do. "I'm worried, Natsu…"

"Don't worry; we'll get out of here." Natsu was determined about this.

"Not about us…" Lisanna shook her head slowly. "I'm worried about Elf-nii…you see, something happened when we went over to Black Phoenix and…and…." Whatever Lisanna was about to say next…it didn't entail a happy ending.

.

.

Roughly 30 minutes ago…:

Just out the outskirts of Clover Town sat Black Phoenix, home to the 9th Wizard Saint: Anri Varsua, guild master of Black Phoenix. The Void master let out a sigh, munching on a sandwich as Elfman and Lisanna made their acquaintances. "I said you could just leave everything to me. But I guess everyone is paranoid…whatever. Nice to meet you both."

"Is she always so frigid…?" Lisanna sweat slightly while whispering to Tristan, Black Phoenix's Ace.

"I apologize for her choice of words. Anri isn't one to mince them." Tristan replied with a nervous smile. "But your help is very appreciated, thank you."

"It's not a problem!" Elfman flexed his large muscles, grinning proudly to himself. "As a MAN, I will do everything I can!"

"As a man can you tone it down a bit? There's no need for you to be shouting like that." Lucia spoke with an irritated tone. "We all still have ears, believe it or not."

"I…uh…" Now the large man had no choice but to drop his tone of voice to accommodate for everyone's hearing pleasure.

"He's still a loud mouth…?" Diamond shook her head with a slight sigh.

Hearing the familiar voice, Lisanna turned and wore a shocked expression. "Huh…? Diamond!? What are you doing here?!"

"Nothing important, just here for a mission." Diamond replied by waving her hand. "But I heard things were getting pretty serious here so I figured I'd lend a hand! It's the least I can do."

"Your help will be appreciated." Lisanna's lips curved upwards and she bowed slightly. "Though with someone as strong as Anri I don't think that anyone would…" And before she could even finish her sentence a ring of hellish flames erupted around the guild hall, "…come here…."

"I see you've all gathered nicely for me. It makes this a little more fun seeing all of your terrified faces in the end…" Appearing within a flash of blue flames, Daityas and Sayla appeared, causing everyone to go on high alert. "Excellent. I've been a little hungry for a strong soul as of late…" Daityas spoke with a widening grin, slowly dragging his tongue across his lower lip while staring at Anri.

"I won't allow it!" Tristan slid his hands into the maker position and just…stood there, not moving a muscle after. "…? What…I can't…move my own body? What is the meaning of this…"

"Do not interfere…" Sayla spoke in a commanding tone. "This is a story that does not involve you. So you would do well not to taint it." Raising her finger, she continued to command Tristan. "My Macro will conduct this story properly. Human, if you would be so kind."

"Steel Make: Fortress Walls!" Tristan acted on against his will on Sayla's command. Throwing his arms forward, several steel walls several feet think spanned out horizontally, cutting Anri and Daityas off from everyone else.

"Tristan, the hell do you think you're doing!?" Lucia questioned.

"I-I don't know…!" Tristan responded with a growl. He tried to move his body but no matter what he did it just wouldn't respond. "Steel Make: Lance!" Slamming his fist into his palm once more, the Ace of Black Phoenix threw his arms forward, unleashing several spears composed of steel directly towards everyone in the building excluding Sayla.

"Look out!" Diamond shouted while throwing her arms to her sides, creating a wall of ice that shielded everyone from Tristan's lances. The shield shattered shortly after but it did its job in protecting everyone. "Geez…!"

"Release him this instant…!" Lisanna took a step forward, only to halt as Elfman's hand suddenly had a tight grasp around her neck. "…!?" Eyes widened and her gaze went to Elfman, who didn't even notice immediately. "E-Elf-nii…let me go…you're hurting me…! I can hardly breathe…"

"That giant hand shouldn't be around a tiny neck like that…" Lucia's offhand comment was very misplaced but also oddly fitting. She went to take a step forward but her legs wouldn't budge. "…H-Hey, what's the big idea?"

"I can't move either…?" Well…for Diamond, that was a yes and no. Sayla's Macro didn't have as strong of an influence on her since she was technically dead, and Sayla wasn't the best at controlling the bodies of the deceased.

"Stop this!" Elfman pleaded as his grip on Lisanna's neck just grew tighter and tighter against his own will. Tears started to well in his eyes at the thought of having seriously injuring his beloved younger sister once again. "Please, I beg you!"

"No, don't beg a demon…!" Diamond tried to speak over Elfman, but it was too late. Sayla already heard those words.

"You beg me?" Sayla quirked a brow at Elfman's plea. "Do you know what happens when you beg a demon for mercy? Are you prepared to sell your soul to me?"

.

Behind the steel walls, Daityas grinned towards Anri, slowly walking towards her. The Wizard Saint refused to be intimidated by the demon king and merely stared the impending sense of death in the face. "If you want to kill me that's fine. But I prefer you keep my children out of this."

"Everyone always says that. But what fun would that be?" Hellish flames flared around Daityas' body as he stuck his hand out, wrapping it around Anri's throat, the flames around his hand burning her throat. "I just don't want you Wizard Saints dead…I want everyone dead in an infernal pyre."

"….!" Anri's eyes widened briefly, clasping her hands around Daityas' arm in attempt to pry his fingers from around her neck, but it was proving useless even with the inhumane strength she possessed.

"I'm also feeling a little hungry…it's been a while since I've eaten." With a maniacal grin Daityas stabbed his hand through Anri's chest; the Wizard Saint's eyes widened as he pulled out a small colorless sphere; her soul. Daityas swallowed Anri's soul whole before torching her now lifeless body beyond recognition. Licking his lips, he tossed Anri's corpse to the side before melting the steel walls that were before him with a simple wave of his hand. "Sayla. Let us kill them all."

"As you wish…" Sayla nodded slowly with an indifferent expression. "Excluding the two I've made special orders with…I'm afraid there will be rising from ashes, Black Phoenix. This is where your story comes to a close…"

.

.

Black Phoenix was left in nothing but a blaze that all of Clover Town could see. The residents were scared beyond their wits and this was precisely the sort of panic that Daityas was aiming for. Letting Sayla doing whatever it was she pleased; Daityas went off on his own in search of other Wizard Saints to murder. Once he was just outside of Clover Town's gates, he met with a face that was all too familiar to him. "Hm…? Well well…what do we have here…?"

Leon stood in front of Daityas, however the acid slayer did not look at the demon king just yet. Instead he looked at the burning building off in the distance. "…Daityas. Did you do this?" Leon started breathing heavily, feeling his rage beginning to bubble up inside him.

"…Oh, that?" Daityas glanced over his shoulder and gave the most causal shrug in existence. "Yeah, I roasted all of them to a crisp. Ironic how the Phoenix died in flames, don't you think? Just proves how amusingly fragile you humans really are."

"…" That was all Leon needed to hear. A green aura exploded around him, acid dripping from every inch of his being. Just standing caused the grass and ground around his feet to corrode away. He was far past Acid Drive; he was in Dragon Force + Poison Acid Dual mode. With his reptilian green eyes staring into Daityas' very core, Leon only uttered a few words; "I'm going to kill you."

Daityas merely quirked a brow at Leon's remark before a slow, sadistic grin stretched onto his lips. "Oh…? Is that so? I'd like to see you try, kid."

.

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Next Time: Leon vs. Daityas!


	53. Chapter 53: Leon vs Daityas!

Elfman slowly wandered to the basement of the guild. Once in the center of the room, he pulled out a strange sphere, staring into it intently. "I must…"

[Flashback]

Just after the destruction of Black Phoenix, Sayla spared Elfman and Lisanna, holding the latter of the Strauss siblings unconscious in her arms. Sayla directed her gaze towards Elfman, pointed to the sphere in his hand. "You will take that sphere to Fairy Tail and detonate it. It is much stronger than the Jupiter Cannon and will turn that building and everyone inside into nothing but mere dust. Then, and only then, will I release your beloved sister. Do you understand?"

"…." Elfman clenched his hand tightly around the sphere, giving a slow nod. "Yes…I understand. I must…destroy Fairy Tail…."

[End Flashback]

Elfman continued to stare at the sphere, his bulky arm shaking in what could be considered regret. "I must…destroy…Fairy Tail…for Lisanna's sake…"

Right around then, both Lucy and Cana started to walk down the stairs, both of them wearing a worried/skeptical expression as they approached Elfman. "Elfman…is everything okay? Tell us what happened." Cana spoke out first. In a panic Elfman hid the sphere behind his back as the two females approached him. "Where's Lisanna. I don't buy the fact that you two got separated. I know damn well you would've hunted her down like the beast we know you are."

"I…" Elfman glanced off to the side, not daring to stare either of them in the face.

"Elfman…" Lucy frowned, taking a step forward. "You have to tell us what happened. You know you can depend on us. Whatever happened we'll get through it together!"

 _"_ _Behind him."_

"Eh…?" Lucy frowned at herself for that voice in her head speaking to her once again, but with slightly less pain. Now that she had attention brought to it, she did notice a faint purple glow emanating from behind Elfman. "Elfman…? What's that thing behind your back…?"

"Wh…!?" Elfman's eyes widened. How did Lucy even notice!?

Now Cana noticed too. Eyes narrowed as she leaned to the side to sneak a peek at the object hidden behind Elfman's back. "Yeah…what is that thing…? Elfman…what are you…"

Crap. He was about to get found out…he had no choice now. Within the blink of an eye Elfman lunged at both Cana and Lucy, wrapping his large hands around their throats while pushing them to the ground. In the process he dropped the explosive sphere which slowly began to shine brighter. "I can't let you stop me! I have to do this…!"

"Shit…!" Cana choked out, glancing at Lucy who had the same panicked expression. This wasn't good…Elfman was losing it and that sphere was only moments away from exploding?! Was she going to make it in time to bail everyone out!? Who knew…the only thing known to the town of Magnolia was that the day couldn't get any worse, as the famed Fairy Tail guild hall just…exploded violently, leaving nothing but rubble in its wake.

.

.

Back in Tartarus prison, Lisanna was trying to pry off Natsu's handcuffs with her two feet. Unfortunately she was unable to make any progress and the two made absolutely zero progress in an escape plan. "Drat…we've just been going in circles with ideas for who knows how long now…" Lisanna let out a defeated sigh. "Looks like we'll just have to wait for the others. It's also starting to get really hot and stuffy in here…"

"Yeah…but I'm fine. These temperatures don't bother me at all…" Natsu huffed in annoyance. He was trying to formulate another escape plan but getting out of prison seemed unlikely with no magic behind him. It wasn't long before a familiar figure stood before them: Rose. "Cynthia!?"

Rose held in her hand a blanket and some water. With an annoyed scowl, she slipped the blanket between the bars for Lisanna along with the glass of water. "I'm not going to repeat myself…I've repeated that too many times already. I'm just here to provide these…it's kinda sad seeing the lady naked and alone with someone like you."

"The Hell's that supposed to mean!?" Natsu snarled before pressing his face against the bars. "Forget that!? What are you doing on that side? Let us outta here so we can beat some demon ass!"

"…Are you stupid?" Rose quirked a brow curiously, staring at Natsu with an unamused gaze. "Why would I help you!? Someone who left me to die…"

"We didn't leave you to die…!" Lisanna wrapped the covers around her body and looked to Rose with pleading eyes. "We didn't know what happened…! Cynthia, please…! You know we wouldn't…!"

"You only cared AFTER something happened!" Rose shouted. "That's how it's always been…like an afterthought. You're all nothing but a bunch of detestable bastards that treated me like shit!"

Lisanna gasped, unable to believe the words coming from Rose's mouth. "C-Cynthia…don't tell me…you honestly believe what they've put in your head…"

Natsu stared at Rose's eyes. He knew something was wrong immediately and didn't flinch from the words Rose spewed from her mouth. "Your eyes aren't Cynthia's." Natsu replied. "She never had eyes full of hatred. Who are you?"

"I'm Rose." Rose replied scornfully.

"Are you?" Natsu shot back. The nature of the question caught Rose off guard.

"What the hell kinda question…" Rose started, but Tayakata dropped by with a sinister smile on her face.

"I hate to interrupt such a riveting conversation, but I have some very interesting news to report to our two capture Fairies." Taya spoke and her grin slowly grew wider.

"The hell do you want?" Natsu sneered at Tayakata as Lisanna hid behind him.

"I just want to inform you that as of a few minutes ago…Fairy Tail no longer exists." Taya delivered the news with such a wide smile. "Before you ask what I mean, allow me to clarify. Thanks to the efforts of one of our own, and one of your own, the guild has been destroyed~"

"Oh no…" Lisanna covered her mouth with her hands, feeling the tears well up in her eyes.

"You bastards!" Natsu attempted to ram through the bars but that attempt backfired horribly on him. "Agh…!"

"Natsu…!" Lisanna cried out.

"Come along now, dear. You needn't waste any more time with these cretins. Let them mourn in silence at the futility of their situation." Taya patted Rose on the shoulder and the two left Natsu and Lisanna to sink into depression. Still, Rose had a look of uncertainty on her face, but no one would notice a thing.

.

.

"Do you really think you stand a chance against ME, kid?" Daityas questioned with a large grin, hellish flames erupting from around his body. The immediate landscape around him incinerated to nothing, leaving just barren ground underneath the King of Hell's feet. "Don't make me lau-" Before Daityas could even finish, Leon sprung off his feet with a fist reared back. The acid dragon slayer slammed his fist into Daityas's defending arm, an explosion of acid and poison taking place strong enough to make Daityas skid backwards several yards. "Oh…?"

"I'm not laughing, Daityas!" Leon screamed as a dark emerald aura exploded from around his body once again! His rage continued to grow and grow and as a result, he became stronger. With a roar, Leon unleashed an unholy combination of acid and poison towards Daityas. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"HAHA!" Daityas was actually enjoying himself! Daityas exhaled, releasing a funnel of hell flames towards Leon's dual elemental roar. The two collided, clashing in a powerful explosion that created a large explosion that shielded either from the other's view. Daityas didn't waste any time and sprinted forward, allowing a 'tail' of hell flames to protrude from his backside. Emerging from the smoke faster than Leon could react; Daityas slammed his tail into Leon's chest and send him flying backwards!

"GAH!" Leon cried out from the fierce flames that scorched his skin. Daityas's might was not to be underestimated and he tumbled across the ground violently before coming to a halt. With a growl, Leon looked up only to see Daityas took to the air with his hands raised over his head, hell flames circling around his fists. Leon was quick enough to leap backwards just as Daityas landed, which caused a dome of hell fire to explode. The pyre was widespread, however Leon just narrowly managed to avoid being in harm's way. Just as he landed, a green sphere formed within his clenched fist. "Acid Dragon's Corroding Missile!" Hurling his arm forward, Leon released this highly explosive sphere towards Daityas.

Daityas held his hand out, catching Leon's sphere within his palm before crushing it within his grip. The explosion still occurred but Daityas just smiled through whatever pain he felt. "Is this the limit of your anger? Considering I just killed everyone in your former guild, it's pretty weak. I guess I shouldn't expect too much from you humans after all." Flicking his wrist up, a tower of hell flames erupted on Leon. Even the acid dragon couldn't contain his scream of pain until the flames died down, leaving Leon falling to his knees after.

"Agh…" Leon's body was severely burned. Still, he wasn't going to let this little bit of pain stop him, not when he had to avenge those in Black Phoenix. His nakama were counting on him to avenge him! "You call this pain!? This doesn't even come close to what I'm going to do to you!" Leon shouted before slowly standing up once again. The ground began to tremble from the magical aura he was giving off and a large green magic seal formed underneath Daityas, already set in place from the acid dripping on the ground. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Emerald Corrosion: Rising Tower of Wrath!"

"What…?" Daityas looked around, noticing the very ground he stood on started to melt! The ground collapsed and Daityas started to fall, where a nasty surprise would be waiting for him: A rising dragon head composed of acid and poison! This dragon roared before consuming Daityas whole, rising miles into the sky before it eventually exploded! This explosion was enough to shake the earth for a few miles out and acidic rain began to fall as a result from such a powerful attack.

"Ah…" Leon stared into the aftermath of his Secret Art, panting softly from the amount of magic it used.

"Not bad, kid…" Daityas landed back on the ground with a powerful slam. The smoke cleared around his body to reveal the obvious signs of damage dealt. He didn't seem infuriated or annoyed…he was still grinning, glad to see that there was potentially a human out there that could nudge him a little bit to get serious. "You don't deserve this…but I'll give you a glimpse of death incarnate." Daityas spread his arms out, a hellish light starting to emit from his being. When that light faded, Daityas's form completely changed! His body was surrounded by fierce, thick armor, wings protruded from his back and he held a flaming great sword in his hands. "Welcome to the Fires of Death. I'll be sure to roast you over an open fire slowly…" With one step forward, Daityas suddenly reappeared just a few feet away from Leon with the sword raised over his head.

"Acid Dragon's Sword!" Leon quickly formed a blade of poison and acid within his grip. He was seriously about to challenge a weapon that more than doubled the size of his own body! And it was a challenge he wasn't going to win. The second the blades clashed, Daityas's incinerated Leon's poison and a massive vertical beam of flame consumed the Acid Dragon and spread out for miles on end. Leon was able to escape these flames, just in the nick of time as well as a black pigment overcame them. Every organism that didn't get incinerated in Daityas's destructive waked died…instantly. "Death magic!?"

"Like I said…" Daityas stabbed his sword into the ground, causing a line of flame to travel towards Leon rapidly. Before contact, it split into two trails that circled around Leon, only to merge once behind him and erupt into a tornado of hell flames. "Those who bear witness upon this form shall never live to tell the tale. Even if you begged for mercy and groveled at my feet for your life, I wouldn't give it to you. All humans deserve to die anyway."

"Acid Dragon's Swirling Corrosion!" Twisting his body around, Leon formed a cocoon of poison/acid around his body. This was to protect his body from the searing flames outside, but it only lasted so long before the flames burned away the acid and left Leon defenseless for the duration of the attack. Though Leon had quite a high amount of pain tolerance, even he was starting to feel it. Daityas's power was far too much, but that wouldn't be his excuse for giving up. Leon fell to a knee, but sneered at the Demon King with the upmost hatred and contempt.

"I think I've had fun stretching for now…" Daityas was beginning to lose interest in this fight, if he even considered it that. "I'll end things here…"

"Not yet…" Leon had to push himself to limits unimaginable if he wanted to come close to winning! One shot…one decisive blow was all he needed…and in order to do that he was going to had to do the unthinkable. As a dragon slayer, there was a risk: the overuse of the magic could turn the user into a dragon. The 1st and 3rd generation dragon slayers didn't have to deal with this issue because of the Dragons' efforts to prevent this…but Leon began as a 2nd generation dragon slayer with no immediate teacher, which meant… "Even if I destroy my body, if it'll put an end to you and your heinous crimes against humanity…I'll DO IT!" Leon's body started to turn bright green; acidic scales began to cover his body from head to toe and draconic wings sprouted from his back. His shape couldn't even be acknowledged as human anymore. With a roar equivalent to that of a dragon, Leon stared Daityas down in his new form: Draconic Rage.

"Don't overstep your boundaries, kid…" Daityas recognized Leon's increase in strength, but did it faze him? Not quite. He just stared at the 'dragon' before him with a widening grin. "Otherwise you won't be able to turn back."

"I made my choice." Leon stated firmly before lunging forward. He was gathering all of his magic energy into his right arm, coated purple with poison! This was it, do or die! And the decision was…unresolved as Daityas stabbed his sword into Leon's chest, lifting him into the air. Leon gasped and coughed up spools of blood while staring down at Daityas.

"Don't feel so bad. It's been ages since I've been able to stretch like this! You fought harder than any other human could. That's not so bad, but considering everyone who fights me ends up the same way…it's not really an improvement." Daityas chuckled quietly, twisting his blade in Leon's chest.

Gritting his teeth through the pain, Leon finally found the chance he was looking forward. With everything he could muster, his arm was thrown forward, his mass amount of magic finally released! "Poison Acid Dragon's UNHOLY RELEASE!"

"What the!?" Daityas caught on just a second too late. Leon purposely let himself get impaled, for it would just bring him closer to Daityas. Leon's magic released into a literal nuclear explosion of poison and acid that spread out for miles on end! The emerald dome expanded, corroding all it touched into pools of nothingness.

When it all cleared…the only one left remaining was a heavily injured Leon. His body slowly reverted to normal and he fell to the ground on his hands and knees, barely managing to stay conscious. He couldn't sense Daityas' presence anymore…so did this mean…?

"Leon…!" From nearby, Aira and Cygnus appeared. They managed to protect themselves from Leon's final attack and were glad to see their nakama still alive and well. "I can't believe it…you're okay…!" Aira could barely contain her happiness. "Hold still, I'll be over in a second to…"

It wasn't long before a black portal opened up behind Leon. A damaged arm tightly gripped onto his leg, slowly beginning to drag him down. Daityas' burned and deformed face rose from the portal, a twisted grin stretched on his damaged lips. "If I'm going back to hell…I'M TAKING YOU WITH ME."

"Shit…! He was still alive!?" Cygnus shook his head and dashed towards Leon. "Hang on, we're gonna pull you out of there!"

Aira was already on the job, holding onto Leon's arm and used all her might to try and pull her from Daityas' grip, but for some reason the dying had a grip of steel that couldn't be broken! "Let him go…!" Aira pleaded. It was then Cygnus joined in, trying to use himself as a counterbalance weight with gravity to pry Leon away from Daityas.

"Aira…" Leon weakly smiled at Aira. "It's okay…"

"No it isn't!" Aira objected. "I won't let him take you, even if it's the last thing I do!"

"How much does this guy weigh, 1000 pounds!?" Cygnus groaned while feeling himself being dragged forward along with Aira. They weren't going to beat Daityas' dying grip like this!

"I'LL TAKE ALL OF YOU TO HELL!" Daityas's sickening grin widened as the portal started to expand. It wouldn't be much longer before all three of them were dragged into the depths of the literal Underworld.

"Aira…Listen to me carefully. This may be the end of the line for me…but I don't want you to die trying to save me. Instead, I want you to live your life. That would be the best thing you could do for me right now…" Leon gave Aira a warm smile before summoning the last of his magic to coat his arm in acid. Surprisingly, Aira held on strong for a few moments before finally having to let go against her will. The second Leon slipped away from her grasp; both Leon and Daityas were dragged into the other side of the portal which immediately closed.

A rough silence filled the area. Aira's blonde hair created a shade over her eyes as saline began to build up. The female stayed motionless, not uttering a single word. "…"

"Aira…" Cygnus rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry…I couldn't be more useful…"

"No…it's fine." Aira stood back up, facing Cygnus with a forced smile. "I can't focus on that right now…right now, we have to join the others. These demons will pay for their horrible misdeeds…" The wind started to blow, revealing the tears that streamed down Aira's cheeks. Those emerald eyes shone brightly with determination. The advent of the wind goddess was upon them.

.

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Next Time: Tartarus Rebirth Arc: Part 2! Eclipse Counter Attack!


	54. Chapter 54: Eclipse Counterattack!

Time until Face goes off: 40 minutes.

Sayla and Kyouka stood together while watching the Face timer rapidly decreasing. There was a grin on their faces that couldn't be matched as Tartarus' plans slowly came into fruition. "Only 40 more minutes until our wish is granted." Kyouka chuckled quietly. "I should use this remaining time to have fun with Erza while I still can."

"That human doesn't deserve so much of your attention, Kyouka-sama." Sayla spoke with what appeared to a twinge of jealously. "Her story is coming to an end, it is in poor taste to extend the inevitable…the bad ending is already upon her."

"You're quite right…" The sensory demon gave a nod of agreement. "Something about those screams is just so charming. But don't worry, Kyouka. After this is over, all of my attention to you~" There was a hum to Kyouka's voice as she stroked a finger against Sayla's cheek.

Before these two could get too into whatever moment they were having, the screen nearby started to flash with a warning symbol and an alarm started to echo throughout the castle. "Huh!?" Sayla went over to the monitor, noticing the several dots plaguing the screen. "What…there are beings rapidly approaching the castle? But how can that be…?" Displaying a live feed on the screen, there was only a large cloud of smoke shielding everything from view. "What humans…who dares to interfere in the wonderful story of the demons wishing to reunite with their master and creator!?"

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"Sorry we're late to the party. We just had a few loose ends to tie up…" Reve stepped forward out of the smoke, dusting his shoulders off with that patented cocky grin. The Tartarus foot soldiers couldn't stand for any intruders so they attacked instantly. Of course, our favorite White Eclipse S class wasn't going to stand for that so easily and used his Quick Draw to requip two standard pistols, shooting those who tried to approach him square in the forehead for instant defeat. "White Eclipse, let's make this quick!"

"On it!" Luke sprinted forward with a wide grin on his face. With black and white surrounding his body, the copycat pushed forward while inhaling. "Bellow of the Black and White God!" Letting his lips part, Luke released a twin beam of darkness and light that spiraled down the nearest corridor, taking out several Tartarus soldiers in its path before it eventually exploded, taking out a large section of that area in the process. "Not so fun when we come up into your home and break your stuff? It's time for payback, White Eclipse style!"

From behind Luke, nearly the entire White Eclipse guild followed suit to bring havoc into Tartarus! El Rayo dove forward, screaming: "LUCHHHHAAA!" Before grappling onto a random solider with the quickness. A magic seal formed on the poor soul's back and El Rayo delivered a swift RKO! The magic seal was the result of the luchador's Impact Magic, which increased damaged on a set area depending on where it was placed.

"That's the spirit, Rayo!" Cygnus grinned before placing his hands forward. Golden waves of gravity shot forth from his hands and exploded, weighing down anyone that wasn't a White Eclipse mage. With his part done, he simply grinned to the others. "Let's go guys!"

Aira swiftly moved forward, slicing through anyone that dared to stand in her way. Once coming to a halt, a raging tempest followed behind her, ensuing that those who somehow managed to avoid her physical strikes were swallowed by her winds. "Tempest Slash."

"Aira doesn't look so happy…" Waiston pointed out. "I guess I wouldn't be in too good a mood either after what happened with Leon."

"All I know is…" Zalen said while adjusting his glasses. "I don't want to get in the way of that right now."

.

"How did those filthy humans…!?" Sayla began while her brow started to twitch in an irritated fashion. "I don't believe it…they're really trying to rewrite the ending of this story! I will not stand for it…"

"Peace, Sayla…" Kyouka had a smirk drawn on her lips. "Worry not…these rebellious humans will get what is coming to them soon enough. I have something I wish to go check on…in the meantime; would you go see how everyone is in Hell's Core? I'm sure the others would love to get in on this as well."

"As you wish, Kyouka-sama…" Sayla nodded, briskly making her way towards Hell's Core.

.

"Haaaa…!?" Lamy stared up at the ceiling with all the tremors shaking the castle. "What's going on up there? Can't I do my job in peace!?" Speaking of doing her job, a few of the demons resting in Hell's Core were finally about ready to come out and seek vengeance. The tubes containing Jackal, Franmalth, Tempesta, and Minerva finally drained and opened.

Jackal grunted in annoyance, stepping out of the tube with a scowl on his face. "Damn cat…damn thief! Damn that fireball too! Next time I see them I'll blow them to pieces!"

"Ooooh!" Lamy swooned at Jackal's hot headed attitude. "When Jackal-kun is upset you're so adorable!" She awkwardly swayed her body while leaning closer to Jackal, who just leaned away in an annoyed fashion.

"Get away from me you freak…" Jackal grumbled.

Tempesta had amore…humanish appearance to him. Though he remembered naught what happened to lead to his death this time, he could only stare at his new features in a slight daze. "What is…this new body…?" Tempesta questioned.

"Oh, that?!" Lamy then turned to Tempesta with stars in her eyes. "Your old appearance was so ugly and brutish…so I took it upon myself to make you more of a hunk! So for my sake, could you please not ruin this one!?"

"I see…." Tempesta nodded slowly in slight understanding. It was around then that Sayla finally came down, staring at the demons gathered in Hell's Core.

"I see you're all revived now, excellent. There are intruders in our castle and it is time to dispose of them and end their stories." Sayla ordered.

"Gehehe…" Franmalth lightly tapped his fingers together, chuckling quietly. "The chance to steal more souls? I would never pass up this opportunity…there is a debt that I must collect anyway." With that said, Jackal, Franmalth, and Tempesta went off to handle the intruders. Neo Minerva stayed behind, glancing at her new demonic appearance.

"And just what are you waiting for?" Lamy questioned, pointing at the stairs. "Get going! You're just as much a part of this as anyone else here is now!"

Nodding slowly, Minerva held a sinister smile on her lips. "Yes…I shall use this power to crush all of those under my heel like the insects they are. I will have them groveling before me…" Spoken like the queen she was, Minerva slowly sauntered out while a terrible aura radaiated from her being.

"And finally, you!" Lamy pressed her face to the tube still containing Mirajane. "Oh…I can't wait until you're finished. It'll be fun contorting that pretty face of yours into the hideous thing anyone's ever seen!"

.

Hearing all the commotion going about, Arcturus merely lifted his head. He didn't have to see to know what was going on, for he already knew. There was a large smirk drawn on his lips, his tongue slowly dragging across his lower one. "So…they've finally decided to make their move huh? Finally, I've been getting bored just sitting and waiting around like this…"

"White Eclipse has shown their faces here?" Tayakata clicked her tongue, slender arms stretching above her head. "It's about time…I can't wait to reunite with everyone once again." With a sinister chuckle, the female stood up and began to saunter away. "There are still some loose ends that I need to tie up anyway. But not without a little fun first."

"As do I…." Arc went off in a separate direction than Taya. These two former White Eclipse mages had scores to settle with mages in the guild…there were going to be some fierce confrontations coming soon enough. And for these demons of Tartarus…they were more than ready for the blood that would soon come with it.

.

A beam of pink light ricocheted off the walls and past several Tartarus soldiers. Sophie came to a halt, not even looking back once at the destruction she caused. "Hm…" Glancing up, there was a gigantic machine in front of her with the intent to blast her away. Unfazed, Sophie placed her hand on her gauntlet to ensure steady aim, the red gem adorning the fist plate beginning to shine brightly. "Shotstaff Blast." From the gem, a large energy sphere shot forth and collided against the battle machine, destroying it in a single shot.

"Wha!?" The soldiers commanding the machine had to back away from Sophie and she was just a child. "What is that girl!? She's not even batting an eye!"

"My objective is to take revenge in the name of White Eclipse. Destroying Tartarus members is part of my objective." Sophie exclaimed with a blank expression. Holding her arm up, she gathered raw energy within the palm of her hand which she then slammed into the ground. A wave of pink energy shot forth and obliterated everything in its path, Tartarus soldiers included. There was hardly a corridor left in its destructive wake.

"Sophie…!" Reiss, Micaiah, Vanya, Saraya, and Tyson arrived on the scene, though they were really late. They all had to take a moment to look over the damage Sophie alone did to Tartarus. "Whoa…what the heck happened here?"

"I'm doing my duty." Sophie responded while pointing to the downed soldiers.

"She's like a machine sometimes…" Micaiah whispered to Vanya, who gave a silent nod.

"Her heartbeat is a little…off…" Vanya muttered.

"What…?" Sophie blinked. "Is there something on my face…?"

"N-No…don't worry about it…!" Reiss said with a wave of his hand. "Just stay safe with everyone else and don't do anything rash…these demons won't be taking it easy on us."

"That's fine." Micaiah scoffed while taking several steps forward. She was starting to walk off on her own; however Vanya was quick to follow. "I've been waiting for this opportunity since I've heard of them. It's been my duty since birth to eradicate the impurity known as demons…"

"Micaiah-chan…you shouldn't get so worked up. You know it's not good for you." Vanya remarked, her tone becoming a little sterner. It appeared to work since Micaiah's hardened expression softened just slightly, but she still kept going on her way.

.

"The humans are being dealt with as we speak." Sayla could finally relax with a slight smile. With everything going as planned once again, there was no cause for worry. She was certain that White Eclipse would be soundly dealt with before too much damage could be dealt to them. However…there was one thing that she could not have foreseen! The monitor she observed before started to flash and beep as a warning symbol. The strangest thing was that there were only three dots on the screen instead of the many from before. "What…?!"

.

.

Just outside of Tartarus Castle, Happy, Carla, and Pantherlily were flying full speed ahead towards the demon's stronghold! In their paws, a deck of cards spread out among the three of them. "Are you two ready?!" Lily exclaimed while glancing at the others.

"Ready!" Happy and Carla exclaimed simultaneously. With a shared nod between the three of them, the Exceeds flew as fast as they possibly could before flying through the nearest open window on the highest floor. The moment they did that, the cards in their possession poofed and the members of Fairy Tail appeared, all of them raring and ready to go!

"Nice job!" Cana gathered the cards back in her deck before giving the Exceed trio a thumbs up. "Now that we're finally back in this fight…I think it's time to kick some ass!"

.

.

Next Time: All Out Assault!


	55. Chapter 55: All Out Assault

Time until Face goes off: 30 minutes.

Fairy Tail was met with a number of Tartarus soldiers. As expected that their defenses would be on high alert, but the numbers were slightly staggering. Still, that wasn't going to stop them! Gajeel was one who made sure of this by beginning to inhale, lurching forward while parting his lips. "Iron Dragon's Roar!" From his mouth, a vortex of metallic shrapnel launched forward, taking out several grunts as it travelled down the hall. "C'mon! I'm just getting starting you demonic fucks!"

"G-Gajeel is really fired up about this, huh…?" Levy had to stand back and watch Gajeel do work, because he wasn't wasting any time! Of course the others were right along and began to engage Tartarus in battle; however none of the big guns made their appearance quite yet.

Glancing around, Lucy didn't exactly find a way to make it to the lower levels, likely where the rest of the action was occurring so easily. "How are we going to break through…? We'll be stuck up here for too long and end up being sitting ducks…"

"It's simple!" Levy pointed out. "We find out where the soldiers are coming from and follow that route!"

"Excellent work as always!" Jet praised Levy, though she didn't really think too much of it at the time.

Cana walked over to Elfman, who needed some time to himself after the incident that occurred. "Oi…you feeling okay now big guy?" The brunette questioned with a soft smile.

"Yeah…" Elfman nodded slowly. His somber expression didn't last too long and he stood up with that determination he had in the beginning. "I don't know what came over me in those moments…but I won't let it happen to me again. My sisters are in need of my help and I know they're in here!"

"That's the spirit!" Cana grinned, slapping Elfman on the back. "Don't make me have to do that again. You really gave me a heart attack there." Speaking of medical issues, the drunken fairy's eyes wandered to Laxus, Freed, Bickslow, Evergreen, and Yajima. They were still suffering from the Magic Barrier Particles yet were under the watchful eye of Porlyuisca. "How are they holding up…?"

"They're not getting better." The medic stated with bitter bluntness. "I still need a blood sample from the demon that caused this if I am to make a cure for them."

"If they were active, we would be making it through this so much faster…" Romeo gave a slight nod. For now, they'd just have to continue fighting on their own.

"I'm going to see if anyone else is here yet…and perhaps through my telepathy, we can find a way to bring Tartarus down within the blink of an eye…" Warren placed two fingers to his cranium, using his Telepathy to seek out other mages within Tartarus. He could sense many and planned on communicating with them whether they liked it or not.

Wendy glanced around the castle. She couldn't be patient enough to wait another moment as her nose tracked down that all too familiar scent of Cynthia's. Even when apart like this, those two were still acting in unison, for once the other's scent entered their noses, they spoke at the same time from two different locations: _"She's here in this building…_ "

Lucy didn't want to leave Wendy and Carla alone so she followed along with them. "Wait, Wendy! I know where you're trying to go…but have you even decided what you're going to do? I know you've been juggling this decision in your mind for a while now…but what will do you if you run into Cynthia…?"

Wendy continued on her way; however she did pause for a moment as both Lucy and Carla gave her concerned looks. "I've been thinking a lot about it recently…I don't know what happened to Cynthia, but we did make a promise. She told me that if something like this ever happened I have to confront her. I really don't want to fight Cynthia, but her behavior is making it an impossible confrontation…I think the only way I can talk to her is by fighting and that scares me. But…I want to…no, I have to save her. So I'll do anything I can."

Wendy's resolve brought forth a small smile on both Lucy and Carla's lips. "You've grown so much…I'll be with you every step of the way." Carla responded with a widening grin.

"And I'll be here for backup!" Lucy reassured. "Now let's go get Cynthia back, stop Face, and kick these demon's butts!"

.

.

Bang! Bang! Reve was shooting down soldiers as they tried to step up to him without even batting an eye. Once the coast was clear, by some horrible timing he heard the voice of Warren in his head. "You know…this is the second time you've appeared in my head uninvited."

"Ah! So White Eclipse is here! Wonderful!" Warren's voice could be heard for everyone between Fairy Tail and White Eclipse. "Good! Fairy Tail is here too on the higher levels. Some of the other guilds will also be here soon! So it's time to work together and crush Tartarus once and for all!"

"Look at the nobody, trying to sound all important…" Reve shook his head. "We were already planning to destroy Tartarus when we got here. We don't need your encouragement, but we'll take your information."

"We're still in a situation here; your ego can inflate after we've won." Heather chided Reve who really didn't think too much of it.

"How much longer do we have to share a channel with them?" Cygnus complained.

"Not much longer." That voice…didn't belong to anyone from White Eclipse or Fairy Tail. In fact, Warren wasn't even conscious at the moment for his telepathy was hijacked by the one…the only…

.

"Humans." Marde Geer held his fingers to his forehead, an amused grin crawling onto his lips. "I think your little parade has come far enough. I will not allow you to trespass any farther than you already have; you've already defaced the name of Demon King with that unsightly defeat of Daityas…Face will activate shortly and it would be in poor taste for you to interrupt my plans before they go off. Therefore…I have decided that your graves will be in this very castle." Pointing said hand off to the side, he was going to activate one of his many spells. "Alegeria." And on that simple command, the entire castle began to rumble violently. "It's time for you to sleep."

.

"Huh…?!" The ground started to soften and liquefy underneath everyone's feet. Not only that but it seemed as if the walls were reaching out to grab everyone not affiliated with Tartarus. Try as Wendy, Lucy, and Carla might, they weren't having any luck escaping. "Ah…! No, not when we're so close…!" Wendy cried out, reaching out for something, anything that could help them escape!

.

"What the…?" Zalen found himself unable to move…it was as if the castle itself was beginning to assimilate him! To make matters worse, the Tartarus soldiers in front of him were completely unaffected. "Crap! This is no good!"

"Agh…!" Takeru was having even worse luck! The entire castle was beginning to swallow him whole…not to mention he could feel the building itself beginning to come to life! "This isn't good! I still have to find Serena…! I'm not going out like this damn it!"

"Like hell am I going down this way!" Clearly resisting the inevitable fate, Waiston tried his hardest to fight against the spell Marde activated…however it was just no use.

.

Ah…how pleasant it was for Marde. In a matter of mere seconds this human infestation would be taken care of nicely and Face would activate without a hitch. Sitting back with the book of E.N.D in his hands, he just waited for the inevitable result of all the humans being silenced. Still…there was a slight presence that bothered him. In the midst of this spell, something didn't sit right with him and he couldn't put his finger on it. It soon came to light…literally. A magic seal in the shape of a star shone brightly in front of Marde's throne. It wasn't just in the throne room; six other identical symbols appeared in various other sections of the castle. "What in…"

 _"_ _Be judged by the seven stars, demon."_

How?! Even while incapacitated Jellal still proved to be a thorn in Marde's side! These stars exploded with Heavenly Body magic, interrupting the Alegeria spell violently! Several eruptions occurred in a large chain, silencing and destroying most of the castle that threatened to come alive while saving the skin of everyone who was caught within what could've been the end.

Marde looked rather disheveled for a moment after the trick Jellal pulled. "When did he…" Ah…when DID Jellal have the time to pull this off? When Marde was keeping Jellal as company…as it turns out, such a plan now backfired on the King of Hades since Jellal likely had this planned since the beginning of his capture. "Hmph…it matters not. Your attempt to vex me will only end in your comrade's death, Jellal. The outcome is still the same…merely delayed…"

Right after Marde finished speaking; the throne room doors were nearly blown open. Standing in the newly opened doorway was a grinning Luke Cloud, a black and white aura flaring around his body as he stared Marde down. "So I'm gonna take a gander and say you're the one in charge of this operation. Well allow me to be the one to put an end to this game!"

Marde remained seated, now unamused at Luke's intrusion. "Foolish human…this is a confrontation you stand no chance of winning. If you grovel at my feet and beg for mercy, I'll make your death swift."

"Ha, good luck with that." Luke retorted with a sly smirk. "Cats have nine lives, didn't you know? Besides…I've cheated death many a time. Don't say I didn't warn you."

.

Natsu and Lisanna weren't having so much luck within the jail cell. They were tumbling around due to all the violent vibrations that shook the castle. "Gah! What the hell is going on out there!? And why am I not a part of it!?" Natsu growled while attempting to break through the bars with his own skull…and was just as effective as the last time and Natsu bounced backwards. "Agh!"

"There's got to be something we can do…" Lisanna grumbled. It was then the 'clink' of steel could be heard rattling down the hallway. A few seconds later and a thin, yet large great sword appeared in front of the jail cell. "Huh…that's a sharp weapon…where did it come from?"

"I think I can grab that from here…" Natsu judged the distance and it seemed plausible. "Yeah…yeah…!" Reaching out with his feet, he managed to slide the blade between the bars and handed it off to Lisanna who had her hands at her front. "Got it!"

"Yes!" Taking the sword, Lisanna used it to slice the magic sealing cuffs from around Natsu's wrists. The moment Natsu was free he returned the favor and Lisanna took to her Tigress Take Over so she could have SOMETHING covering her. "Ah…so much better!"

"Now let's get out of here!" Natsu grinned while slamming his fist into his palm before flames ignited on his fist. In one punch he blew open the prison cell and stood there all proud of himself.

"You're still naked. Put some clothes on or something!" Lisanna turned away from Natsu with a red face.

"What's with all this commotion…?" Angel peered out from around the corner. Once her gaze landed on Lisanna and Natsu, she quirked a brow before rounding the corner, throwing Natsu a bundle of clothes in her hands before glancing away. "Ugh, put some clothes on. It's disgusting seeing you like this."

"Huh…?" Natsu blinked, putting on the clothes (Tartarus arc outfit) before staring at Angel confusedly. "Angel…? What the heck are you doing here…? Where are the others? And what happened to your arm!?" He questioned while pointing at Angel's clearly injured shoulder that hadn't healed since Crime Soricere was ambushed.

"It's a long story…" Angel grumbled while trying to ignore whatever pain lingered in her shoulder. "When I woke up in here my cell was open and that pair of magic sealing cuffs were already off me…along with the bundle of clothes next to me. But what matters now is getting revenge for being made a mockery of! These demons will descend back into hell where they belong if it is the last thing they do!"

"She's very determined…" Lisanna whispered to Natsu. "Hey…it's dangerous to go alone…so why don't we go together? Natsu and I were about to look for Erza!"

"…Hmph. Very well, I'll accompany you." Angel nodded reluctantly, although she knew much better than to try and solo run this building in her condition.

.

"A minor setback…" Kyouka happily hummed while making her way back to the torture chamber. "But it doesn't matter. Everything is still going according to plan…now then, Erza. I think you and I still have a little more fun left…" And when Kyouka opened the door…Erza was not where she should have been. The demon that was used to give Erza treatment akin to that of the electric chair was just lying on the ground dead.

The same instant Kyouka entered the room a sword was pressed firmly against her neck, just barely not cutting into the skin. Erza stood with a wicked smile of her own. "Yes, I agree…let's have some 'fun'. I have to repay you for your hospitality.

.

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Next Time: The Countdown.


	56. Chapter 56: The Countdown

How quickly the tables turned. It wasn't long before Kyouka was cuffed, standing in front of an angered Erza, Natsu, Lisanna, and Angel. Natsu and Lisanna were admittedly a little unnerved by what they deemed as an unusual anger on Erza's face. "I think it's about time to return the favor…"

"Why is she so upset…?" Lisanna whispered to the others, though they were unable to come up with an answer.

"I can assume something." Angel said with a glare. "Those demons are foul creatures…and if they treated her any better than they treated me…then I would be upset too."

"Precisely, Angel." Erza's lips curled and twitched. "Now then…" Bringing her blade up, she held it to Kyouka's neck, that smile curving into a frown. "You're going to tell us everything YOU know. Starting with Face. How do we shut it off!?"

"Hah…." Even in this situation, Kyouka couldn't help but chuckle mockingly. All it served to do was annoy Erza even further, and she was already barely managing to hold herself together after such humiliating torture. "I don't see why you humans are so adamant in stopping us…we're simply trying to awaken our master and return to Lord Zeref…is that truly so much to ask…?"

"It becomes a problem when you endanger the lives of humans and the wellbeing of magic." Erza responded. "I don't care what it is you're trying to accomplish, you've hurt plenty of people by this point. I'm not going to ask you again…how do you stop Face?"

Letting out a defeated sigh, Kyouka responded; "I suppose that answer to that is really quite simple. You could try to destroy it…but it's already too late to try. The countdown is nearly over and it would take far too long for anyone to find its location."

"Don't underestimate us!" Natsu shouted with a grin, taking Kyouka's statement as more of a challenge than anything else. "We'll crush Face and your entire building!"

"My my…humans are so arrogant, just as I predicted. That's what makes you so fun to toy with…" Kyouka licked her lips slowly.

"Enough of your needless chatter. Next question." Erza was not having any of it right now. "What did you do to Cynthia and where is she right now?"

"Do you mean Rose?" Kyouka quirked a brow while staring up at Erza. That grin on her lips slowly widened and another soft chuckle escaped her. "Oh…it's very ironic when I think about it. That girl is truly a treat to this plan…now I see why Marde-sama ordered me to tell her to do that…"

"What are you talking about!?" Lisanna clenched a hand into a tight fist while glaring at Kyouka. "Tell us where is she…!"

In the midst of this interrogation, Angel couldn't help but notice Kyouka's attitude. She was very…unconcerned about the situation despite being cuffed. Her abilities should've been sealed, right…? Then why did Angel feel so uneasy…? …That's why. She recalled the encounter with Arc and remembered what it was that made Demons a different breed than human mages. "Those cuffs are…!"

Before Angel had the opportunity to finish, Kyouka broke free from the magic sealing cuffs with ease and aimed her claws at Erza's chest. Erza managed to defend against the blow with the full blade of her sword, although she did slide back slightly. "Agh…!"

"Those cuffs seal magic! Curse power is unaffected by them!" Kyouka grinned widely as she tried to push Erza even further back. "Now then Erza, shall we have a little more fun!? I wasn't quite done with you! Your screams of pain fill my ears with pleasure!"

"Erza..!" Lisanna reached out to help before withdrawing her hand.

"I can handle this!" Erza spoke with a disgruntled voice. "Go meet up with the others…and find Mira…!"

"Leave that to me…!" Lisanna nodded and quickly darted off in search of her sister. As for Natsu, he was going to catch up on all the action he was missing! And Angel…she had an agenda of her own to take care of…but she did start by following behind Lisanna.

.

"Do you really think you'll be able to stand against me for more than a few minutes? You've already shortened your life span by stepping into this building…though I would be more than happy to end it now. You're just a simple copy mage…" Marde commented while resting his fist in his palm, staring at Luke while waiting for an answer.

"You didn't hear me, did you?" Luke narrowed his eyes at Marde before a wide smirk curved onto his lips. "I'm not just some opening act. I'm here to finish you….even a copycat such as myself can learn new tricks!" The magical aura Luke was letting out caused the throne room to tremble and Marde's brow to quirk. It wasn't long before a gray aura exploded from around Luke to give birth to his new appearance: bright green spiky hair, green eyes, and blue, inhumane scales that crawled up his ride side all the way to his face. By using the power given to him by Desdemona and Ophelia, Luke now had access to a new form: Chaos Unison. "Heh…"

Marde sensed the familiar presence from Luke's magical aura. Now his interest was truly taken and he actually stood up from his throne, keeping the book of E.N.D snug within one arm. "So…she's still around I see…and to think she'd pass off even the slightest drop of power to a lowly insect like yourself. Very well…I will allow you to entertain me for a few moments. The moment I get bored is the moment I dispose of you. I want to see what this power of yours can do, human."

"Now I've got your attention?" With a gray aura radiating off of Luke's body, he faced the King of Hades with a widening smirk. "Good. Because I'll only need a few minutes to pull this off."

.

"BAAAH…." Lamy let out the heaviest of sighs while staring at Mirajane, who was still unconscious within the healing tube. "This is taking forever…! You should be ready by now…" At this rate, Lamy was going to miss all of the action…or maybe not, considering Reiss, Tyson, and Saraya stumbled into Hell's Core.

"What is this place…?" Tyson questioned while looking around.

"OOOH!" Lamy's eyes sparkled and she hurried up to the trio of Eclipse rookies, staring at the males with intrigue. "Oh…tell me…does your guild have any hotties in it?" She asked Reiss while looking him over.

"Huh!?" What a random question to be asking! Reiss blinked a few times before pointing at himself. "Well I think you're looking at one right here, for your information."

Lamy continued to stare at Reiss before pulling back and shaking her head. "No…no, I don't think so."

"HA!" Tyson couldn't help but laugh. "Not even little Bo Peeps' lost sheep finds you attractive!"

"That's not funny!" Reiss shouted.

"Uh…" Saraya tried to break up the argument while pointing at Mira. "I think that's a person in there…should we do something about that…?"

"Oh! Thanks for reminding me!" Lamy snapped her fingers and went back to the panel controlling Mirajane's tube. Reiss tried to reach out and grab her but his hand slipped once making the slightly contact and it only left him confused. "This one is taking too long…I'm just going to do what I did with Rose and increase the volume of demonic cells entering her body…this should up that evil factor…add a touch of this…remove that and….!" Lamy pressed a button and the tube containing Mira exploded…earlier than the little lamb was expecting it to! Lifting her head up, Lamy stared at Mira who luckily had one of the tentacles covering her due to her lack of clothing while her hair covered her eyes. The presence Mira gave off had the Eclipse rookies shaking in their boots. "Fwahaha…! It was a success…I think!"

"…D-Do you think we can take her…?" Reiss questioned the others. It was Mira and if they really had to fight her, the chances didn't look so good with even the three of them together.

"I dunno…" Tyson admitted with a silent gulp.

"Now, my little evil butterfly!" Lamy pointed at the three rookies while her annoying laugh. "Kill them all! Slaughter them! Smear their remains all along the floor so I can have a good laugh!" Nope. Nothing. Mira only turned in Lamy's direction. "Huh…? Didn't you hear me…!? Or do I need to repeat myself!?"

"I would love for you to repeat yourself." Mira's voice had that sickeningly sweet threatening tone to it. "I really want to know what it was you did to my little Cynthia."

"…EEEK!" Lamy's eyes nearly buldged out of their sockets. "Wait….! How did you!? I put demon particles in you!"

"I'm already a demon." Mira responded. "So really…all you did was rejuvenate me. Thank you for that, I haven't felt this good in a while. Now then…you're going to tell me what happened with Cynthia." Mira began to reach out for the cowering Lamy, only for her body to stop short. It wasn't just her, but the other three mages in the room also felt all control leave their body. "Wha…?"

"It's quite a sad story to be honest." Sayla spoke while walking into the scene. "A girl enamored with her family…left alone to die, abandoned by them when she cared for them most. Now, reborn as a demon, she seeks revenge against those who left her to die. Tragic, yet not every story has a happy ending…"

Mirajane narrowed her eyes at Sayla and the atmosphere in the room grew heavy with tension. "You…"

"Oh…?" Sayla quirked a brow at Mira. "Oh…you remind me of the little boy and girl whom I encountered earlier. They should both be dead by now…but there was a minor setback. Although I don't believe it matters…your stories will all be over by the time the sun sets."

"Oh…?" Mira's lips curled into a grin akin to her old persona. Behind that sweet smile held malicious intentions. "So not only do you mess with Cynthia…but you go after my siblings too…? I'm afraid I cannot let either of these actions go without some punishment…"

.

Lucy, Wendy, and Carla arrived within the data center of Tartarus. Wendy's nose led them there and once they were in the room she continued to sniff around, groaning from small irritation. "Ah…! She was just in here; it's all over this room…!" Wendy stated while glancing around the room rapidly. Her nose took her to the computer to where she glanced up at the screen. "H-Huh…?" Eyes widened as she stared face to face with the Face countdown. Only 20 minutes remained until the Magic Pulse Bomb went off!

"No way…! Only 20 minutes…?" Lucy's eyes widened as she stared at the timer. "Agh…we still have no way of stopping it…" Right after Lucy spoke a blade composed of pure darkness soared across the room, aiming to pierce through her side. Luckily the celestial mage was fast enough to evade the blade and it struck the wall behind her before dispersing. "Huh…!?"

"Who threw that…!?" Carla asked while peering down the opposing entryway where the blade came from.

"Oh…" Taya sauntered from the entryway with her hands on her hips. She seemed a little disappointed at the sight of the two Fairies before her. "You weren't who I was hoping to see…what a shame."

"Wha…" Lucy couldn't believe who she was seeing! "Wait…aren't you supposed to be dead…?"

"Dead? Far from it." Taya scoffed at the question while pulling her hair behind her back. "I had an epiphany: I don't like you humans. Why should I continue to assist them when I don't like them…? It's not really my place."

"You reek of Cynthia's scent." Wendy narrowed her eyes. "Where is she?"

"Do you mean Rose?" Taya questioned. "Oh, I believe you're the last person she wants to see right now. But if you must know…you actually just missed her. She was told to ensure Face activated without a hitch and she's gone in that direction as we speak."

"…!" Wendy's jaw dropped and she took a glance at Lucy and Carla. They were all on the same page. "I have to go stop her…!"

"I don't think I can allow that to happen so easily…" Tayakata started to speak, however Lucy stood in her way. "Oh…?"

"Go Wendy, Carla! I'll keep her busy!" Lucy said while changing into her Stardress: Cancer, now dual wielding a pair of swords. With nods, Carla picked up Wendy and proceeded to fly towards Face's location to stop Cynthia from doing anything rash. The moment Wendy and Carla left, Taya was chuckling quietly, though Lucy overheard it. "Huh…? What's so funny?"

"You never did let me finish…" Taya spoke with a knowing grin. "Rose isn't the only one heading towards Face at the moment. There is another Demon Gate lying in wait…Ezel. We predicted that one of your Fairies would try to stop Face, so that was why Rose was sent. She already hates you all to your very core and she wouldn't go down without a fight…but in the event she is defeated, Ezel is lying in wait to kill the poor soul who fought Rose. How ironic that the little girl is going…since that's Rose's mission: to kill Wendy, as it were."

Such information naturally came as a shock to the blonde. Lucy needed a second to take everything in before taking a firm stance. "I don't believe Wendy will fail…we won't fail either!" Admittedly…she was a little nervous thinking about it. The fate of the world's magic rested on Wendy's shoulders…and on her bond with Cynthia. She was silently praying that the two of them would be okay and manage to stop Face in time.

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Next Time: Against The Clock.


	57. Chapter 57: Against The Clock

"You want to know the best part about being in touch with my demon roots again?" Tayakata asked the rhetorical question while locked in combat with Lucy. By use of her Obsidian Blade, the demoness was capable of parrying most of the strikes Lucy aimed with her dual blades. Although Lucy was agile with her strikes, Tayakata was quite adept herself at swordplay, making it difficult for the celestial mage to get any hits in; in fact it was going quite the opposite: Taya's sword was closer slashing Lucy even in the two v one scenario. "I don't have to hold back against the likes of you anymore…I always detested having to play nice with Fairies during my time at White Eclipse."

"I'm so glad to hear that…" Lucy spoke with obvious sarcasm. Taya's sword then came incredibly close to slicing off her head; however she was quick enough to bring up both of her blades to defend against the slash, resulting in the two females entering a deadlock. "I don't really know what your reasons are for turning to this side…I do know that I can't let your plans succeed!"

"Oh? Then why don't you try and stop me?" Taya's tone grew slightly more violent and she brought her heel up to Lucy's stomach, using her physical strength to kick Lucy away with incredible might.

"Agh…!" Lucy let out a cry of pain before finding herself tumbling along the floor, eventually sliding to a halt on a knee. "Gate of the Scorpion, I open thee! Scorpio!" Quickly whipping out a golden key, Lucy summoned the sand spirit who appeared with a peace sign.

"We are!" Scorpio exclaimed before getting on all fours, pointing his stinger directly at Taya. "Sand Buster!" From the tip of his stinger, a vortex of sand shot forth towards Taya, aiming to consume her within its semi destructive wake.

"I believe you've forgotten the rank I've held while at White Eclipse. I was a former S class wizard…in other words, you're far out of your league, blondie." Taya spoke as several vectors appeared in front of her as a defensive wall which allowed her completely defend against the Sand Buster. At the same time, she sent several vectors deep into the floor, invisible to even the trained eye. These vectors emerged from the ground to bash into Lucy and Scorpio, sending them skidding backwards several feet before coming to a slow stop.

Lucy placed a hand on her side, growling lowly in pain from Taya's strength. "She really does pack a punch…" She had forgotten about the other female's rank during her time in White Eclipse and even now it was still for good merit. But Lucy wasn't just about to back down because of a difference in rank! "I'm just getting started you know!"

"I haven't even begun…" Taya took a step forward…and that was when the floor caved in under her feet! "…?!"

From the ground below, Virgo latched onto Taya's ankles with a surprisingly ironclad grip, making it near impossible for her to move. "I've got her, Princess."

"Thanks Virgo!" Lucy grinned before sprinting forward, tossing both blades at Taya who was currently held down. By use of vectors, Taya was able to deflect the swords away before they caused any sort of damage. Lucy was planning on this and preformed a flip, a bright light shrouding her body as she entered Stardress: Taurus and reared her leg backwards. "Take this!" Putting all her momentum into her leg, Lucy used her increased physical strength to slam her leg against Taya's cheek, the pure power forcing the demon from Virgo's grip and sent her crashing into the nearby wall. "Got her!"

Dust settled around Taya and she stood up with a noticeable bruise on her cheek. Turning her head to the side, she spat out a little bit of blood before brushing her hair back. "I suppose I can take a little more time toying around with you. It has been some time since I've gotten to stretch…"

.

"There doesn't seem to be an end to these soldiers…" Cana said while tossing several cards at the Tartarus grunts that tried to ambush her. "How are we going ta make any progress at this rate?!"

"Just leave 'em all to me! I'll send them all packing!" Gajeel pointed his arm forward, a green magic seal forming in front of him. "Iron Dragon Lance: Demon Longs!" From the seal, multiple iron lances began rapidly shooting out, taking to anything that happened to be stuck in their path. Despite how many people he mowed down, even more just showed up! "There's really no end to this…!"

"If only Laxus were still active! Then we'd blown through these guys like nothing!" Max said while creating a wall of sand to block out a few weak attacks. They could keep fighting, but they weren't any closer to breaking through to the root of the castle where the main fighting took place.

A tank rolled up into the scene, aiming its barrel at the group of Fairy Tail wizards. Just before it fired, Makarov used his Titan magic to increase the size of his arm and brought the hammer down on the machine, crushing it instantly. "Keep fighting. A path will surely open up soon!"

No sooner than he said it did the ground start to rumble. Everyone stopped in their tracks while anxiously waiting to see the cause of this trembling. The ground shattered and a gigantic hole formed up; Erza plunged a large spear into Kyouka's chest while rising from the hole in the ground. "We're not finished yet…!"

"It's Erza…!" Levy's eyes lit up at the sight of Erza. "I knew she was okay!"

"Everyone…!" While Erza was glad to see her guild mates she couldn't take her focus off of Kyouka, entering a fierce deadlock with the demon in attempt to stave her off. "Go…down there! Face is…going to activate soon!"

"You heard the lady!" Warren said while gesturing for the others to jump down the hole, which they did.

"Are you proud of yourself, Erza?" Kyouka questioned with a wide grin. "You may have been able to assist your comrades…but what can they do from here? Face is already about to activate and it shall be done by your little Cynthia. How ironic don't you think!?"

"Be quiet!" Erza demanded. "We wouldn't be here if we didn't think we couldn't stop your plans! Once Face is deactivated then you'll see how strong humans are!"

.

"Outta my way!" Natsu roared as several fiery explosions occurred. The Salamander plowed through a number of Tartarus soldiers with no hesitation. The pained shouts of the soldiers as they flew into the distance were the only thing heard at the moment. "Get moving!" This pattern continued for a few moments until everything just…stopped. The soldiers remained suspended in midair, not moving an inch. Time was frozen all around him. "W-What the…?"

"So…brother…here you are…" Zeref appeared before Natsu, merely offering a soft smile. "It's been quite some time, no…?"

"Zeref…!" Natsu didn't waste any time. Gripping the great sword on his thigh, he engulfed it in flame and took a large step forward, swinging the blade at Zeref. The blade was stopped mid swing by Zeref's open palm. "Huh..?!"

"I didn't come here for a fight." Zeref admitted as the weapon started to decay within his grasp. "No, far from it…I just came to see how this plan was going along. It's quite amusing, actually…I didn't think they would go this far."

"What's their game?" Natsu questioned while glaring at Zeref.

"You don't know? They are doing this to revive you…revive you as Etherious Natsu Dragneel. You are their leader, after all. As the last demon I created…"

"That's enough!" Natsu growled. "I ain't doing anything those bastards want!"

"But you will have no choice should the time arise…" Zeref shook his head slowly. "I'm not going to intervene in this plot for it is not my place. Should they succeed, then the world as you know it will come it an end. If not…then I will have to bring about that end through my own hands." The Black Wizard said not another word and literally vanished from the scene. Natsu was left alone, standing speechless as he had to seriously think about what it was Zeref told him…

.

"Now then, let's see just how entertaining you find…" Luke reared his arm backwards, creating large, grey sphere within the palm of his hand. "Chaotic God's Bomb!" In one fluid movement, Luke hurled the sphere towards Marde.

"Hmph…" Marde flicked his hand up, creating a wall of thick vines to appear before him. The Chaotic Bomb clashed against the vines and exploded violently, swallowing everything nearby in its destructive wake. Even Marde was briefly surprised at the size of the explosion as his wall of vines was incinerated and he slid back just slightly. "Oh…? Perhaps I underestimated the amount of power they'd given you, insect." Raising his one hand, a gigantic rose bub emerged from the ground and slowly opened up, gathering raw curse power within its bulb before unleashing the energy it gathered in the form of a massive beam heading directly towards Luke.

"You ain't seen nothing yet!" Luke crossed his arms, a gray dense bubble appearing around his person. The Chaotic God's bubble was an upgrade of his Black God's Bubble, providing immense defensive support. The beam from Marde's rose collided with this bubble and shattered it in one shot after a brief struggle, although Luke remained mostly unharmed. "Heh…"

"Oh…I see now. You are not just a mere insect…with that increase in power you have become something more akin to a cockroach." Marde nodded slowly to himself, still keeping the book of END snug in his arm.

"Stop calling me a bug damn it! Could an insect do…this?!" Leaping forward, Luke gathered an abundance of magic around his dominate arm and swung the moment he was close to the King of Hades. "Unholy Crash!" Some form of contact was made and the magic around Luke's fist exploded, completely destroying everything behind Marde excluding the throne. When the smoke cleared around Marde, it turned out he caught Luke's fist, but there were some marks on his face. "Heh…."

"….." Marde didn't seem so amused and he stared to bend Luke's hand backwards, nearly forcing the copycat to take to a knee before him. "I wonder…if I were to slice off your head like the cockroach you are; would you live long enough to scurry around or would you drop instantly? I'm eager to find out."

"Let's….not find out." Luke chuckled dryly before exhaling on the spot, releasing a gray vortex which was a powerful mixture of his usual black and white god slaying magic. Bellow of the Unholy God, though it didn't do much as Marde created a vine formed between them. The ensuring explosion sent Luke tumbling backwards but he managed to catch himself easily. As soon as Luke regained his footing he snapped his fingers, creating a yellow magic seal underneath Marde that unleashed a high voltage discharge of electricity the very second it was summoned.

Marde noticed this and jumped to the side. His expression showed one of utter disgust as he evaded Luke's attack. "You insult me. You really believe I'd fall for such a…" Luke was already in his face before he could finish! Bringing his arm up, he managed to shield against Luke's kick just in the nick of time, however he was sent into a nearby wall with force. Immediately after the kick, Luke sent another bomb hurling at Marde and this one exploded on its mark.

"Whew…how was that?!" Luke questioned, though his breathing started to get a little heavy.

Marde emerged from the smoke. Even he couldn't come unscathed from Luke's increase in power and he didn't look so pleased when he did. What was this emotion starting to bubble up inside of him…? "Thorns." With a simple movement of his arm, sharp thorns manifested from nowhere with the intent to impale Luke. While the copycat somehow managed to evade anything life threatening, he was still stabbed in various places and it slowed his momentum down a lot.

"Agh…!" With a grunt of pain, Luke fell to a knee, feeling the blood leaking from various places. "Damn…I was doing good too…"

"I see…you cannot sustain such an amount of power for very long. So you impulsively decided to rush ahead…" Marde shook his head before forming a rose shotgun within his hand, pointing the twin barrels at Luke. "I suppose I can give you credit for trying, considering the World of Magic will be reaching its end at the top of the hour." With a click of the trigger, two beams of curse power struck Luke in the chest, causing him to fall through one of the many holes left from all the destruction going around. "Goodbye humans. Your efforts were in vain."

.

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Wendy and Carla were rapidly approaching Face's location. The landscape changed to a rural canyon and the pair frantically looked around. "I think we're getting close…Cynthia's scent is also getting stronger. How much time to do you think is left, Carla?"

"Not a whole lot…" Carla said regretfully. "So we have to hurry! I see a landing spot there…that must be where it is." After saying that, the white Exceed slowly descended to the ground. Wendy picked her up and they proceeded to head into the cavern.

It was a slow walk as they wanted to remain careful of their surroundings. After few moments, they finally came to the opening that held Face…it was much larger than either of them imagined. "T-That's Face…?" Wendy stammered while staring up at the Magic Pulse Bomb. The countdown on the timer was 10 minutes…they had to come up with a plan and fast to dispose of it. But Face wasn't the only problem present…

Rose had her back turned, staring up at Face. She didn't initially acknowledge Wendy and Carla's presence, but she was already aware they entered. "Funny, isn't it..? The world of magic is coming to an end soon. I didn't know anything about this plot nor did I really care to be pushed into it…but here I am now, staring down the timer with an apathetic expression.

"Cynthia…" Wendy put Carla down, staring at Rose's back. "It's time to put a stop to this…! I…I don't want to fight you…" Was Wendy having second thoughts? She wasn't expecting this moment to come so soon and her stomach slowly churned.

"I couldn't agree more…" Rose slowly turned around, an odd look in her eyes. She was…calmer than she was before. No screaming at Wendy, no rage…she was just calm. To Wendy, she wasn't exactly sure who was talking now. "I've been thinking a lot since I've been thrust into this situation. Several times over the course of this day...I've been having conflicting feelings. Whether it be from you…Chelia…the others…or just watching something happened. It infuriates me to no end…Who am I? I don't even know anymore. Tartarus calls me Rose…the rest of you call me Cynthia…it's all so very confusing. I saved you once…when that tower collapsed a few weeks ago. Why do I feel this way about people who left me to die as a pile of rocks…?"

"She does look really conflicted…" Carla muttered. Even though Cynthia's expression was calm, you could see it all over her face how troubled she was internally.

"I knew it was you. You can always come back with us…we can stop Face, defeat Tartarus, and go back to our normal lives! I miss you so much Cynthia…I want you to come back to me." Even though she knew it probably wouldn't work, she had to try to voice her thoughts to Cynthia at least one more time.

"These doubts are killing me. Am I Rose? Or am I Cynthia?" Rose shook her head slowly, completely ignoring Wendy's words. "Which is why I have decided…I will take on the mission bestowed upon me by Marde-sama…whether I succeed or fail…I'm certain these doubts I carry will die one way or another."

"W-What mission…?" Wendy questioned. Her tiny little hands balled into fists and she could feel her entire body shaking.

Rose tilted her head slowly before slowly uttering the words; "My mission…was to kill you, Wendy Marvell."

Wendy's eyes widened after hearing that statement. "You…you were to kill me…?"

"That's right. I'm the one with the responsibility for ending your life…a part of me yearns to do this more than anything…and there's another part that wants to stop me from doing this…strange, isn't it?" Rose chuckled dryly…almost as though she'd given up on herself after so long. "So that's why I will go with what my instincts are telling me: "They're telling me to go at you with every inch of my power…so that I may destroy you…"

"You don't sound sure of yourself….but I've made my decision a while ago…" Narrowing her eyes, the young sky dragon prepared to show her convictions. Cyan wind wrapped in red flames slowly began to form around her body; Omega Flame Sky was activate and Wendy showed no signs of backing down now that she made it this far. "I made a promise to save Cynthia whenever she got into trouble…I still don't like the thought of having to fight you…but if it's what will save you, then I'll do just that! I'll do whatever is needed to bring you back to your senses and make you accept who you really are!"

"I see…so you won't run away…" Rose nodded slowly, a wicked grin slowly spreading along her lips as a malevolent aura flared around her body in time with her darkened red flames. "That's fine with me! I'll be sure to savor killing you, Wendy!"

This was it. With 10 minutes left on the Face timer, Wendy finally stood across from Cynthia…or Rose. If she couldn't wrap this fight up in 10 minutes or less and save Cynthia, then the World of Magic that everyone knew and loved would be doomed. Carla knew this well…and dreaded this thought for that one vision she had very long ago. But she believed in Wendy…if anyone could truly get Cynthia back, it would be her. Little did they all know…that in the shadows, Ezel was watching.

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Next Time: Wendy vs. Rose!


	58. Chapter 58: Wendy vs Rose!

Rose and Wendy stood across from each other, the ground trembling slightly due to Face being only 10 minutes away from detonating. It was too late for either of them to turn back and they had to face this battle. Rose made the first move, darting forward with red flames flaring around her body; sliding to a halt beside Wendy, she stuck her palm forward while gripping her wrist to ensure steady aim. "Flame Palm!" From Rose's palm, a massive burst of omega demonic flames shot forth, aiming to consume and incinerate Wendy in its destructive wake.

Wendy mirrored Rose's movements, gathering an abundance of wind around her palm and while pointing it forward. "Wind Palm!" From Wendy's palm, a powerful torrent of wind shot out, colliding with the Flame Palm and exploding. Both females were sent skidding backwards and Rose could only look at Wendy with something of annoyance.

"When did you…" She started to question, but forgot whom it was she was dealing with. "I see…we did take and give a lot from each other, isn't that right…? No matter…I'm still going to destroy you!" Leaping forward once again, Rose formed a claw of omega flames along her hand and reared it above her head. "Omega Fire Demon's Claw!"

As Rose approached, Wendy spread her arms out, creating a magic seal underneath her feet. "Ile Arms! Venier!" Chanting those two spells, a faint glow washed over her body as Arms and Vernier activated, granting a significant boost in speed and strength. Using this speed, Wendy deftly evaded Rose's ensuing downward swing, which melted the ground in its wake. Wendy took to the cliff formation, leaping around the rocks to gain distance.

"Where do you think you're going!?" Rose snarled as her wings sprouted from her back. With a single push she kicked off the ground and pursued Wendy in the air. There was no escape; however this is what Wendy was plotting to gain the upper hand. The two were locked in high speed close combat, mini shockwaves booming out from the collision of their fists.

Wendy waited slowly for an opening…she knew how Cynthia fought so there was bound to be something if she just waited long enough…and there it was! Twisting her body down, she slammed her heel against Cynthia's cheek, creating a whirlwind of wind and omega flames to shoot from her foot. "Omega Flame Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!"

"Wendy! Eight minutes!" Carla warned.

"AAHHH!" Rose cried out as the whirlwind of elements caught her off guard and sent her spiraling backwards. Luckily for her, Rose was able to catch herself and flipped, planting her feet firmly on the rocks behind her. Flames erupted around her person and she shifted all that momentum to her feet to lunge forward at high speeds, slamming her skull into Wendy's gut for a powerful retaliation. "Sword Horn!"

"…!" Wendy's eyes widened from the pain and she felt the air knocked out of her lungs. She didn't have time to recover as Rose swung her leg down at her in a similar fashion, creating a torrent of red flames to crash down on her and send her rocketing to the ground. Wendy managed to stick the landing, but on a knee. "Ugh…"

"What's wrong?" Rose taunted while landing back on the ground. "More than you can han-" Even for Rose, what happened next was a surprise. Wendy didn't let her finish speaking and slammed a wind infused fist against her cheek with enough power to send her staggering backwards a few yards. "W-What the hell was that!? Wait, you don't learn do you? My curse…"

Wendy's body lit up in flames just as everyone else's did when touching Rose; however…Wendy showed no signs of pain this time. "…Your curse doesn't work on me…"

Rose's eyes widened at Wendy standing unfazed from her Curse. "H-How…!? It's that dual mode isn't it…? Is that why you…"

"Not just that…" Wendy shook her head. "But do you really think after all the time we've spent together, I wouldn't get used to the sensation of your fire? I admit…it hurt a lot the first time only because I wasn't expecting it…but because of this dual mode and our history, it won't work on me anymore!" Wendy sprang forward, giving Rose no time to react as cyan wind merged with omega flames trailed behind her finger tips. "Omega Flame Sky Dragon's Claw!" Wendy slashed Rose across the chest, the dual elements inflicting noticeable damage on Rose.

Wendy wasn't escaping that easily. Immediately after her strike, Rose retaliated with a firm punch to Wendy's face. Both were staggering backwards, nearly tripping over their own feet or large rocks in the process of regaining their footing. Once Rose secured her balance she reared her head back, beginning to inhale as her cheeks inflated slowly. "Roar…"

"Roar…" The sky dragon followed suit, inhaling just long enough to gather the necessary amount of magic required before letting lose!

"Of the Demonic Omega Flame Dragon!"

"Of the Omega Flame Sky Dragon!"

Both girls unleashed their respective roars: a large funnel of darkened red flames against a funnel of sky/flame. The two roars collided in the middle of the spacious cavern, struggling against one another for a bit before exploding violently. Carla had to hold onto something to prevent from being blown away. Once the wind died down she took a glance at the time. "Wendy…! 7 minutes left…!"

Wendy heard Carla loud and clear. Time was running out and she needed to finish this quickly. Taking to the air once again, she lifted her arms above her head, creating spiraling whirlwinds around her arms. "Sky Dragon's…Wing Slash!" Throwing her arms down, two whirlwinds emerged from her hands, corralling against Rose to inflict major damage while blowing her away. Omega flames were added into the mix to increase the overall potency of the attack.

"GR…." Rose growled while being pinned down by the fierce winds. When did Wendy get so strong…? She'd always been watching…but experiencing this was a completely different matter. For some reason it infuriated her and without thinking she opened her mouth and…started to consume the whirlwinds.

"That noise…" Carla's jaw dropped.

When Rose finished consuming the wind, a similar aura to Wendy's wrapped around her body, although dark red crystal scales formed along her wrists, ankles, and on her back in the form of little wings. "…."

"A-Ah…" Wendy couldn't believe it! Of all the time's for Cynthia to eat her magic…now!?

"Hmm…." Rose stared at this new power before giggling to herself. "I didn't think it would actually work…but I suppose I know you too well, too. Though it's kinda of pointless when magic is ending in six and a half minutes…I'll give it a shot though." Spreading her arms out, a similar magic seal formed under her feet. "Arms! Armor! Vernier!" That's right; Rose now had access to Wendy's three support spells while in her Omega Sky Flame mode. A glow washed over her body and she gained a noticeable increase in speed, defense, and offense!

"This isn't good…" Wendy muttered.

Rose's speed was unbelievable with Vernier active! She closed the gap between herself and Wendy within a heartbeat, slamming her fiery leg into the sky dragon's side with more than enough force to send her flying. "Oh, you're not getting away from me so easily!" Rose grinned sadistically before leaping after Wendy. She aimed a punch at Wendy's face, but Wendy was fast enough to recover and deflect the punch with her arm. "Ah…!"

"Roar!" Unleashing yet another roar, the sky dragon managed to blow Rose backwards a noticeable distance! Keeping the assault up, she recovered and pursed without haste! While Rose was fast…Wendy was simply faster! She slipped behind Rose and crossed her arms, causing a vicious tornado to materialize where Rose stood, aiming to sweep her opponent off her feet. "Sky Dragon's Wind Wave!"

Rose was indeed trapped within Wendy's vicious vortex. A few seconds passed before an eruption of flame occurred within the tornado, completely drawing all the wind to her due to the intensity of the flames she gave off. "Gh! You're an annoying little pest, damn it!"

Not letting the words get to her, Wendy continued to strike while she could. Leaping into the air, the sky fairy stuck her leg out as wind wrapped around it, diving towards Rose with all her might. "Sky Arrow!"

Rose brought up one arm, cringing at Wendy's foot collided against it. The ground under her feet caved in slightly, but this close range allowed her to strike! Rose gripped Wendy's leg with her free hand and violently tossed her to the side. She then proceeded to inhale, gathering wind and flames within a miniature vortex around her mouth. "Roar…of the Omega Sky Flame Dragon!" Lurching forward, she unleashed a massive vortex of flames and wind towards Wendy!

Unfortunately for Wendy, she didn't have any time to dodge! So she planted her feet into the ground and crossed her arms, letting out a yelp of pain as the roar completely overwhelmed her! She didn't fly back or anything…but when the dust settled her arms were scorched, her body was covered in burn marks and her clothing was charred in various places. Falling to a knee, Omega Flame Sky dispersed along with Arms and Vernier since she didn't have the energy to keep them up for much longer. "Agh…"

"I'm not finished yet!" Rose swiped her arm horizontally, creating three blazing spheres of demonic flame that appeared around Wendy in a triangle formation. "ArcBlaze!" These spheres circled around the sky dragon once before converging in the middle where a large splash of demonic flame occurred. Wendy let out a cry of pain and fell to the floor on her stomach, grimacing in pain. "Hmph…is that all you really had…? I don't know why I was expecting more…" Rose shook her head sadly and started to walk towards Wendy, forming yet another claw of flame along her hand. If Wendy had a few more seconds she could've forced her body to stand up again…!

"This is…" Was this it…? This is what Carla saw in her vision…the future that Cynthia was so afraid of: her killing Wendy. Was it at this moment that it happened? No…because Carla wouldn't allow it! "CYNTHIA! I WON'T LET YOU DO IT!" Without even thinking she sprouted her wings and flew towards Rose, crashing into her face just as she slashed down. The result? Carla tumbling along the ground with a claw-mark burn along her side while Rose was forced to stumble backwards.

To Rose, it all happened in slow motion. She was about to end things before Carla interfered! Why…why was she so surprised by this!? Her eyes were wide in shock and she just stared at the downed Carla, her hands trembling. "C-Carla…?! W-Why would you…!? You idiot! Did you think that was going to save me!? I'm not Cynthia, I'm not Rose…! So why…?!"

"Wrong…" Wendy coughed. Carla bought her the time she needed to stand up again. "You're name is Cynthia…and I'll keep saying it until you say it too…"

"Ah…." Rose froze for a moment as she had a flashback: A flash back to that horrid Fiore's End incident where she lost all control of herself. This exact moment occurred back then too…

 _"_ _Your name is Cynthia. I'll keep saying it until you say it too…"_

Those words always stuck with her. Those were the words that helped her cling to life back then…and perhaps even now. "Wendy…you…I can't let you…win…it's my…job…"

"Cynthia!" Wendy was finally back on her feet, glaring towards the girl before her. "I'll make you say it if I have to!" Arms spread apart, the wind in the cavern quickly beginning to pick up violently. "I'm going to win…I'm going to save the world of magic…I'm going to set you free! And in order to do that…I have to pierce through the darkness that has a hold on you!" A bright blue magic seal formed in front of Wendy as she twisted her body counterclockwise. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Shattering Light: Sky Drill!" Wendy's rotation created a barrier of wind to encircle Cynthia, and from the magic seal, a brilliant cyan beam of light shot forth, rocking towards her other half with every bit of strength she could muster!

"N-No…I…" Rose shook her head quickly. She spread her arms out, allowing omega flames to blaze around them in an uncontrollable wild fire. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Crimson Slash!" Rose once again drew in the winds around her and twisted her body counterclockwise, releasing a gigantic spiral of dark red flames that rushed towards the Sky Drill! The two attacks clashed in the center, struggling against one another for what seemed like ages. This was it: the final clash. Whichever attack one spelt the end for another and neither side planned on letting up. "Give…it up…I won't…let you win…!" The Crimson Slash slowly started to push back the Sky Drill. Just a little more and it would be over.

"I won't give up on you…!" Wendy's voice held nothing but firm determination. Everything she'd been doing had been all for this moment! The moment where she could finally set Cynthia free from the overwhelming darkness that consumed her during their time apart! "That darkness on you…I'll destroy it!" Wendy let out a roar akin to that of a dragon, putting for all her magic into her Sky Drill! The beam suddenly enlarged, completely shattering Rose's Crimson Slash and made a straightaway right for her!

"W-Wait…!" Rose's eyes widened at the incoming beam and she had no defense for it. A scream of pain escaped Rose as the Sky Drill pierced right through her, cutting through the cavern and continued for several kilometers before slowly dying down. After Wendy's attack finished she fell to the ground on a knee, panting heavily while waiting for the dust to settle. "Ngh…D-Did I do it…?"

All fell silent. The tension grew thicker until the opposing female's shadow moved within the smoke. With a quiet chuckle…Cynthia stepped forward. Her eyes were still red, but one could easily notice that glint of life within them. "…I…I guess I should've been standing closer to Face, huh…? That would've simplified things…"

"Cynthia…?" Wendy felt her eyes watering. "A-Are you…?"

Cynthia nodded slowly, holding her arm while walking forward. "Y-Yeah…I'm okay…you idiot…I can't believe you'd go that far just for me…t-thank you…" To think that Wendy would be the one to break Cynthia's highest attribute: her durability.

"You'd do the same for me…" Wendy managed a tired smile.

"You remember our promise…?" Cynthia stood in front of Face, giving a firm nod. "I know you've got enough magic left…so please…hit me as hard as you can! I was an idiot for everything I've done…and it'll solve your problems with Face too! And if you hold back even the slightest bit I'll never forgive you, got it!?" Cynthia was completely serious. She didn't know what she could do make up for everything she'd done…but keeping a promise was a start.

"Okay…" Wendy didn't even object. This was something they pinky swore on long ago…so all she could do was gather the remains of her magic and…squeal as a large tentacle slammed just in front of her and Cynthia, causing them both to go on high alert. "A-Ah!?"

"Huh?!" Cynthia turned, grimacing in pain.

"Now now…." Ezel appeared with the barely conscious Carla in his hand. "This is too disappointing! I expected Rose to clean up here nicely! But that's fine because I get tasty little morsels from this!"

"Ezel! Put her down!" Cynthia demanded as a fiery aura wrapped around her body once again. She may have been hurt but she still had the magic to keep on fighting.

"Why should I?!" Ezel grinned, his razor sharp teeth shining brightly. "Face only has 5 minutes until it goes off! I can't let your wishy-washy attitude ruin this for us! So I'll slice and dice you both! This treasonous act will be cut apart by me."

"Don't tell me…was this a trap…." Wendy's eyes widened at the realization. It seemed that Cynthia had no clue about this set up either. Shaking her head, she dove at Ezel, only to get shut down immediately as he crossed his arms, etherious blades appearing to slice through Wendy and knock her down right to the ground! Before she could even move, one of Ezel's tentacles slammed down on her arm, keeping her pinned in place as she let out a scream of pain.

"Oh, that scream of pain was delicious!" Ezel laughed. "My curse slices through anything…so it wouldn't have even mattered if you buffed your defenses. It's all meaningless when it comes to me!"

"Ezel! Let her go! I won't let you hurt her!" Cynthia jumped forward with flames around her fist.

"That's rich coming from the girl who's been trying to kill her!" Ezel brought up his free bulky arm, allowing Cynthia's fiery fist to clash against that. Using his strength, he pushed Cynthia away, but didn't allow her to get so far as another tentacle wrapped around her leg and slammed her into the ground on her stomach, keeping her pinned there as well. "Unfortunate that you were able to clear your mission…you only had one job to complete…"

"Ezel…" Cynthia growled while trying to muster the strength to push him away, only to fail.

"Let…Carla go…" Wendy demanded.

"Let her go…?" Ezel stared at Carla before licking his lips. "I got a better idea…I'll show you two brats exactly where you stand." Slowly, Ezel opened his mouth while lifting Carla's head to his teeth.

"NO! STOP!" Wendy pleaded.

"Wendy…Cynthia…I know you can…" Carla never got the chance to finish for Ezel's sharp fangs bit down keep into her skull. The two girls could only watch in horror before Ezel spat from the taste and tossed Carla aside like the disgusting morsel he found her to be.

"Disgusting…" Ezel spat. That was it. That was the first and final straw needed to incur their wrath. That horror of watching Carla hit the ground near lifelessly changed into unrelenting anger. Red flames and wind exploded from underneath Ezel, forcing him to jump away to gain some distance near Face. "W-What the…!?"

Carla was fading out of conscious…but the sight she saw before her was enough to give her hope that everything would be all right.

Wendy and Cynthia stood next to one another, their eyes giving a reptilian vibe. Wendy's hair and eye color turned pink as clear crystals formed around her wrist, ankles, and on her back. As for Cynthia, red scales formed along her arms, legs, and cheeks. The Wendy/Cynthia duo was finally back, and in Dual Dragon Force. Their expressions? Nothing but unforgiving anger. Time until Face went off? Five minutes.

.

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Next Time: Our Promise.


	59. Chapter 59: Our Promise

"What the heck!?" Ezel stared at both Wendy and Cynthia as they glared at him in their Dragon Force state. "You beat up brats really wanna do this!? I don't care if Marde-sama liked you or not, I'll slice you up, Rose!" Ezel grinned madly while lifting up his hands. "Come at me you little runts! You still won't be enough to sate my hunger!"

Wendy and Cynthia nodded once to each other before splitting off in separate directions. Wendy was the faster of the two, although Cynthia was not slacking in the speed department either. The two bouncing around made it exceedingly difficult for Ezel to keep track of both of them. This only irritated the demon as he was unsure on whom to focus on first. Ezel's hesitation left him wide open as Wendy appeared in front of him, slamming her fist into his chest, a powerful cyclone emitting from her tiny hand on impact. It was enough to sweep Ezel's heavy stature off the ground and right into the air where Cynthia was waiting. "Now!"

"On it!" Cynthia twisted her body, swinging her leg down the moment Ezel was within her reach. A blazing heatwave released the moment her leg completed its motion, slamming into the Demon Gate and set him crashing into the ground.

"Ugh…!" Ezel crashed into the ground, but he managed to pick himself up quickly. The fact that these two kids thought they were all that annoyed him severely, however he intended to make quick work of them. Face only had 4 minutes, which he considered more than enough time. Both dragon slayers were on opposite sides of him now. Wendy and Cynthia proceeded to inhale before unleashing their respective roars towards Ezel to flank him, aiming to sandwich him in the middle between their two roars. This demon wasn't having any of it and crossed all four of his arms, all of them shining brightly before he expelled them to his sides."Mikazuki!" An X shape formed and cut through both roars coming at him, exploding once it struck Wendy and Cynthia, sending both girls flying to opposite walls of the cavern.

"Oof!"

"Agh!"

"I think I know which one of you I'll cut down first." Ezel's gaze landed on Wendy who was recovering from his last attack. Without a moment's hesitation he lunged forward with a hungry look, bringing his arm forward as he aimed to slice Wendy in half with a horizontal strike! Unfortunately for him, Wendy was just too quick and managed to avoid Ezel's attack by leaping off to the side. "Tch…!"

"He's really strong…" Wendy mumbled while gaining some safe distance away from Ezel and his destructive cuts. It didn't help that Wendy and Cynthia were both injured from having just fought each other either. "Cynthia, are you okay!?"

"I've…been better…" Cynthia responded while gripping her arm. Her movements were rather sluggish; Wendy did hit her pretty hard and her body was still reeling from the effects. "But we can do this…!"

"That's rich!" Ezel grinned while landing a few feet away from them. "You two brats really think you can beat me in four minutes?! I can only wonder how mushy your brains must be to think that."

Wendy shook her head, keeping a fierce glare on Ezel. "It's not about can or can't. Everyone is counting on us…so we HAVE to!" That said the little sky dragon began darting around the cavern once again, her high speed movements making it near impossible for Ezel to keep up once again.

"Hold still!" Ezel threw his arms forward, unleashing crescent blades of curse power at Wendy's location. These etherious blades sliced through the cavern walls like butter, but he still couldn't hit Wendy!

Finding the ample timing to strike, Wendy pushed off a wall and sprung towards Ezel with her leg extended, a small cyclone of wind wrapped around her leg. Cynthia followed suit with omega flames fiercely blazing around her opposing leg.

"Sky Arrow!"

"Fire Arrow!"

The two struck Ezel in unison with their twin kick, although this time Ezel was the wiser and used two of his arms to block both girls. His free arms were brought up, swiftly chopping the two girls horizontally with his raw strength. Both Cynthia and Wendy were thrown backwards towards the ground violently. "Is that all you got!?"

Wendy eventually caught herself, sliding along the rocky ground before coming to a halt. She didn't waste any time in springing forward, rearing her arm backwards as cyan wind trailed behind her fingertips. "Sky Dragon's Claw!" Wendy swung her arm down as a fierce veil of wind followed her movements. Ezel blocked this with two arms, however even he was still blown back by Wendy's increase in strength.

"Rgh..!" Ezel growled in frustration and prepared to strike back at Wendy, but Cynthia followed suit immediately!

"Omega Fire Dragon's Claw!" And now Ezel had to defend against this attack as well, gritting his sharp fangs in pain before he caught himself.

"That's enough. You two want to see some real power!? Well here you go, prepare to witness the strongest blade!" A bright light shone around Ezel as he entered his Slashing Form; a black mask appearing around his face and all four of his arms turned into razor sharp blades that could slice the air in the slightest movement.

"Here we go! He's getting serious now!" Cynthia warned Wendy before taking the initiative. The two girls lunged at Ezel, sliding to a halt with their fists pointed forward, releasing a conjoined vortex of omega flames and wind that rushed towards Ezel at an incredible rate.

"Omega Flame Sky Dragon's Searing Gale!"

"HAHA!" Ezel let out a maniacal laugh before bringing down a single sword vertically. This single slash cleaved through the dual vortex with no effort whatsoever. The wisps of wind and flame left after Ezel slashed revealed how shocked the two girls were that their combination didn't work. "There's nothing you can send at me that I can't cut through! BUT! I'll gladly cleave you both in half right now!" With that, Ezel began a series of rapid slashes that sent crescent blades towards the young pair. "Juzumaru!" These defined cuts grew larger and larger until they finally struck Wendy and Cynthia, knocking them into nearby walls injured and exhausted.

This was bad…at their full strength they would be able to put up a better fight than this…but the trap Tartarus laid out was working… "Agh…" Cynthia cringed in pain, which was something Wendy didn't see often no matter how badly Cynthia was hurt. This went beyond Wendy's final attack on her moments ago.

"Cynthia…are you okay…?" Wendy questioned with a worried expression.

"Just fine! I can take whatever he throws at me!" Cynthia spoke with her usual confidence, but it didn't seem as firm as it usually did.

"Let's test that? How many times can I cut you before you bleed…?" Ezel's lips curved into a sadistic grin and he just began slashing all four bladed arms wildly. The large crescent shaped slashes that followed were far too numerous for Wendy or Cynthia to evade in their current condition, so they just had to take it! The cries of pain both girls let out was music to Ezel's ears, it filled him with the joy only a murderous demon could understand.

When Ezel finally stopped his attacks, Cynthia was still seen standing in front of Wendy, having taken the most of it. There was a gigantic gash along her side spurting blood and she coughed some up after. Wendy also took some damage, albeit less than Cynthia. "C-Cynthia…! You're badly hurt…!"

"I can…still fight." Cynthia shook her head before taking to the air despite her injuries. Clicking her legs together, flames began to circulate around her lower body before manifesting into a pseudo-drill which she dove down with in attempt to skewer Ezel. "Omega Fire Dragon's Drill!" Cynthia's drill collided with all four of Ezel's bladed arms; she attempted to overpower him, but her reckless plan backfired as he slashed away her flames to leave her completely defenseless! "Ah…!"

"Too bad for you!" Ezel then brought up a tentacle to brutally slam Cynthia the ground. The impact was so rough she bounced a few times before landing on her stomach. "Look at how pathetic you are! You can't even decide if you want to fight…that weak human sentimentally is exactly what Marde-sama was trying to erase from you."

"Can't decide…" Wendy blinked a few times before staring past Ezel and at Cynthia. "Cynthia…are you…still having doubts…?"

Groaning, Cynthia stubbornly stood back up, but with a frown on her face. She could only nod, not looking at Wendy as her gaze went off to the side. "I…I missed you terribly, Wendy. But…I did…horrible things. Things that everyone knows about…so even though I'm fighting with you…is this right for me to do…? Do I deserve to fight with you…? I just don't know…I tried to kill you, and here I am trying to protect you…"

"HAHA!" Ezel had the heartiest laugh he'd ever had listening to Cynthia speak. "Listen to yourself, Rose! Trying to stand up against the demons that saved you, it's hysterical!"

Wendy shook her head, refusing to let Cynthia continue to think this way. "That's not true at all. I can't imagine how difficult it is for you to feel this way…but I know one thing for sure: I can't do this without you…! If you want to start going on the right path again…then you can start by helping me help everyone else. Even if you can't believe in yourself right now…believe in me…because I never stopped believing in you…"

"Wendy…" Cynthia felt her eyes water.

"This sappy shit is putting a bad taste in my mouth." Ezel pointed two blades at Wendy and Cynthia each, all four of them radiating with a dangerous amount of power. "It's about time to end this!"

"So please…!" Wendy's eyes were already watering and she planted both hands firmly on the ground. "Cynthia, let's do this together just like always!"

Cynthia nodded slowly and placed both hands on the ground as well. "….Yeah!" With Wendy by her side…Cynthia never knew what fear was, and the reverse also held true: Wendy was never afraid with Cynthia nearby.

"HAAAAAAAA!"

A blue and red magic seal formed beneath Ezel, erupting into a gigantic tornado infused with omega flames. This roaring vortex caught the Demon Gate off guard and the intense flames and wind were actually wearing him down! Despite his efforts to slice through it, it would just keep regenerating faster than he could cut! While Ezel was preoccupied slashing the never ending tornado, Wendy and Cynthia struck! The two of them close the distance between the demon stuck within the eye of the storm while rearing their arms back, slashing him with their respective claw attack! Oh, but it didn't end there either; it was only just beginning!

"Fly, Wendy!"

"Right!"

Even Ezel felt stunned after taking two Claw attacks from the dragon slayer duo! Wendy and Cynthia used this time to leap high into the air beside one another, pulling their arms back. Between the empty spaces of their palms, a red and blue sphere began to shine brightly!

"This is the one thing even your blades can't cut: the power of our bond!"

"TWIN WAVE!"

Both dragon slayer hurled their arms down simultaneously. Two exceptionally large red and blue beams spiraled down towards the Demon Gate, merging together midway to form a powerful unison raid. A beautiful beam of crimson light raced towards Ezel and Face, consuming the two of them at the same time! The Twin Wave continued to travel for miles and miles on end before the overwhelming power it contained tipped over in a vicious explosion! It was this very explosion that was capable of shattering the Face device into a million pieces and disintegrated Ezel into nothing. The last thing that the Demon ever uttered was a pained scream of disbelief.

Once it was all over, Wendy and Cynthia hit the ground, exiting Dragon Force and collapsed to the ground. Both of them wore silly grins as they successfully managed to destroy Face. "W-We did it…" Cynthia exhaled heavily. They made it with 45 seconds left to spare.

"I knew we could…" Wendy nodded slowly before turning her attention to Carla. "C-Carla…are you okay…!?"

"I'm…okay…" Carla responded slowly. "I'm…so happy to see you two together again…the others will be happy too…"

It may have been a little too soon to celebrate…for the Face countdown continued to go down! The eyes of all three females widened. "W-What!? But…we stopped it…! We destroyed it…!" Wendy cried out.

"I can't believe I forgot until just now…" Cynthia was mentally kicking herself for the situation they found themselves in. "Even if Face is destroyed…there's a chance it could still go off. I think there's a way to stop it…but…"

"We have to…" Carla said it first. She knew what Cynthia was going to say next and admittedly, it made her stomach drop. Walking forward to the gaping hole in the cavern where Face once was, she placed her paw forward and a small pad appeared. "This is it…right…?"

"Yeah…" Cynthia nodded slowly. "B-But you two should go…! You might be able to escape if…"

"We can't make it out of here…" Wendy shook her head slowly. It was only true…they were all spent on magic and too injured to make any hasty movements. "If we can save everyone by stopping Face like this, then…" Wendy also held her hand forward, saline building up in her eyes as she forced a smile. "I'm glad I got to be with you again, Cynthia..."

"…." Cynthia paused, staring at both Carla and Wendy. They were really worried about her all this time, weren't they…? Cynthia's gaze briefly went to the ground. "I've treated you and the other so badly…and yet here you are, still saving me. I'm sorry I was such a burden to you all this time…if only I wasn't being so stupid. We wouldn't be here right now…it's all my fault."

"Cynthia…stop that." Wendy shook her head.

"We were worried about you the entire time…" Carla scoffed. "Stop beating yourself up. You came to your senses just in time to help us out which is really important."

"Yeah…" Cynthia nodded slowly before staring up at that timer; only 10 seconds were left. "I know this is really selfish of me…but can I ask you both one thing…? I want to make one last promise…"

"What is it…?" Wendy asked curiously.

"When this is over…will you two be my friends again…?" The tear started to roll down Cynthia's cheeks as she stared hopefully at Wendy and Carla.

Wendy and Carla looked at each other before giving a smile. Wendy nodded slowly as the tears streamed down her cheeks. "You dummy…we've always been friends. Friends forever, remember? 'Till death do us part…"

"That includes me too…" Carla added with a teary-eyed smile.

That was all Cynthia needed to hear to be at peace. With a slow nod, Cynthia managed a wide grin. "Yeah…" Right after the trio exchanged their words, the timer hit zero. The remains of Face erupted in to a large explosion that wiped out the majority of the surrounding canyon area, continuing to spread for several miles on end.

.

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Fate had other plans for those three. On a cliff base quite a ways away from the blast radius, Mest teleported onto the scene with Wendy, Cynthia, and Carla unconscious in his arms. It was a bit of a heavy load, but he somehow managed just in the nick of time. "Reckless kids…" Mest grunted in annoyance. But when he looked back, he realized how amazing they truly were to have taken out Face of all creations. Looking down at them, he realized they were all smiling; it was the happiest he'd ever seen them. "You're too young to be throwing your lives away like that…Your lives are only just beginning and you have plenty of time to live."

Next Time: Relentless Assault.


	60. Chapter 60: Relentless Assault

Lucy was down on a knee, covered in bruises and cuts. Heavy pants escaped the female as she stared up at Tayakata, who didn't have nearly as much battle damage dealt to her. "Ahhh…Haa…I didn't think she would be this strong…"

"I believe it's been long enough." Taya said with a yawn. "Although I must thank you, it's been quite some time since I've gotten to stretch a little bit. You were a good warm up."

"Y-You weren't even trying against me…!?" That was the last thing Lucy wanted to hear right now in a life or death battle…but it seemed as though Taya had no interest in claiming her life just yet.

"Of course not." Taya pointed to the Face timer on the monitor. "It wouldn't be any fun going against someone whose magic is going to fade away within a mere moment anyway."

Face completely slipped Lucy's mind. Her eyes widened as she stared at the rapidly decreasing counter…after all this time, was Wendy not able to get Cynthia back and defeat Ezel? "O-Oh no…!"

"Allow me to bear witness to your face as magic fades away forever." Taya crossed her arms, grinning widely in slight anticipation. The timer hit zero and a there was a gigantic tremor that shook the earth for miles…but that was it. As the tremor died down, both females looked around before realizing that nothing happened. "…Hm?"

"I still have magic…?" Lucy blinked before realizing what that meant. "Wendy did it!"

"That's mildly disappointing…two of our own couldn't finish off a single child…?" Taya let out a heavy sigh while shrugging her shoulders. "Rose and I will be having a serious talk when she comes back…"

"That's the thing…" Lucy slowly rose to her feet, now feeling like she could speak with the upmost confidence. "She won't be coming back to you! Her name is Cynthia and she's a mage of Fairy Tail! And now that your plan has gone down the drain, we'll be taking you down!" Once on her feet, she lunged towards Taya and aimed a punch to the woman's chest; with the power of Stardress Taurus, the power of this single punch was earth shattering!

"Tch…!" Taya crossed her arms, grimacing slightly in pain from Lucy's might. The demoness slid backwards a few feet before coming to a halt with a large bruise on her arm. "Your words of comradery are truly annoying…" Shaking her head, Taya started to saunter off down the hallway.

"Wait!? Where are you going, I wasn't done with you yet!" Lucy shouted.

"I have bigger shots to fire and can't waste any more energy on you." Taya responded with a nonchalant wave. "Thanks for the little warm up."

"Ooooh…" Lucy grumbled before wincing in pain. "That woman….there's no time to think about her." Placing two fingers on her temple, she tried to reconnect to the telepathic channel Warren set up earlier. "Guys! Great news! Wendy managed to stop Face and I'm positive she got Cynthia back too!" Before Lucy could say much more, she heard someone's footsteps rapidly approaching "Huh…?"

Sophie slid into the room, giving Lucy the death glare as her violet eyes shone brightly with a pink flare to them. "There you are. I've finally found you!"

"Wha…?" Lucy somewhat recognized the child from sometime prior. But that didn't explain this sudden gut wrenching feeling she suddenly obtained just by lying eyes on Sophie.

 _"_ _Kill."_

That voice in her head came with some innate murderous instinct…one that only intensified with Sophie in the room. Lucy's brown eyes briefly flashed red for a moment and she glared at Sophie only for a second before coming to her senses. "W-Wait…now isn't the time for this!"

"I'll destroy you once and for all!" Sophie wasn't listening and for once there was a strange determination within her voice. Leaping into the air, a bright pink energy surrounded her fist and she brought it down towards Lucy. "Demolition Drive!"

"Waaaah!" Lucy had no choice but to dive to the side. It was a damn good thing she did, because the impact from Sophie's fist created a large several foot crater that shattered the floor. Lucy wasn't expecting so much power to come from such a tiny body and she could only stare in shock. "W-What the…"

"I will complete my mission…and destroy you, Lambda." Sophie glared at Lucy with intense hatred while slowly standing back up.

.

Hell's Core was shaken with a vicious explosion. Mira and Sayla slid backwards, both marred in bruises from their fight. Lamy currently had Lisanna pinned down to the ground with some surprising strength while the three Eclipse rookies were just trying to stay out of range of the insane battle going on; this was out of their league for sure. "Mira-nee..!" Lisanna tried to pry Lamy off her, but with Lamy's slippery curse and the hold she had on her, that was looking impossible with each passing second.

"Quiet down, won't you!?" Lamy shouted at Lisanna before staring at a few more tubes that opened up at last. Keith and Torafusa stepped from the tube, fully rejuvenated from their battles against Juvia and Blues respectively. "Ah! Finally, they're awake!"

"That was quite the folly on my part…as a result, Silver is lost to us…" Keith shook his head. "No matter…there is still another I can use. Sayla, you have this do you not?"

"Yes." Sayla responded while throwing her arm forward, sending several hardback books in Mira's direction. Even in her Satan Soul, Mira had no choice but to block the books.

"When they say throw the book at someone, I highly doubt this is what they meant…" Mira grumbled.

"Then we will go to dispose of the intruders. This will be the final round between humans and demons…" Torafusa cracked his knuckles and started to walk off along with Keith. Nearly all the Tartarus demons recovered from their previous bouts now, and the cycle would only continue as long as Hell's Core was active.

"We'll stop them!" Reiss was about to take a step forward, but once again all control of his body was robbed from him because of Sayla's Macro. "Agh…!"

"You won't be going anywhere, human." Sayla commanded. "Attack your comrades instead." Flicking her finger forward, Reiss's body was bound to Sayla and he went to attack Tyson and Saraya!

"W-wait a second…!" Reiss wasn't sure what was happening. He had no control over his actions and his body just moved against his own will.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Tyson questioned while shielding a few of the punches Reiss threw at him.

"Reiss, stop this!" Saraya pleaded.

"If I could, I would..!" The panic in Reiss' voice told the story.

"You leave them out of this!" Mira commanded while taking a lunge forward, darkness magic swirling around her fist. She aimed a punch at Sayla's chest; however the demoness was capable of blocking it and only slid back a few feet. "Your Curse doesn't work on me…so you have to resort to attacking others?"

"Hmph…" Sayla dusted her kimono off. "False demon, you have no right to speak to me that way…."

"I don't care what you think…" Mira cupped her hands to just beside her face, a sphere of darkness magic swirling within the empty space between her palms. "Demon Blast!" Throwing her arms forward, Mira released a gigantic beam of darkness magic that soared towards Sayla at rapid speeds! Before Sayla could react the beam made contact and a widespread explosion occurred on the spot, shaking Hell's Core to its…well, core. Everyone was nearly thrown backwards from the force of the powerful explosion.

As the smoke from the explosion cleared…Sayla was still standing, covered in larger bruises than before. She didn't seem too pleased, however, as her usually stoic expression replaced with a scowl on her lips. "You humans….your story has reached its end, and yet you still…you still refuse to let the book close. Why!?"

"Human's choose when their story ends…" Mira replied with a sly smirk. "We don't listen to the whims of some wannabe storyteller."

"Oh, now she's gone and done it…" Lamy's face briefly turned serious.

"I command you…" Sayla began to speak as her body trembled.

"I told you, it won't work on me!" Mira exclaimed…but if only she realized that the true target wasn't even her.

"To release your limiter…!" The aura Sayla's body began to flare, causing Hell's Core to tremble. An explosion of curse power erupted from Sayla as her very form began to change. Seconds later, Sayla stood before Mirajane in her Etherious form, which provided an incredible boost in power that was practically off the charts! It was fear inducing to say the least.

"W-What the…?!" Mira's jaw dropped that increase in power.

"You will die here and now…" Sayla pointed her hand forward…and it all happened in an instant. A large beam flashed out of her palm and struck Mira, where several large explosions shook the entirety of Hell's Core and even part of the castle as a whole. Mira let out a scream of pain as she tumbled along the floor in her human state, covered in serious wounds.

"Holy shit…" Tyson was taken aback by Sayla's power. She was way out of their league…and it wasn't hard to notice that Mira was nowhere near close either.

"Mira-nee…!" Lisanna cried out.

"Ngh…." Mira slowly stood up with her clothes tattered and scorched. "If you're going to use your full power…" Another light shrouded Mira's body and when it faded, she was in her Sitri form with a smirk present. "Then I shall as well." With flames erupting her heels, Mira sped forward with amazing speed while rearing a fist back; once closing in on Sayla she threw the mightiest punch she could muster…only for it to be caught with ease. "…!"

"Die." Sayla's hand emitted a powerful explosion. Mirajane was thrown backwards, forced out of her Sitri form as she tumbled along the floor with grievous wounds and into a pool of her own blood. How Mira was even still alive after that was a miracle in and of itself…but this demon looked as though she was prepared to snuff out any hope these humans had of surviving.

"A-Ah…" With one eye clenched shut, Mira stared at the demon that stood above her. This situation was not looking good…

.

Kyouka and Erza were unable to get a leg up on one another. Each slash was countered with Kyouka's claws and vice versa. After a few moments of this back and forth, the two females took some space to glare at each other. "Your time is up." Erza said while pointing a blade at the sensory demon. "Face is destroyed, your plan is in shambles…and it's only a matter of time before our backup arrives. Do you truly think you can win now?"

Erza's words made Kyouka smirk. "Oh, Erza…you believe our plan is over…? It's only just begun."

"Wha…" Erza didn't understand…how could they have a Plan B?

"But speaking of that…I don't have time to be dealing with you right now, my dear Erza." Kyouka snapped her fingers and started to walk off. "So in the meantime…have fun with this old friend of yours."

"Get back here!" Erza demanded, but before she could take another step, Neo Minerva appeared from above, aiming one of her claws at Erza's side. With quick reflexes, Erza brought her blade up to defend against Minerva's strike before finally getting a good look at her.

"Erza, my dear…" Minerva turned with a wide, almost freakish smile on her lips. "It's been far too long since we've fought…I want to feel your full power again…I want to crush you under my foot after seeing you struggle against me once again. That pained expression you wear…it's far too lovely to not want to see again…"

Erza…wasn't even sure how to react to what Minerva was saying. "T-This is where you've been after that Aiden incident…Sabertooth has been looking all over for you…!? What happened?!"

"They've reawakened that darkness…" Minerva's hand was shrouded in a fierce aura of Territory. "I have to admit…I've never felt more alive than I do now….and now I get to use this new power to grind you to dust. It's only everything I've ever wanted since that day, you know…? Who cares about Sabertooth now…?" There was no way around it now…Erza was in for a fight.

.

Marde could overhear everything that was going on; he still say nicely upon his throne even after Luke's little intrusion. "Face has been deactivated…? Oh…how these humans have gotten too lax in only a matter of minutes. Our plan hasn't been stopped…merely delayed. You may have been able to stop one Face unit…but there is plenty more where that came from. The end of the human era will begin as the sun sets…"

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Next Time: My Mission! To Destroy You!


	61. Chapter 61: My Mission! To Destroy You!

"Protos Heis…?" Hisui blinked while staring at Emmeraude. "What…is that…?"

"It is a biological weapon developed in Pegrande…along with its other half: Lambda Angelus. The two were to be merged together to create an unstoppable weapon…however something went wrong in the midst of the production. I was part of the research team at the time…" Emmeraude explained.

"Why are you telling me this now…?" Hisui tilted her head slowly.

"I was going to say that perhaps at full power…Protos Heis would be able to destroy some of those remaining Face units…" Emmeraude tapped her cheek with her index finger. "Protos Heis is a very powerful creation…of course the failure of the Lambda project branded me a traitor in the eyes of Pergrande." Sighing, the emerald haired woman took a few steps forward to bring up the blueprints of Protos Heis; or as she was better known: Sophie. "The Lamdba project ended in the creation of a terrible virus…"

"The…Lambda Virus, right…? I think I heard about it once from one of those Commandants…" Hisui nodded slowly in understanding. "Although I'm not entirely sure what it does…"

"From the information I have gathered…that virus is somewhere here in Fiore. The known symptoms are: increased aggression, amplified magical power, increased strength, capable of surviving deadly blows…." Emmeraude continued. "The Lamdba Virus survives by attaching itself to the life of its host. The longer they are bound…the more severe the effects. It also survives by feasting on magic…It is a virus for a reason. One can survive without the other…but once the virus remains attached for too long, their lives become bound."

This news caused the Jade Princess's eyes to widen. "That sounds horrible…! How do we get rid of it…?"

To that, Emmeraude grinned slyly. "You needn't worry, my sweet Princess. Protos Heis's mission is to eliminate and contain the Lambda Virus at any and all costs…then bring it back to its creator. Once that happens…I shall take care of the rest myself. That power is far too dangerous for anyone other than myself to hold, you see…Protos Heis creates an energy field that is specifically created to be effective against the virus…while it is also powerful in its own right."

.

.

With no reason for her sudden actions, Sophie lunged forward to attack Lucy without mercy! The little girl was unbelievably quick on her feet and it took Lucy off guard, especially since she wasn't looking for a fight to begin with! Sophie appeared in front of Lucy, thrusting her arm out for a powerful palm strike to Lucy's ribcage. "Reaper's Toll!" It was a direct hit; not only was Lucy sent stumbling backwards, but she felt something crack and it was something important.

"What the hell!?" Lucy placed a hand on her rib, wincing in pain after. Not only did it hurt, but the power Sophie released shook Lucy to her very core for some reason. "What's up with this brat?!" Eyes briefly flashed red for but a moment before she recovered from the blow. "If it's a fight you want, then you'll be getting one!" Aggression suddenly fueling her persona, Lucy drew a golden key from her keyring and swiped it vertically. "Gate of the Lion, I open thee! Leo!"

With the chime of an otherworldly bell, Loke appeared, adjusting the cuffs on his suit. "I'm here to assist." Loke nodded before glancing at Sophie, quirking a brow in confusion. "Wait a moment…what's going on here? She doesn't appear to be a demon…"

"She's acting like one…" Lucy grit her teeth. "She wants to fight for no reason and I don't have much of a voice here…she's serious."

"I see…then if we must." Loke nodded.

"It doesn't matter how many spirits you summon…I will destroy you." Sophie pointed her arm forward. This was the most serious Sophie had ever been about anything!

"I won't allow you to lay another finger on Lucy!" Loke stepped forward with golden light shrouding his hands. "Regulas Impact!" Once close to Sophie, Loke swung its light infused fist at her face. Sophie brought up her gauntlets to defend herself; light bounced off the gauntlets, leaving Loke thoroughly surprised at the result. "Huh?"

"Shotstaff Blast!" The red gem on Sophie's gauntlet shone brightly before exploding. The point blank range sent Loke flying backwards, but it gave Lucy an opening to strike.

"Haaah!" With the power of Stardress Taurus behind her, she aimed a fierce punch to Sophie's stomach. It was a direct hit and Sophie gasped violently before tumbling along the floor onto a knee. Now drawing her whip, Lucy brought it up before swinging it down violently; the physical power increase caused a shockwave to split the ground as the whip itself would deal an immeasurable amount of damage…but! Just before the whip actually hit Sophie, her body…vanished!? "Wha…!?"

Invisible to the human eye, Sophie appeared behind Lucy with energy swirling around her hand. "Beast Thunder!" Thrusting her hand forward, the energy manifested itself into the form of a roaring beast; the beasts' roar was already strong enough to push Lucy back, but the roar also called down several bolts of lightning that struck Lucy and Loke, dealing a high amount of damage.

"This kid really isn't playing around…! Lucy, close your eyes and cover your ears!" Loke grunted in pain before slamming his fists together. The two rings shone brightly, emitting a 'flash bang' that covered the entire room. This sudden flash blinded Sophie while white noise plagued her ears. She was an open target now!

"I'm sorry!" Lucy rushed forward, lifting her arm up to prepare a strike to Sophie's temple that would undoubtedly knock her out. However…

"Sensor Flare!" Sophie shouted at herself. Her eyes snapped open and her senses sharpened tenfold. She was easily able to avoid Lucy's incoming punch at the last second, noting how it made a crater in the floor. Retreating to the wall, Sophie darted along it as she gathered energy within her palm; pushing off the wall, she held her arm forward. "Raging Blast!" Due to her heightened senses, she could see Lucy and Loke leaping off to the side before they even preformed the action. Due to this foresight, Sophie landed on the ground and clenched her hand into a fist, swiping it to the side while releasing the energy pent up. "Frenzy Blast!" The energy she accumulated erupted in several chained explosions covering a wide radius around Sophie. Loke and Lucy were both thrown back to the nearest wall, grimacing in pain.

"Geez…" Lucy grumbled. "What the hell is her problem…? And why is she so tough…?" Before another move could be made by either side, a flaming dragon spiraled through the room and exploded against an opposing wall. "Tobias!?"

"GEHEHE!" Franmalth bounced into the room, grinning widely. "Now what's this!? Two humans from guilds that have infiltrated the demon's lair have the AUDACITY to fight amongst one another!? Do you know how much an atrocious sin such as that costs?! How much!? How much!?"

"…." Sophie blinked slowly before pointing at Franmalth. "What is this and why is it ugly?"

"WHAT!?" Franmalth's jaw dropped at Sophie's nonchalantly rude comment. "How dare you!?"

"It is really atrocious…" Lucy said while rubbing the back of her head.

"I will not accept any more of this baseless slander!" Franmalth exclaimed angrily. Funny how people who were just fighting could come together to slander him…but it wasn't his job to bring people together like this dang it!

"Oi…!" Guess who arrived onto the scene next? That's right, it was finally Natsu! Imagine the grin on his face when he spotted Lucy and Loke. "Lucy, Loke! You're all okay!"

"Natsu!" Lucy's face lit up with a wide smile.

"That guy….!" Natsu's smile turned into a scowl as he glared at Franmalth. "You again…? You won't be getting away from me this time…!"

"Gehe…" Franmalth tapped his fingers together, staring at all the delectable souls ripe for the picking. "You're going to regret your decisions today…the cost of your sins will all be your souls."

.

Kyouka entered the throne room, clearly surprised by the damages done. She went to Marde, taking a knee in front of him. Off to the side was little Sora, who was also called into the throne room for some reason. "Marde-sama…I'm afraid I have some news."

"I am aware." Marde rested his face against his fist, leaning to one side of his throne. "A Face unit has been destroyed." Tapping his free hand along the arm rest of his throne, he smiled before several thorns wrapped around Kyouka violently, beginning to constrict her while blood began to leak from her wounds as she cried out in pain.

"…!" Sora's eyes widened, but she remained silent. Marde wasn't upset with her but she was still surprised.

"You wish to know why this has happened? Why Face has been delayed? Why our forces are being fought and pushed back slowly? Pray tell…what are humans, Kyouka?"

"T-They are…insects that are to be squished…" Kyouka responded.

"Very good." Marde nodded. That smile of his wasn't one of happiness that was for sure. His hand slowly wrapped around Kyouka's neck and he began to squeeze. "You know what humans are…so then I ask; why do you insist on toying with them? Do you see what happens when you play with humans? They grow comfortable…they have grown comfortable in our home." The demon king's grip on Kyouka's throat increased to the point where she could hardly muster a single breath. "This is your responsibility, Kyouka….I hope you intend to fix this."

"I…I swear…I will…." Kyouka choked out.

"Good." Marde released Kyouka and dusted his hands off before turning to Sora. "Now…little Sora. You see…Rose has been taken away by those awful humans."

"What…?" Sora's eyes widened. "She said she'd be right back…"

"And I'm sure she meant it." Marde patted Sora on the head softly. "However…it seems she's been kidnapped after Face's failure."

"Who did this?" Sora's gaze darkened slowly.

"All of those wretched humans." Marde clarified.

"Sora will get rid of them all…" Without speaking another word, the young demon stomped out of the throne room. All according to Marde's plan.

.

"Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu's fist lit up in blazing flames. In a single bound he closed the gap between him and Franmalth, swinging his arm violently to collide against the stout demon's face, sending it tumbling backwards.

"Oof!" Franmalth remained still for a moment before laughing it all. "Just kidding! You'll have to do better than that!" Swiping his hand forward, several spears of ice shot forward from a magic seal, aimed at Lucy, Loke, Natsu, and Sophie. "Freeze Lancer!"

"Guh!?" Natsu crossed his arms, grunting in pain as the spears of ice struck against him. None of the others were so lucky and were thrown backwards before landing on their feet. "Oi…what the hell are you doing with Tobias's magic!?"

"Gehehe…Tobias' soul belongs to me now! So of course I adapted his magic!" Franmalth grinned. "The soul of magic can easily be exploited…but it is never enough to sedate my hunger. It's time for…a revolution!" Franmalth's body somewhat shifted to Tobias' face…which looked really bad on his stubby, stout body.

"You feed on souls…?" Lucy took this time to return Loke to the Spirit World while she stared over at Sophie. "Can we get over this for like three minutes and help Natsu out, please…?"

"…." Sophie paused before nodding. "Yes…it is also my mission to assist my guild in wiping out this demonic threat…I suppose I can put aside my main mission for now."

"Whaddya mean you suppose!?" Lucy huffed. At least she and Sophie could make a truce for now. A bright light shrouded Lucy's body and she was now in her Sagittarius Stardress, pulling the bowstring back before releasing multiple arrows of light towards Franmalth. "Shooting Stars!"

Sophie held her arm forward, gathering energy within her gauntlets before releasing it all in a large, singular beam of raw power shooting towards Franmalth. "Shotstaff Blast!"

Natsu joined in, fire and lightning exploding around him as he gathered the elements within his mouth for a powerful roar. "Roar of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" Throwing his head forward, he released a powerful funnel of fire and lightning towards Franmalth, who was about to be sandwiched by all three attacks.

"Oh nooo…!" BOOM! The attacks clashed in the center, creating a massive cloud of smoke. When the smoke cleared…Franmalth was fine, sitting within a magical barrier that severely reduced the damage dealt. "Just kidding! With this Magic Guard, all of your magic won't do much damage at all!" Snapping his fingers, a black magic seal formed on the entirety of the floor. "Bloody Howling!" From the seal, a spiral of darkness enveloped the room, consuming all three mages while tossing them elsewhere like rag dolls.

"Oof…" Sophie grunted, shaking her head while leaning against the wall. "That was…painful…"

"Doesn't sound like it hurt you all that much…" Lucy groaned while slowly standing back up.

"But it hurt…?" Sophie tilted her head.

"This guy's going to be annoying…!" Natsu lunged forward before grabbing onto Franmalth with a tight grip, fire and lightning protruding from his palm. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Grip!" From Natsu's palm, a discharge of fire and lightning occurred strong enough to blow Franmalth backwards. Unfortunately, due to the active Magic Guard, not only was the damage cut, but Franmalth's innate Curse just allowed him to soak up the hit. "Tch…!"

"Oh ho! Nice try, human!" Franmalth grinned before lifting his hand up, causing a large stalagmite to rise from the ground. Natsu was nearly impaled; however he narrowly managed to avoid it by tumbling backwards. "As long as this barrier is on me, I am untouchable!"

"I wonder…" Sophie crouched before taking off, placing her hand at her hip as though she were about to unsheathe a blade. Once closing the distance she brought her arm forward, a flash of energy shrouding the limb as she 'sliced' at Franmalth. "Sword Assault!" Her arm acted as a blade that slashed through the Magic Guard, rendering it null and void.

"GYAH?!" Franmalth immediately retailed to Sophie's unexpected surprise. "Thunder Smash!" Bringing his arm down in an arc, a forceful explosion of lightning occurred atop Sophie. Impact was strong enough to send Sophie flying backwards into the wall, sparks of lightning dancing around her body as she succumbed to heavy paralysis. "How dare you!?"

"Six Falling Stars!" Lucy released six arrows that flew towards Franmalth, all of them rising up in a spiral of blinding light that swept the Demon Gate off his feet in a large shining vortex. This didn't last long as the twister was broken by a lance of darkness that pierced through Lucy's shoulder. "AGH!" With a cry of pain she dropped the bow and stumbled back, growling at the lance of darkness that now protruded from her shoulder.

"Demon's Lance!" Franmalth returned to the ground, grinning madly at his progress against these humans. It wasn't long before extra appendages shot from his body, wrapping around Lucy, Natsu, and Sophie; a shocking sensation shaking their bodies as he began to consume their souls! "Now…it's time for me to feast!"

"AGGGH!" Natsu growled, trying his best to resist his soul being pulled from his body. "My soul….doesn't belong to you…you bastard…!"

"It…hurts…" Lucy cried out. Her body was having an especially violent reaction, thrashing around slightly as that aforementioned dark aura started to flare from having her life endangered.

"…." Sophie couldn't even muster any words. Perhaps the pain she'd experienced prior was too intense?

"It's impossible to resist! The process is already nearly complete! This will be the perfect revenge on that soul stealing human who humiliated me!" Franmalth grinned…but at the same time something was wrong. There were three beings before him yet he wasn't getting the desired filling.

"…So…you consume the souls of the living and departed to increase your strength. What a despicable creature." Sophie quickly recovered from her full body paralysis, forcing her limbs to move despite Franmalth's restrictions. "Release! Accel: 50%!" A fierce pink aura exploded around Sophie, forcing Franmalth to release Natsu and Lucy in the process. Sophie now had such speed she was only visible in the form of a pink streak of light; this streak appeared in front of Franmalth to uppercut him into the air. Sophie then flew past Franmalth, appearing as multiple streaks of light striking from all angles without mercy! "Infinita Soul!" Sophie dropped down on Franmalth foot first, crashing down with tremendous force equal to that of an earthquake, shattering the entire floor of the room with ease. It all happened so quickly nobody had the chance to register what happened.

"D-Did you…really think…that would…be enough to finish me!?" Franmalth spoke with an exhausted groan, but he wasn't going down without a fight! "I just absorbed the soul of your magic…but you…what are you!? You don't have a soul!"

"I wasn't trying to finish you." Sophie pointed behind Franmalth. "I was just buying time so he could do that."

By 'he' Sophie meant Natsu and by 'that' she meant the gigantic slab of rock he was holding over his head. With a near evil grin, Natsu brought this slab of stone down on Franmalth before he could even react to crush him like a bug! "HA! Eat that!"

"He can't absorb the soul of inorganic material…" Lucy nodded. When the stone slab shattered, a flattened Franmalth was lying in the dirt.

"G-Gehehe…it doesn't matter…if you beat me…because as a demon of Tartarus…if we are defeated, we will merely return….!" Franmalth sputtered out. Sophie stood under Franmalth, and the demon that could smile at defeat suddenly cowered with a fearful expression. "Y-You stay away from me…you…you…monster!"

"Monster?" Tilting her head, she merely gave a shrug. "If that's the title you wish to brand me with…I'm fine with that. It doesn't matter to me…" And she was just as apathetic as ever, not even understanding the implications of what Franmalth just told her.

"How clueless can you be…" Lucy grumbled. Franmalth's body slowly began to disappear from the scene, just leaving the unlikely trio in silence.

.

Mira was on a knee, panting heavily from the wounds Sayla inflicted with just one attack. Was there truly such a gap between them? That didn't matter because Mira had to win no matter what! "I'm not…finished yet…" Mira took a shaky step forward while balling a hand into a fist, swinging it at Sayla quite weakly. The effort in itself was pathetic and Sayla just shifted her body to the side before returning fire; a punch so strong that Mira was sent flying through a tube that shattered on impact! "AAH!"

"Mira-nee!" Lisanna was still pinned down by Lamy, who proceeded to panic at the destruction of one of the tubes.

"H-Hey! Be careful with those! If they all break we can't use Hell's Core anymore!" Lamy panicked…but she was almost certain that Sayla wasn't listening at this point.

Mira coughed up some more blood while overhearing Lamy's words. "Is that so…?" With a sly grin…the surrounding tubes began to explode violently, taking everyone off guard.

"WAIT WAIT!" Lamy cried out.

Ezel finally reappeared in a tube with an infuriated expression. "LET ME OUT! I WANT ANOTHER SHOT AT THOSE TWO BRATS!" Annnnnd the tube he was in exploded violently.

Franmalth soon followed with a smarmy grin on his face. "Gehehe…it appears I'm in need of some assistance OH GOD WAIT…!" It wasn't long before the tube he exploded in either. Mira effectively destroyed all of Hell's Core!

"NOOOO!" Lamy placed her hands on her cheeks and screamed. "Not like this!"

"That woman is downright scary…" Reiss admitted while tugging on his collar. "I didn't think she'd be able to nuke this whole place…"

"But that means we don't have to worry about any demons coming back after they're beaten, right?" Saraya nodded. "That would be great…if that one wasn't a problem…" Sayla was still in the room, rather unfazed by Mira's parlor trick.

"I don't think that's a fight she's going to win on her own…!" Tyson exclaimed.

Right as Tyson exclaimed that, Sayla took off once again. She aimed a vicious punch at Mira's face, however the demoness was able to avoid this and latched onto her leg, actually attempting to use her Take Over on the Etherious being. "Don't be so foolish…you can't take over a full Etherious…don't even waste your time."

"I won't know…until I try…!" Mira grunted. Her efforts didn't last long as a single kick managed to shake of her off. A blast was then sent in her direction; arms crossed and she attempted to hold her ground, but the explosive radius of the beam took her off guard and blew her backwards with a scream of pain. Reiss, Tyson, and Saraya were also caught in the wide radius of the explosion.

"Mira-nee! I'm coming…!" With Lamy finally off her, Lisanna was about to offer some kind of assistance…that was until Lamy reappeared and had a firm hold of her tail. Lisanna instinctively hissed while turning to glare at Lamy. "Let me go! Are you guys doing to do anything but just stand there..?! Help my sister, please…!"

"No way! I can use you for something!" Lamy's annoying laugh come to pass once again.

This was a truly dire situation. The only reason why any of them were alive right now was because of Mira's efforts, and those efforts were slowly failing. It was only a matter of time before things took an even worse turn. Tyson nodded, leaping towards Lamy with all his might. "Fusion Make: I AM IRON MAN!" With steel coating his fist, he swung it at Lamy's face. A direct hit…sort of. Lamy's slippery curse caused the impact to lessen, although she still released Lisanna in the process.

"Thank you…!" Lisanna now lunged at Sayla at full speed, preparing to slash at her. "Leave my sister alone…!" Before Lisanna could even try to attack, Sayla's hand met with Lisanna's gut, knocking the wind out of her. An energy blast followed suit, shooting Lisanna towards the opposing wall of Hell's Core, nearly taking out Lamy and Tyson in the process.

"LISANNA!" Mira tried to move, but Sayla's silt leg pierced through her shoulder and kept her pinned to the ground. A cry of pain escaped Mira as the pain started to become unbearable.

"Do you see now…? How useless it is for you humans to fight in the long run…?" Sayla peered down at Mira with her yellow eyes. It was then two beams struck Sayla from behind; a beam of Star Magic and sand. Turning, she saw that Reiss was standing next to his Native Spirit: Poia, while Saraya used her staff Ramses to attack. "…."

"…That did a lot less than I was hoping." Reiss swallowed the lump in his throat.

"This is…a dire situation…" Saraya could barely speak. They didn't expect the Demon Gates to be this strong…!

Sayla pointed her hand forward, releasing another powerful blast of energy towards the two Eclipse rookies. Saraya created a barrier of sand to shield herself, Reiss and Poia, but the effort was in vain as the energy blast cut right through the barrier and sent the two rookies into the ground. "Out of my way. Your stories will be next to end." Removing her leg from Mira's shoulder, Sayla knelt down to pick her up by her arm, thin digits squeezing tightly. "I will not be made a mockery by some false demon." Bringing her hand up to Mira's face, an especially powerful energy blast was released at point blank range; this one nearly destroyed what was left of Hell's Core and Mira was sent into the opposing wall. How she was even alive at this point was a miracle…but miracle's only lasted for so long.

"…I….need…just a few…more seconds…" Mira breathed out weakly with all the blood leaking from her body. She had some ace up her sleeve but she needed time…time Sayla wasn't going to grant her.

"You heard the lady…!" Tyson exclaimed as his fist met with his palm. It was true the rookies couldn't do much in this slaughter…but if they could buy Mira the time she needed that was more than enough! "Fusion Make: Mud Pit!" Placing his hands on the floor, it started to turn into a muddy substance that made it difficult to traverse through.

"What…?" Sayla glanced around as she started to sink. No problem for her as she could fly…but the moment she took into the air.

"Dune!" Reiss called forth his other Native Spirit. The sand spirit created a harsh downpour of sand to fall on Sayla to keep her busy. Saraya followed suit, using Ramses to add onto the torrent of sand that slowly forced Sayla back down into the mud pit. "It's working!"

"We're pushing her back…!" Saraya grinned.

"ENOUGH!" Sayla's aura exploded and the three rookies who just had their moment were blown away by her sheer power! The mud pit and sand dispersed leaving Sayla more pissed off than hurt. Her gaze then landed on Mira and Lisanna, taking slow steps forward. "I've had enough…you humans continue to cling onto life like some atrocious insect…and for that I will see to it that you are erased. Demon Eyes." Another aura flared around Sayla…she was…going to take her power even further!

"Is she….going to transform again…!?" Saraya's eyes widened in massive panic.

"Doesn't this monster have a ceiling…!?" Reiss grunted. When he took a glance at Mira…it was odd how she was smiling even in her situation.

"You've made a grave mistake messing with my family…" Mira coughed up some blood, slowly tilting her head up to reveal that unyielding gleam in her eyes. "You used your power to manipulate them…and now you'll come to regret it."

"What is she talking about…?" Lamy tilted her head.

"You lie!" Sayla growled as her secondary transformation began to take place.

Mira continued, "You said I couldn't take over your power…but you'd be surprised what I managed to take. Using your very own curse…I commanded my brother…to come here and protect his family." Right after she said that, the ceiling above shattered! Elfman in his Beast Soul came roaring down with all his might from who knows how many floors. Sayla turned but it was too late. Elfman's fist smashed against her face, driving her into the floor with all of the strength he could muster. A shockwave boomed out from the impact and Sayla reverted from her Etherious back to her regular form.

"One shot?!" Reiss's eyes widened. "But…!"

"She…let her guard down…" Mira responded with a soft smile before the shock of all her damage finally hit her. Eyes shut slowly and she didn't move an inch after that, sitting in a small pool of her own blood from all her injuries sustained.

"M-Mira-nee…! H-Healer…! We need to find a healer, quickly…!" With widened eyes, Lisanna rushed over to her sister to check her condition…but after all Mira had to endure…was it too late…?

.

.

Next Time: The Second Phase.


	62. Chapter 62: The Second Phase

"Ooogh…" Cynthia's eyes slowly opened. Vision was blurry and she couldn't make out anything but Wendy staring at her from above. "My head hurts…what happened….? Are we dead…?"

"No…!" Wendy smiled while shaking her head. "We're okay…we made it."

"Ugh…" Sitting up, Cynthia rubbed her eyes and looked around, finally spotting Mest sitting nearby. "Doranbolt…?"

"It's Mest." Mest corrected Cynthia. "You three are something else, you know that…? Stopping Face like that…"

"Wait…so it worked!" Cynthia's eyes lit up. "We did it Wendy! Carla!"

"I told you we could." Wendy nodded.

"You should listen more often." Carla waved her paw. The three girls were wrapped in bandages all over, but they were okay and that was the important part.

"So…why is he here exactly? I mean…I'm glad he saved us but…" Cynthia pointed at Mest.

"Oh…long story short. It turns out he was a Fairy Tail mages after all!" Wendy smiled sheepishly.

"WHAAAAAAAT?!" Cynthia's eyes widened as she stared at Mest, noticing the guild mark on his shoulder. "But…?!"

"It's a long story." Mest sighed. It was a very roundabout story that was for sure.

"Speaking of being back where we belong…" Carla pointed at Cynthia. "Cynthia…your eyes are still red…and you still have that Tartarus mark on your shoulder."

"Oh, do I…?" Cynthia frowned slightly. "I forgot about my eyes…I don't know how I can get those back to normal…as for the mark…what do I do…?"

"What do you mean?" Mest questioned. "Isn't Fairy Tail where you belong?"

"I mean…" Cynthia sighed while rubbing her arm. "I've done terrible things as Rose…I know the others aren't going to forgive me for what I've done. I know you can't forgive me just like that either, Wendy…so please don't force yourself to."

Cynthia was right…she had done terrible things and it was hard for Wendy to forgive those actions. She couldn't use her usual justification because in the end it was still Cynthia. So…Wendy gathered all her strength to roughly pat Cynthia on the back. "There."

"What was that…?" Cynthia blinked.

"That was me, hitting you as hard as I could…because you lost your way and I had to bring you back." Wendy offered a soft smile. "They want you back. We want you back."

"Okay…." Cynthia gave a small smile in return. The Tartarus emblem on her shoulder shone brightly before slowly disintegrating, replacing with the Fairy Tail guild mark. "I, uh…never actually got rid of the mark. It just kinda got overwritten…that's why I could see the First earlier…"

"I knew you'd still be with us." Carla crossed her arms.

"Mhm…I guess I wasn't gone all along. Especially since I helped Erza, Natsu, and Lisanna…." Cynthia groaned while rotating her shoulder. Her body was still sore.

"You what?" Wendy tilted her head curiously.

"Oh! I didn't mention it…but they were getting treated really badly in there. Natsu and Lisanna were behind bars…Erza was getting tortured. It was horrifying to watch…" Cynthia frowned as she recalled Erza's screams. "So…at the time I didn't know why, but I discretely helped Natsu and Lisanna escaped…and when Erza was unconscious, I freed her from her chains so she could fight again."

It didn't take much longer for Wendy to just throw her arms around Cynthia for a tight embrace, the tears starting to stream down her cheeks. "I always had faith in you, Cynthia…"

"Thank you…" Cynthia returned the embrace…it felt as though she were right at home already. The tender moment lasted before they finally pulled away from each other. "So…what do we do now that Face is gone…? We just have to beat Tartarus right!?"

"About that…" Mest sighed heavily. It was time for the job nobody much wanted: the bearer of bad news. "Take a look over that canyon…"

"…?" Wendy and Cynthia stood up and took a look over the canyon…what they saw was unbelievable. Multiple Face units scattered about the area.

"W-what is this…?" Carla could barely form the words.

"Face was more than just one unit…there are several hundred scattered throughout Earthland." Mest begrudgingly admitted. "And it looks like…once night time falls; they're set to go off…I don't know what we can do about it." It was about sunset now…so that meant there wasn't a lot of time left until Face truly went off to purge magic throughout the entire continent.

"After all that work we did…?" Cynthia grit her teeth. "Darn it…if I wasn't so stupid…"

"Don't blame yourself…" Wendy nodded slowly. "We'll be okay…I refuse to cry anymore." Without any hesitation, Wendy brought her hand to her hair and swiftly chopped it off! Wendy with her short hair turned back to face Cynthia, Carla, and Mest.

"W-Wendy…?" Cynthia wasn't expecting Wendy to perform such an action.

"Even if we're run down…I think we can still fight back somehow. I have a plan…I just need your help." Wendy told the others. She was truly prepared to step up and help in any way she could.

.

.

"Look…" Lucy pointed to the white spheres slowly drifting away shortly after Franmalth's defeat. "All of the soul's that demon had…they're fading away…?"

"Rest in peace…" Sophie brought her hand to her heart, giving the departed souls a moment of silence.

"…I didn't expect you to actually have sympathy…" Lucy narrowed her eyes at Sophie. The tension between the two of them may have faded, but it didn't disappear completely. Despite that, it was in Lucy's honest nature to try and befriend people…White Eclipse wasn't all bad despite their guild's rivalry. "Look…I don't know why we were fighting…but I don't want to keep fighting you like this? So…can we call a truce…?" Lucy extended her hand to Sophie with a warm smile.

"….Friend?" Sophie tilted her head at the word. It took her a moment to recall what it meant before slapping Lucy's hand away. "I don't know who's speaking, but…I won't attempt to destroy you at the moment…we've bigger problems on our hand. But don't think for a moment that I can ever be _your_ friend. That will be impossible for the two of us." Without another word, Sophie started to walk off.

"Geez…." Natsu tilted his head at the entire exchange. "What the heck did you do to her? Steal her food from her fridge or somethin'?"

To that remark, Lucy's brow twitched. "No! And you do that to me!" With a huff, she crossed her arms and stared as Sophie walked off. "I don't know why…but a part of me really doesn't like her…but that's not me, you know…? I wonder if we'll ever get along…"

"It's not over yet…" The soul of Hades appeared behind Lucy and Natsu, causing their eyes to widen from the familiarity of it. "You must tell Makarov…to activate Lumine Histore." Without so much as another word, Hades vanished from the area.

"What…?" Natsu shook his head.

"Look at all these souls….finally departing to the afterlife that they deserve." That voice belonged to Ruika. The celestial demon leaned against the wall, arms crossed as a heavy sigh passed her lips.

"Great…another one…" Lucy grumbled while sliding into a stance. "What do you want now!?"

"Do we have to blow you away too?" Natsu snarled while curling his hand into a fist.

Ruika slowly shook her head. "No…I'm not here to fight you. I don't want your keys anymore either, Lucy; I'm done with that…I'm done with this place. Rugal and I cut our ties with this place."

"So why are you still here?" Natsu questioned. "Doesn't make sense to leave and come back like this."

"You're right to be skeptical of me…I've caused you nothing but trouble up until now." Ruika shrugged her shoulders, a solemn look taking hold of her features. "But hear me out, please. Rugal, myself…and Tobias were supposed to leave. But Tobias was caught by Marde…and he's now nothing but a soulless puppet for Keith's usage."

"What does that have to do with us…?" Lucy narrowed her eyes.

"Because…I know I have no right to ask you this, but; I'm asking you to save him." Ruika finally made it out with her request. Using her own telepathic abilities, she was able to intercept the channel Warren created so everyone present could hear this. "The three of us were supposed to leave together…we were likely to separate after, but…we couldn't bear this place anymore. It grew tiresome constantly fighting in something that slowly held no meaning for us. Rugal and I made it out, but we were stupid and left Tobias alone. I know we all made fun and treated him poorly at times…but we really did care. With Franmalth's defeat, Tobias' soul has been set free…so the least we can do for him after leaving him behind is set him free completely!"

Marde, of course, was also listening in on Ruika's pleas. There was a small grin etched onto his lips as he listened and merely shook his head. "…."

"You want us to fix your mistake?" Natsu shook his head. "That's not how it works. If you were truly his nakama, you would've taken it upon yourselves to save him. I don't know if all this stuff you're spouting is true or not…but I know one thing: you don't leave any of your friends behind. I still have a score to settle with that lifeless bastard anyway for freezing me solid! So we're not doing this for you or Rugal…but we will take care of it, isn't that right!?"

"Ghehe…whatever!" One could easily tell that Gajeel was grinning as he spoke. "I've been looking to bust some heads open all day anyway!"

"If he's in the way…then we'll have no choice but to take him down." Levy concurred.

"….Thank you." Ruika nodded slowly. "I'm a selfish witch that much is certain…"

"Yeah, you are." Lucy fired that shot without hesitation. "But…you must have some semblance of a heart to wish Tobias peace. That doesn't mean your past transgressions have been forgiven!"

"The path of darkness is dull…" Ruika turned her back to Lucy and Natsu, beginning to walk off. "I want to walk someplace where I can see where I'm going…something that I can find meaning in…"

"She's weird." Natsu grumbled. "I can't make heads or tails of it…I also can't believe she stuck us with her problem."

"We practically did the same to Cynthia." Lucy turned. "We weren't there for her and she felt betrayed…so I guess…I can understand where she's coming from. Oh! Right, before I forget! Master! Uh…we were told by Hades that you had to activate…Lumine Histore?"

"What…!?" Makarov was clearly surprised to hear that name. "If the situation is truly that dire…then very well. I will return to the guild…everyone else; I trust you can handle things here!"

"Now that that's over with…" Natsu stretched. "We still gotta find Mira!"

"Oh, you're right!" Lucy nodded in agreement. "Let's get going!"

Natsu led the way down the nearest hallway, but he stopped for just a split second. His ears were ringing…did he hear a familiar voice off in the distance…? No, there was just no way. Shaking his head, he continued on before he could worry Lucy.

.

Marde placed two fingers to his temple, reaching out to all the mages inside Tartarus. "Humans…I see you've grown quite comfortable in our home. How is it? I hope everything is to your accommodations. You meddlesome insects don't believe you've the upper hand now because of Face, do you? Well…allow me to burst those presumptuous bubbles of yours. The Face unit that child of yours destroyed was only a mere one out of thousands."

.

"W-Wait…only one!?" Takeru's eyes grew larger than dinner plates at this truth bomb. "Why the hell did the Magic Council make so many!?"

"That's not the issue right now…." Kanade grunted while punching a wall, causing it to shatter. "We've got to find a way to disarm a thousand of those things!? Calium could probably wipe out some of them, but to take them all out across Earthland…?"

.

"Ah yes…that despair in your voice is what I enjoy to hear the most. By the time the moon rises…magic will fall. If you wish to try and stop this, by all means try. However, that requires the defeat of the remaining forces and myself…and it is obvious your struggle cannot continue for much longer."

.

Micaiah and Vanya were standing across from Kyouka…the battle was not in their favor either. Micaiah and Vanya were noticeably damaged while Kyouka's only injuries were the ones sustained by Marde's harsh lecture. "My my…" Kyouka licked her lips. "You two are quite fun to play with…your screams are delicious…"

"M-Micaiah-chan…this one is extremely dangerous…but I believe we can beat her…!" Vayna pointed her hand forward, directly at Kyouka; while she may not have been able to see, she was capable of detecting a being's presence by their heartbeat. Once 'locked on' Vanya released multiple waves of vibration magic that shattered the ground, overlapping one another while racing towards Kyouka.

"Oh?" Kyouka licked her lips and deftly jumped to the side, however it appeared as though Micaiah predicted her movements.

A florescent blade of light formed within Micaiah's hands; wielding it high above her head, she intercepted Kyouka and brought it down fiercely. "Light Brand: Judgement Blade!" The moment she brought it down, a pillar of white light crashed down onto the Demon Gate fiercely. The corridor shook violently as Micaiah landed. "Did we get her?"

"No, she's still moving!" Vanya shouted. The pair prepared to move…however the slight breeze of the air caused an intense, unbearable pain that rendered them immobile. "W-What…i-it hurts…?"

"Feels good, doesn't it…?" Kyouka emerged from the smoke, slightly scuffed from Micaiah's attack. That one hurt, but she wouldn't admit it so easily. "My curse allows me to control your senses…even the slight breeze feels like thousands of swords piercing through you at once, does it not?"

"You…demon scum…" Micaiah grit her teeth, forcing her body to move despite the pain she was in. She attempted another swing at Kyouka's midsection, however it was a failed attempted and just her movement caused pain. "Agh…"

"Now that's some vulgar language..." Kyouka grabbed a hold of Micaiah's face with one hand, squeezing her cheeks. "Now why would you feel that way about us…? I find it very ironic…"

"I made an oath to destroy you demons…" Micaiah spat.

"How very ironic, considering you are part etherious yourself…but I suppose humanity has rubbed off on you far too much? It matters not…I will just root out that side of you and see what it has to offer." With a sly grin, Kyouka brought up her free claw and slashed Micaiah's side; while the motion was as singular slash, Micaiah felt her body being ripped apart. A scream of pain escaped her and her eyes widened before they rolled to the back of her head and she passed out.

"Micaiah-chan…!" Vanya made an attempt to move, but she suffered the same fate as Micaiah. A single slash was all it took to render Vanya unconscious. "…."

Kyouka licked the blood from her lips, snickering devilishly at the taste. "I have bigger targets I wish to dispose of…"

.

Minerva held her palm open, creating an orb of territory that condensed into the size of a baseball. This small orb released an overpowering beam that soared towards Erza with full intent to take her out then and there! "Give me everything you have to offer, Erza!"

Sensing Minerva's insanity, Erza had no choice but to go all out to bring her to her senses. A bright light wrapped around her body as she requipped her Adamantine Armor. Bringing her shields forward, she was capable of completely tanking the beam completely. The second the beam finished, Erza requipped into her Flight Armor, speeding across the room while slashing Minerva furiously from several angles. "Sonic Claw!"

"Yes, that's it!" Minerva laughed during all the pain, turning to face Erza despite the injuries taken. Neo Minerva was something else entirely. Tightening her hand into a fist, she swung it at Erza and slugged her across the face. "More!"

"Minerva!" Erza grunted in pain before returning fire, dropping her swords to slam her fist into Minerva's gut, following up with a fierce kick to her side. "Snap out of it! This isn't you! Think of Sabertooth!"

"All I can think about…is taking you under my heel…" Minerva spat out some blood before swinging at Erza once again. It was blow for blow, whether they were trading blows or blocking. It was a slugfest between the two fiercest females! "Sabertooth…"

"Is your home!" Erza reared a hand up and slammed Minerva right into the ground with all her might, wearing a glare the entire time. "They've been looking for you for ages and if they saw you like this, they would be appalled and you know it!"

"Ack…!" Minerva cried out as Erza's raw strength crushed her into the ground. This was going the complete opposite of how she was expecting…! It took a moment for Minerva to move again after that, having some sense knocked into her really hurt. "…..Ouch….?"

"Are you finally awake now…?" Erza muttered while shaking her hand.

.

"KAYAHAHAHA!" Jackal's constant explosions had Reve, Zalen, and Waiston pinned down behind a steel wall. The explosive demon wasn't letting up either! "The blue cat and the thief aren't here, so you're all I've got to explode my unending rage on! Especially you, Reve!"

"How the hell…?" Reve narrowed his eyes before nodding at Zalen. Quickly rolling from behind the steel wall, Reve aimed several shots at Jackal, but they were all shot down by another explosion. "Tch…!" The second Reve's roll finished, Zalen conjured up another steel wall to protect him from Jackal's counter.

"You think that'll save you!?" Swiping his arm horizontally, a spiraling explosion occurred, breaking apart the steel wall while sending Waiston, Zalen, and Reve into the walls. "KAYAHAHAH!"

"What the hell is up with this guy?!" Waiston grunted.

"Taya talks a lot of shit about you." Jackal said with a wide grin. "She kept talking about how much she wanted to end your life herself and all that shit….and because I hate her fucking guts, I decided it would be best if I killed you before she did!"

"You got another thing coming if you think a little fireworks show is enough to finish me." Reve gave his usual cocky grin while standing back up. "I'm not going to die before I give that woman a piece of my mind."

"Don't worry…I'll send you to her in pieces!" Jackal fired off another explosive shot…that was sliced in half by a singular sword stroke. The explosion was a dud! "What the hell!?"

"It's about time…" Zalen let out a heavy sigh.

"Apologies for the wait." Kagura slid Archenemy back into its sheathe, giving Reve an apologetic nod. "There were some loose ends that needed to be tied up."

"We're here to assist now, Reve-san!" Sting stepped forward, pounding his fist into his open palm with a wide grin. Behind him, Sabertooth, members of Lamia Scale, Black Phoenix, Quatro Cerberus, and Juvia who made a complete recovery!

"You people sure are slow. If it were me, I would've made it here ages ago…oh wait, I did." Reve always had to pat himself on the back for something no matter what the situation…but at the very least, the aforementioned backup finally arrived to help! This situation was not looking as grim for the humans as Marde wished for it to be! "I also didn't ask for your assistance right there."

"You enjoy stealing people's thunder, am I correct? Perhaps you should sit back and enjoy this taste of your own medicine and say thank you." ….Was Kagura being smart with him?

"It's about to GET WILD!" Bacchus lifted his arm into the air.

"FOUR!"

.

.

Next Time: Break Through!


	63. Chapter 63: Break Through!

"Quite a shame, really…" Ashnard stood atop his beloved creation: the monstrous walking fortress known as Heracles. Alongside him was Count Waltz; the pair of royalty overlooked Earthland from the top of the large structure. "To think that we can no longer trust Fiore with such a simple task…it is quite disappointing…"

"I concur…" Waltz had a spot of tea. "Fiore used to be the most trustworthy country in all of Earthland…that is why they were the ones given permission to enact the Face project. But for demons to be able to threaten our prosperous land with this plan…I see that faith in judgement was misplaced. Toma of Fiore is not going to be hearing any nice words…we may have to call his leadership abilities into question to allow his country to be ravaged this horribly."

"It's quite ironic; actually…Toma is no longer the seat in power in Fiore." Ashnard clarified. "The title of Ruler of Fiore actually belongs to a former associate of mine…Emmeraude."

"And how does one secede the throne so easily?" Waltz's skepticism was high.

"She has an interesting magical ability…" Ashnard explained. "Queenly Majesty. Should she sit on the throne of an opposing kingdom, everyone's memories of their current ruler will disappear and everyone will begin to accept her as their new ruler. It'll be as though she'd been ruling over them forever. It's not much in combat of course…but who needs to fight when you can command the entire country?"

"I see…" Waltz lost interest. "Acting in the will of the people is what a ruler does after all. But onto a more important topic…do you truly intend to use this behemoth to destroy Face?"

"Not quite." Ashnard chuckled quietly. "I intend to use this to destroy all Face units in Pergrande and Seven. I won't allow our kingdoms to fall because of Fiore's ineptitude to keep one of the most dangerous weapons created."

"Excellent idea." Waltz sat back. "By the time night falls, there won't be anything anyone can do. In the meantime, I believe I have some medicinal powder to tax…my army isn't going to build itself."

A moment passed and a black shadow streaked across the sky. That presence was unmistakable even though it only lasted for a fleeting moment. "…Was that what I think it was?"Ashnard stared into the sky. "I was wondering where that monster had been hiding. It appears this situation is going to be getting just a little more chaotic…."

.

.

With the other guilds finally arriving in Tartarus, it was time to push back these demons once and for all within their own home! The guilds spread out to cover more ground and take out any remaining demons. Kagura stepped forward, gripping the hilt of Archenemy with her usual stern expression while staring at Jackal. "I do not recall seeing this demon before. What are its abilities?"

"You know that King Midas story?" Zalen explained. "Instead of everything he touches turning to gold, it just…well, explodes."

"I see…" Nodding in understanding, the ace of Mermaid Heel stood before the explosive demon. "I will be your opponent…Kagura Mikazuchi from Mermaid Heel."

"PFT…." Jackal could hardly contain his anger. "You!? I didn't ask for The Little Mermaid wannabe to be my opponent. Demons consume pesky beings like you for breakfast!"

Before Jackal could finish, Kagura appeared before him with her amazing speed, gripping the hilt of her blade tightly. "Then why don't I show to you how the Mermaid consumes even the foulest of creatures. Slashing Form!" Zipping past the explosive demon, a myriad of slashes were aimed all along his body. Kagura slid to a halt and clicked her blade into its sheathe.

"G-Gah?!" Jackal let out a growl of pain as he had serious gashes all along his body. But there was a grin on his face as he prepared to reiterate his curse for the umpteenth time. "My curse…!" And Kagura threw the sheathe of Archemeny at Jackal, which had his signature explosive seal on it. The moment it made contact with him it exploded in his face, causing him to tumble backwards. "What!?"

"I won't fall prey to such transparent tricks…" Sliding into a stance, Archenemy's sharp tip glimmered for a brief moment. "Take me lightly again, I dare you."

"…This woman really doesn't play any games…" Zalen was impressed to say the least.

"You….humans are all so irritating!" Jackal swung his arm horizontally, creating a spiraling explosion occurred right on Kagura. Even she was taken off guard by the sudden explosion and was swept off her feet, parts of her kimono becoming singed and tattered from the eruption.

"Tch…!" With a flip, Kagura landed back on the ground. She wasted no time coating her sword in heavy gravity, swinging it forward to release all this pent up power in the form of a gigantic wave of crushing gravity that crushed everything in its path.

Jackal crossed his arms, not suspecting Kagura to have so much power he was thrown backwards and crashed into a wall. An explosion occurred as Jackal emerged from the rubble in his Etherious Form, letting out a frustrated howl as he lunged towards Kagura. "I WON'T LET YOU MAKE A FOOL OUT OF ME!"

"…!" Kagura's eyes widened briefly at Jackal's transformation. Sliding Archenemy to the blade itself, she held it in a defensive manner as Jackal punched the sword instead. She underestimated Jackal's physical strength and she was lifted off her feet; the ensuring explosion blew the Mermaid Ace backwards and through a wall! "Agh…!"

"EXPLODE!" Jackal then began throwing multiple explosions at where Kagura was!

Kagura wasn't one to stay down for long no matter what kind of injuries she sustained. She used her Gravity Change to push the rubble off of her and outward, colliding with the multiple explosions Jackal sent. This only resulted in large explosions filling the room, obscuring everything from sight. "I believe it's time…for you to disappear!" Emerging from the smoke from the air, Kagura swung Archenemy diagonally down Jackal's chest, blood spurting from the wound.

"GRAH! I'LL BLOW YOU APART!" Jackal growled while rearing his arms back in attempt to grab Kagura's skull!

"HAAAA!" Kagura quickly withdrew Archenemy and quickly plunged her blade into Jackal's chest. Just in the nick of time, for Jackal's hands were near inches away from Kagura's head.

"W-What…How…?" Jackal's body froze completely from the shock of being stabbed. "I lost…to another human…?"

"This is how the Mermaid consumes the demon." Kagura fiercely twisted the blade within Jackal's abdomen to seal the deal. Because of his curse, Archenemy was set to explode…but she didn't move the blade. That's right; this was happening. Light began seeping out from Jackal's opens wounds before the demon's upper body exploded! It was not a pretty result, although Kagura was unfazed by the blood and guts falling everywhere.

Zalen and Waiston just stood there wide eyed at Kagura's good riddance of Jackal, although the Building Mage would've preferred to not get any of the remains on him. "AGH! NO! Do you know how many showers this is going to take for me to completely get the stench off me!?"

"Save it." Kagura took a step forward, only to fall to a knee, using her sword as a support to help her stand up. "We're not…finished here yet."

"She's got that fighting spirit, I'll give her that much!" Waiston grinned at Kagura's persistence.

.

Meanwhile…Lamy…or rather, LAMYS were causing a vast majority of trouble for everyone else! Her annoying laugh echoed throughout the destroyed remains of Tartarus. "Look at all these hunks! This is like a dream come true!" Multiple Lamys spoke simultaneously.

"I thought it was rabbits that multiplied exponentially, not sheep!?" Melody said while trying combat the several Lamys that latched onto her. "Where did these things even come from?!"

A Lamy stopped in front of Warren, giving a lazy smile. "Hey…are there any hotties in your guild?"

"Wha..? Of course!" Warren said while pointing at himself. "Right here?"

"I don't see any…" Lamy placed her hand above her head, scouring the area for some hot guys.

"Wha!? I'm right here in front of you!" Warren pointed to himself with a wide grin.

"Please….stop." Max just shook his head. "You're already looking even more pathetic when you have to point to yourself like that."

"I'll take care of them all in one shot!" Orga placed his arms in front of his body, obsidian lightning crackling around his being. "100mm Black Lightning Cannon!" A sphere of lightning formed within his hands before releasing in the form of a gigantic beam of black lightning that soared towards several Lamys. The explosions threw the Lamys off to side with giddy expressions.

Just when Orga thought he took out Lamy, a few more latched onto his muscular arms. "Now THIS! Is a hunk!"

"Look at those muscles!"

"Can I have you!?"

"What the?! Get off of me!" Orga grunted while rapidly swinging his arms around to pry Lamy off of him, all while her annoying laugh echoed throughout the area.

"If this laugh continues, I swear I'm going to murder something and it's not going to be her….!" Heather had an enraged expression on her face while aiming several poisonous punches on a singular Lamy. The real one had to be around here somewhere right? …Right?

"We've got another problem on our hands…!" Cana flicked several cards to a Lamy or two, glancing back to where Laxus, Freed, Bickslow, Evergreen, and Yajima were. Somehow, when nobody was watching…Laxus up and left! "When did Sparky wake up…!? And where did he go…what's he trying to do in that condition!?"

.

"Blow." Tempesta let out a simple exhale, which unleashed a rather large tornado that tore through the corridor, sweeping up Aira, Milliana, and Lyon off their feet while sending them flying off.

"This demon again…" Aira flipped, catching herself while sliding backwards. "If I recall correctly…I believe we need to make this one bleed to make a cure for Laxus and the others!"

"Nyah…" Milliana rubbed her head, not feeling the most confident in that plan. "How are we going to do that?"

"We beat it down with everything we've got." Lyon placed his fist into his palm, a cyan glow emanating from his palms. "Ice Make: Lance!" Pushing his hands forward, a magic seal formed before the dynamic ice maker, unleashing several sharp lances of towards Tempesta.

"Burn." With a single swipe of his hand, Tempesta manifested searing flames that incinerated Lyon's ice creations while razing him with the intensity of the flames.

"Agh…!" Lyon cried out while bringing his arms up to shield himself from the demon's flames. "What is this demon!?"

Milliana wrapped her Nekosoku Tube around Tempesta's wrist, keeping a tight hold to prevent him from going anywhere. "I got him! Go now!"

"…I don't remember anything." Tempesta spoke while glancing at the tube wrapped tightly around his wrist. "All I know is that I am the Calamity…and it is my duty to eradicate you humans." A twister formed along his arm before travelling through the tube, growing in size to a vicious tornado that consumed Milliana, throwing her backwards into Lyon.

"I remember your misdeeds well! You've brought an end to many wonderful lives…and I will not forgive you for them!" Aira took to the air while rotating her body clockwise. "And for that…I will be taking your blood!" Twisting her body around, she released a vicious twister that shredding apart everything that stood in its path.

"Blow." Tempesta reared his arm back, allowing yet another tempest to form along it. Thrusting his arm forward, his cyclone clashed forward with Aira's; the two collided against one another and exploded, a fierce gale sweeping Aira away in the process.

"Gyah!" The S class tumbled along the floor, taking a moment to recover. "He's stronger than before…? That's strange…"

"Shatter." Before Aira could do anything else, the ground under her feet crumbled and caved in. A vicious burst of curse power erupted in the process, sending Aira tumbling down deeper into the pit. Tempesta dusted his hands off casually, moving onto the next batch of humans.

.

Luke laid on a pile of rubble. There was a pretty bad wound on his chest, but he seemed to be alive after fighting Marde and dealing SOME damage to the demon king. "Ugh…"

"Luke-sama…!" Yukino rushed over to Luke, kneeling down to look him over. "How long have you been here?! Are you okay?!"

"Huh…? Yeah…I'm fine…just bleeding from my best…" Luke responded with a dry laugh. "That was a close call…if it was any closer to the left that might've been the end of me."

"How can you laugh at a time like this?" Yukino luckily had a first aid kid on hand. She started to wrap Luke in bandages before one particular question came to mind. "Wait…how long have you been here?"

"…Pretty much all day since we've initiated the counter attack." Luke replied.

"And no one has come around here?"

"Nope…"

"Not a single demon?"

"Not at all."

"…." Yukino had no words. Luke just had the strangest luck out of anyone she'd known. Either way, she finished patching him up. "There. You shouldn't be moving too much, otherwise you'll reopen the wound."

"Thanks…" Luke shifted to a sitting position, which allowed him to see who was coming up from behind Yukino. "Ah shit…"

Yukino turned with Luke's curse. Tobias slowly approached the pair with a soulless look in his eyes. Stopping in front of them, he adjusted his scarf before pointing a hand forward, a sphere of flame forming within his palm. "Inferno Demon's Hell Prye." The sphere shot forward, racing towards the pair at a rapid pace!

"Shit…!" Luke took a step forward, crossing his arms to form a Black God's Bubble around himself and Yukino. It was strong enough to withstand the Hell Pyre, however Luke's bubble broke and he was thrown back. "Agh…!"

"Luke-sama!" Yukino knelt down. "Don't worry, I can handle this!"

"Tremor Demon's Quake." Tobias spoke in a monotonous voice. Lifting his hand into the air, he slammed it against the ground to create a powerful earthquake that was more than enough to knock Yukino off her feet.

"Agh…!" The ground continued to shake intensely, making it difficult for Yukino to stand. "I-I can't move!"

Tobias then drew his blade, slowly walking forward towards the downed Yukino and Luke. Lifting the blade up, he prepared to strike Yukino through the chest…when an iron blade clashed against his own. "…?"

"Ghehe…so, this is what you do now? I always knew you were pathetic, Tobias…but this really takes the cake." Gajeel had a wide grin on his lips while staring down Tobias.

"…." Tobias didn't reply. Instead he leapt backwards besides Keith who just appeared on the scene.

"Isn't my creation wonderful?" Keith's stitched lips stretched into a grin. "I have implanted Tobias with several lacrima infused with Demon Slaying magic…earth, wind, fire, ice, lightning, wind, darkness, and light. With no soul…he has become the perfect puppet to do my bidding. There is no doubt in my mind that he will be even more useful than Silver. Tobias of the 8 demons! Perhaps even stronger than the hybrid dragon our lord has created!"

"Gheh…using the dead to do your bidding?" Gajeel shook his head, allowing his iron scales to form along his body. "That's pretty fuckin' sick if you ask me. Even in death, no one should be a puppet to somebody else. But don't worry, Tobias…I'll kick your ass one more time to send you packing back to the hell you came from!"

.

"Oi, you okay Lucy?" Natsu turned over to Lucy, who had a hand placed on her side. "You've been breathing heavy since we left that room."

"Y-Yeah…" Lucy nodded slowly. "I-I'm fine…that kid just hit me really hard. We were fighting before you and that demon showed up, and I think she broke a rib or two…"

"She's tough. I think I want to fight her after this is over…" Natsu was already contemplating fighting Sophie after this Tartarus incident…if everything worked well, after all.

"Natsu…" Lucy grumbled. Couldn't he think about anything besides fighting people!?

"What…?" And of course, Natsu didn't see anything wrong with this. But there was something that caught his attention and his ears wiggled slightly. "….That voice….shit."

"Natsu…?" Lucy tilted her head. She hardly heard that tone of voice coming from Natsu, and when it did it meant something BAD was coming. "What's wrong!?"

"…He's coming." Natsu replied while staring up at the sky, clenching his hand into a fist while his body started to tremble. Whether he was aware of that or not…there was one thing that was painfully clear….

.

"Ah…" Wendy placed a hand on her chest, her breathing starting to become a little heavy. "I-I'm getting that feeling again…"

"M-Me too…" Cynthia closed one eye while nodding in agreement. Concerned, Mest and Carla looked over at the both of them.

"Are you two okay…?" Mest asked while looking them over. "Don't push yourselves too hard, you're still recovering after all."

"I…I don't know…" Wendy panted. "But I feel worried all of a sudden…" Speak of the devil, and it shall appear. A large black streak flew over the skies above, and there was no mistaking that shape and presence. "O-Oh no…!"

.

Marde stared up at the sky, a small sweat drop forming on his forehead. This was something that even he did not foresee due to prior events. "I see…so at last he has decided to show himself once again. Did it come here for Zeref…or perhaps it wishes to eradicate END? Either way…I did not expect you to show your face here once again…"

Just by flying, the aerial being caused widespread destruction; explosions following every flap of its wings. With a vicious roar that shook the earth to its very core, the King of Dragons emerged in the sky.

"Acnologia."

.

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Next Time: Tobias of The 8 Demons.


	64. Chapter 64: Tobias of The 8 Demons

"Acnologia…!"

The black dragon flew overhead, creating more destruction in its wake. Of course, now of all times, that dragon just had to appear! Just after the events on the Isle of the Dragons, Acnologia was still missing an arm…but that didn't stop him from wanting to destroy anything and everything concerning Tartarus in one fell swoop.

"That thing flying around just causes that much damage?!" Macao brought his arm up to shield his eyes from the wind.

"Doesn't this thing know when to go away!?" Cana nearly screamed, tears already starting to form in her eyes at the bleakness of the situation. "What the hell did we do to deserve this shit AGAIN!?"

"Crying about it won't change anything." Sidney stated with a scoff. His comment got under Cana's skin, but she couldn't deny that he was correct on the assumption. "I don't see why you're all worried to begin with…White Eclipse didn't come to this place without a safety net in the event this happened…"

"Wha…?" Melody tilted her head so far she nearly fell over. "You guys planned for this?!"

"Not this exactly." Sidney admitted. "But in the event their forces became too much…we asked 'him' to help us out."

"Whoever it is, they better hurry…!" Diamond panicked while pointing at the sky.

They had the right to panic, for Acnologia was preparing to eliminate everything all at once. With a loud inhale, a torrent of magic began to swirl around the dragon's lips; Acnologia was gathering the energy for a devastating roar that would wipe Tartarus off the map! That inhale would not last long, as gigantic spears of diamond and ice flew towards the dragon, forcing it to halt its roar and fly backwards. "…Who dares?"

Adamantine in his draconic formed appeared in the sky, flapping his wings while glaring at Acnolgoia. "So, you've decided to show yourself once again and you endanger my family in the process. This time, I'm going to make sure that you lose more than an arm this time! You're not escaping with your life!"

"Another day and dragon still exist… what a shame…but I will be sure to eradicate every living one while I still exist." Acnologia roared before rushing at Adam. Even with one arm, his strength was still something be exceptionally wary about! Acnologia tackled Adam in the sky, breaths of darkness and ice flying across the sky once they collided. The ground trembled violently as these two dragons collided with one another.

"Gah…!" Lamy almost fell over, staring up at the sky. "WHOA! When did that thing get here!?"

"That's not the problem here!" Warren shouted as he fearfully clung to one of the Lamy clones…looking incredibly more pathetic than he already sought out to be. Amazing.

"I-It's so cold…!" Cana brought her hands to her arms, rubbing them to generate some kind of warm. Adam's power made it feel like it was winter x4 and no amount of layers would make anyone feel warm with this sheer cold.

"Put a shirt on and maybe you wouldn't be so cold." Mary scolded Cana like nobody's business.

"I'm not taking that from you, old hag!" Cana shouted at Mary. Was now really the time for this? Not really, but Cana didn't exactly care at the moment.

"Juvia doesn't think…that now is the appropriate time to be arguing…!" Juvia swung her arm forward, unleashing several scythes of water that blew several Lamy clones backwards. "These annoying sheep have to go first…!"

"She's right. Let's do our part before she keeps multiplying like the freak she is…" Yuka grunted.

Adamantine coated his tail in raw diamond, swinging it at Acnologia's chest. It was a direct hit and the black dragon was sent hurtling towards the ground. The Frozen dragon used this opportunity to lunge at Acnologia, driving him into and through the ground! There was a moment of silence before multiple explosions of ice and darkness rose from the ground.

"It's a fucking warzone out here…" Roxanne grunted while pounding a Lamy into the ground.

.

Erza supported Minerva as they walked forward. Things were starting to get hectic as time was running low… "We have to do something quickly…things are getting rather chaotic as we speak…" Erza grit her teeth. If only she could get her hands on Kyouka again, perhaps then…

"Yes…things are starting to get incredibly disorganized…" Marde appeared before them, still holding that book in his hands. His appearance made Erza and Minerva freeze in their spot. "All due to you insects derailing everything since the very beginning; it seems my subordinates are incapable of keeping their wits about themselves…here I believed I could put my faith in them to do the jobs they were assigned to do. But it appears even the simplest of tasks cannot be done…"

"You're the leader behind all of this, aren't you…" Erza questioned with a glare.

"Indeed. Although it brings me some shame to admit that now…because everything has gone awry." Marde's lips slowly curved up to a smile…not a happy smile, mind you. A twisted one. "There is still time to make things right…first Acnologia and that dragon in the sky will be erased…but in the meantime, I will take it upon myself to erase the two of you here and now." Snapping his fingers, Marde summoned a demonic rose bud that emerged from the ground. The bud of the rose began to gather raw curse power, releasing it all in the form of a gigantic beam. In their condition, Erza nor Minerva would've been able to stop it! Luckily for them, they didn't have to, for a beam of white light clashed with the curse power, resulting in a large explosion. "…Hmmm? Yet another interruption..?"

"The protagonist always arrives fashionably late." Sting grinned while looking back at Erza and Minerva. "Sorry to keep you waiting. But don't worry; we'll take care of this one now."

"The Twin Dragons will take care of this." Rogue nodded in agreement.

"So long!" Lector exclaimed.

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch happily exclaimed.

"Sting…Rogue…?" Minerva's eyes widened; Sting and Rogue were a sight for sore eyes.

"We've been looking all over for you, Milady." Sting said with a quiet chuckle. "I didn't think we'd find you here of all places."

"I've always wondered why humans are so foolish in dire times…even now; I still fail to understand it. You can struggle against me all you wish…but it won't stop my plan. You ARE aware of the 3000 Face units prepared to detonate in roughly 45 minutes, yes?"

"Thanks for the reminder…" Erza sucked her teeth.

"45 minutes…?" Sting wasn't the best at math…but those numbers definitely didn't add up in their favor. "Then I guess we'll just have to beat you in 44?"

"You don't sound very confident…" Erza narrowed her eyes.

"…Math isn't my best subject, okay? But who needs it?" Sting shrugged. "Lector, Frosch. Go with Erza and the Lady. Rogue and I will take care of things here."

"You heard the man! Let's get moving!" Lector urged Erza, Minerva, and Frosch to get moving while Sting and Rogue dealt with Marde.

"Now then…" A white aura flared around Sting's body as he entered his White Drive. Rogue followed immediately with his Shadow Drive. "You've got a lot of answering to do."

"Funny…I don't recall taking orders from humans." Marde tilted his head in utter confusion. "Truly…it's astounding how desperate humans act when they are pushed against the wall. To try and order the King of Hades around as though he were a mere puppet…I'm not sure if I should laugh at your feeble efforts…or be disgusted that such a thing even happened." Marde took a step forward, but a blast of gravity was shot between himself and the Twin Dragons. This caused his lip to twitch just slightly in annoyance.

"I'm honestly offended you thought you could start this party without me." Cygnus jumped down between both sides, holding his blade, Rebellion, out with a wide grin. "It's not fair. Gotta let one of the strongest mages here take a swing at the big guy, too."

"Cygnus-san!?" Sting was surprised to see Cygnus joining the fray.

"Sup." Cygnus grinned while staring down Marde. "Nothing around here is worthy of giving me a good fight…what about you, tough guy? Can you withstand my crushing might?"

"And what are you supposed to be?" Marde questioned with a quirked brow.

"A Gravity God." After he said that, a heavy wave of gravity focused on Marde in attempt to bring him down. "Now bow."

.

With all the commotion happening above, Natsu's eyes glared up at the two dragons fighting. Acnologia was the one responsible for Igneel's death…that was something Natsu would never be able to forgive no matter how much time past…but he also knew that he wouldn't be so lucky intruding on a fight between dragons a second time. "Tch…! What's he doing here now!?"

"This isn't good…" Lucy was standing up straight now. That hand on her rib was no longer there. "What do we do?"

"We don't have a lot of time left." Natsu grit his teeth before turning to Lucy. That's when he noticed that most of her terrible injuries had…healed? Aside from the remaining bruises and scratches on her skin, she was fine. "What the…? You okay, Lucy?"

"Just fine. Never better actually!" With a grin, she rotated the shoulder that had been pierced through by Franmalth's Demon's Lance. "Still a little sore and all that…but I probably have one more fight in me today. But that's not important!"

"I'm going to go on ahead. You should help the others clean up whatever mess is left." Natsu made the executive decision without even waiting for Lucy to say anything and darted off!

"Wait!" Lucy reached out but Natsu was already gone. She sighed and started to just walk forward. "I swear…he never listens to me…"

.

The battle within Tartarus and the light guilds continued to rage. While everyone else dealt with Lamy and her seemingly infinite amount of clones, Torafusa planned to sink everyone right then and there to put an end to this. "Allow me to try this one more…this time I will not be stopped by some aquatic human." His body shifted to his Etherious form once again and lifted his arms up into the air; this prompted a gigantic black tidal wave to rise up behind him and sent it to crash down and submerge the humans while they were preoccupied. "Drown." The wave was then sent forward, however before it could even come close to reaching, an invisible field caused it to curve around the current battleground, rendering it completely useless. "What!?"

A pair of heels clicked along the ground before stopping in front of Torafusa. Midnight and Cobra appeared before the aquatic demon, arms crossed. "Can you hear that, Midnight? It sounds as though the demons are starting to grow desperate in their plight…"

"Agreed…" Midnight gave a subtle nod. "Perhaps we would do them well to send them into an eternal rest. It is the least we could do for their intrusion upon us earlier."

"I believed you to all be dead…how…?" Torafusa took a step backwards. These humans just kept coming back no matter what was done to them! What were these beings composed of meat and flesh truly made out of!?

"If you truly thought you could be rid of us that easily…" Jellal appeared now. He still had that injury from Marde earlier, but he was still capable of standing alongside the rest of the new Crime Soricere; Angel, Ultear, Meredy, Hoteye, Racer, Midnight, and Cobra…they had all returned after falling prey to the jaws of defeat. As the battle with Tartarus reached its climax, they were not to be excluded in this final stretch.

"But how?!" Torafusa questioned.

"You have me to thank." Angel said with a sly grin and a salute. "With everyone so busy fighting, it made sneaking around incredibly easy, you know? The others found their way here on their own, but I was at least able to get Jellal back here again."

"And now that we're back in action…it's time to ensure that you demons get put down for good this time!" Meredy flexed with a confident grin. This was it, truly the beginning of the end of this long standing battle.

"Midnight and I will handle this one. The rest of you go and take care of anything else you can find." Cobra nodded to the others with a fangy grin. "I can hear the fear in his breathing…he knows that the end for him is neigh. It is a sound that brings pleasure to my ears…"

.

Sora angrily wandered the ruined halls of Tartarus, eyes cloudy as tears threatened to fall. It wasn't fair…she just wanted to stick with Rose the entire time. Maybe if she did, she wouldn't have been taken way. Sora was feeling extreme guilt even though it was Rose that failed her own mission…but that guilt quickly turned into an unrelenting anger towards the humans who dared to invade Tartarus. It was all their fault that Rose was gone now! And of course, the first pair of humans Sora set her eyes on were none other than Ultear and Meredy. "You again…!? Is it your fault that Rose is gone!?"

"What…?" Meredy turned at the sound of Sora's voice, recalling the pink haired demon from earlier in the day. "You again…!?"

"Another rotten child…" Ultear sighed.

"Is it your fault Rose is gone!? Sora won't forgive this!" No time was wasted in Sora's offense. With her Shadow Manipulation, Sora's shadow spread out before her, turning into a sea of obsidian spikes that rapidly rushed towards Ultear and Meredy.

"I don't know what's got her so rattled but it looks like we're doing this…!" Meredy said while sliding into a stance.

.

Gajeel pointed his hand forward, an emerald magic seal forming before him. "Iron Dragon's Lance: Demon Logs!" From the seal, multiple iron lances shot out towards Tobias, who oddly enough didn't do a damn thing to stop them. Instead, the lances impaled Tobias for a rather gruesome scene; iron spikes protruding from his body as blood leaked out from all the fresh, open wounds. "What the…why didn't he even try to dodge!?"

"He doesn't have to." Keith explained. "Tobias is nothing but a soulless corpse now. He feels no pain, no emotion…he only does exactly what is needed of him. Behold."

Tobias literally punched himself in the stomach, coughing up a large amount of blood. But in the process he forced the iron lances out of his body and they fell to the floor. "…"

"That's gonna be a problem if he doesn't feel anything…" Luke sat up, groaning in pain. "Hey…Yukino…you think you can do something about that puppeteer in the back?"

"Ah…yes, I'll see what I can do." Yukino nodded, attempting to sneak around Tobias to deal with Keith. Tobias spotted her, but Gajeel wasn't letting up even for a second.

"Keep your eyes on me! Iron Dragon's Hard Fist!" With his iron scales around his fist, Gajeel aimed to swing his fist directly at Tobias' face for a devastating blow!

Tobias turned at Gajeel's shout, allowing lightning to wrap around his fist. "Raijin Demon's Thunderous Blow." Tobias's fist clashed with Gajeel's, a powerful shockwave occurring on impact. Unfortunately for Gajeel, his iron scales conducted the electricity in a painful way and he was eventually thrown backwards from the sheer might. Not allowing Yukino to come anywhere close to Keith, he pointed his hand backwards and darkness began to accumulate under the celestial mage's feet. "Shadow Demon's Punishment."

"…!" Yukino's eyes widened as she tried to jump backwards, but she was just a moment too late. An eruption of darkness blew Yukino backwards but she caught herself just in the nick of time! …However, several thin beams of darkness soon followed suit to pierce through Yukino. While she somehow managed to avoid a few beams, several of them pierced through her legs and her sides, causing her eyes to widen as blood spurted out from her wounds and a cry of pain escaped her. "Agh…S-So much power…!"

Tobias then lifted his arm up, a cyclone around wrapping around his body and it quickly expanded. The suction force began to draw in Luke, Yukino, and Gajeel who pinned himself down with iron spikes forming under his shoes, digging deep into the ground. "Hurricane Demon's Whirlwind Snap." With a swipe of his arm, the cyclone around his body was sent forward, more destructive than a natural disaster! Luke and Yukino were lifted off the ground, thrown into a nearby wall while Gajeel barely managed to hold onto the ground, but his iron scales were rapidly worn down by Tobias's attack.

"Oof…." Luke groaned, feeling his previous injuries from Marde acting up. He cursed himself for not being too useful in this fight.

"Ouch…" Yukino landed on her side, rubbing her injured leg.

"Shit…" Gajeel panted heavily after such a fearsome attack.

"Hahaha! Isn't his power wonderful!?" Keith asked the question although he knew there was no one going to answer it.

"This guy is even more annoying than he was before…" Gajeel shook off whatever damage he took before beginning to inhale. "Iron Dragon's…ROAR!" Lurching his head forward, he released a roar of iron shrapnel towards Tobias.

Tobias didn't bother crossing his arms. Instead he just walked forward through the Iron Dragon's Roar, allowing the iron shrapnel to cut into him. By the time Gajeel finished, Tobias was already upon him with lightning surging powerfully around his fist. "Raijin Demon's Aquatic Hammer." Bringing his fist down, a powerful pillar of lightning and water exploded atop Gajeel, sending him flying backwards before he eventually landed. All movements of Gajeel's were slowed by the lightning surging through his iron scales.

"What the fuck!?" Gajeel grunted while taking a knee. It was a lot easier to deal with an opponent when they actually felt the pain of your attacks.

Yukino bolted off once again to try and take care of Keith, drawing a silver key from her hip. "Gate of the Swan, I open thee!"

"Luster Demon's Purge." Extending his palm out, a beam of demonic light soared towards Yukino, slamming into her front to push her into the wall.

"Agh…!" Yukino had to cross her arms, fighting against the beam of light that was piercing into her very core. Tobias was not letting up, walking close and close to increase the intensity of the beam, and if it continued she'd take critical damage. "I-It's too…strong…help…!" She was feeling her body succumbing to everlasting numbness.

"For fuck's sake…" Gajeel pushed himself up, pushing his arm forward as it morphed into an iron pole. This pole slammed into Tobias's side and forcefully knocked him away from Yukino.

"Ngh…" Yukino pretty much collapsed, landing on her hands and knees. "I can't…seem to reach him…" As long Tobias was around, reaching Keith was nothing but a fantasy.

"Tobias…bring this farce to an end." Keith commanded with a shake of his staff.

"As you wish." Tobias nodded while staring at the wounded, Gajeel and Luke. It didn't seem as though Yukino would be an issue anymore. "Inferno Demon's…."

Keith watched on in excitement. "Now I can build my army of corpse soldiers anew. Tobias, finish them off!" And then…A blade of darkness stabbed through Keith's body of Magic Barrier Particles. All froze for that instant as Keith narrowly mustered up the strength to look behind him.

Micaiah stood behind Keith, stabbing her blade of black light, Oblivion, composedly composed of curse power into the Demon Gate. Her appearance was unlike before; her hair black and her eyes red, nothing but malice emanating from her being. "Now perish in the depths of your own hell, demon scum." Twisting the blade, black light began to seep out from Keith before his body just exploded!

"M-Micaiah…?" Luke was not expecting her of all people to show up, but thank goodness she did! Now…Tobias was an open target and there was nothing to worry about…excluding the massive attack Tobias was still preparing.

"Inferno Demon's Abyssal Flame." Clenching his hand into a fist, the flames around his hand blazed viciously around his body and he then shot it forward. "This flame will incinerated everything caught within its blaze…you will all cease to exist!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it…" Gajeel's iron scales refreshed; his eyes grew a dark purple color and a black aura flared around his body as his hair spiked up. Gajeel activated his Iron Shadow Mode and inhaled. "Roar…of the Iron Shadow Dragon!" Exhaling, a widespread beam of iron and shadow shot out from Gajeel's mouth, clashing with the Abyssal Flame. The dual roar powered through the inferno and struck Tobias, sending him flying back towards the wall. Just like before, he planned on shrugging off the hit, although Gajeel wasn't letting it happen this time! His arm morphed into an iron blade with jagged edges, rotated like a chainsaw. "Iron Shadow Dragon's Sword!" Closing the gap between them in an instant, Gajeel slashed his blade diagonally across Tobias' chest, slicing deep into Tobias…so deep into the point where Tobias's body actually started to split open. "G-Gah…!?"

"Ah that's gross…" Luke groaned.

Tobias's body slowly began to fade away…now that Keith was gone and his soul departed to the afterlife, his body could leave too. A smile slowly graced Tobias's face as his form vanished. _"Thank you…"_

Soon, Tobias's body was completely gone. He had been set free. Gajeel exited his Iron Shadow mode, letting out a heavy sigh in the process. "Finally…."

"His soul and body have departed…perhaps now he can finally rest in peace…" Luke finally relaxed now that Tobias and Keith were defeated.

"Rest in peace? He was a demon of Tartarus…there is…no rest for the wicked, as they say. Tempesta now appeared…and that just made the situation even grimmer; especially since he decided to enter his Etherious Form. His patience must have run thin over the course of his revival.

"Another one? I'll gladly exterminate you too…" Micaiah took a step forward only to stop, eyes widening as a sudden pain took her chest…or more specifically, her heart. "…Shit…now…?!"

"Blow." Tempesta exhaled once…and a massive tornado swept everyone off their feet, destroying the nearby surroundings while scattering them.

"Agh…!" Yukino landed on her side, Micaiah landed on her back, Luke landed somewhere and Gajeel just barely managed to keep himself down.

"Can't we catch a break!?" Luke groaned. He was still unable to move, especially after a hit like that.

"If I had a little more magic left in me…" Gajeel struggled to pick himself up, stuck to a knee in the process. "I can't move…"

"Then that will just make this even easier." Tempesta showed no emotion in his moves; he could only remember his mission and intended to stick through it until the very end. So when he brought his arm forward, it was a sign that he was preparing to bring the calamity upon the four mages before him. However…just before that, a stint of déjà vu occurred. Lightning dropped down on Tempesta's arm, forcing him to retract it. Staring forward…the figure before him was an unexpected one.

Even in sickness…Laxus Dreyar would still stand tall to fight, and to protect his family. A yellow aura flared around the youngest Dreyar, a stern expression written all over his face. "You just don't know when to give up…do you? That's fine…I don't mind putting you in the dirt again. Your little tricks won't stop me from stomping you into oblivion."

Tempesta stared at Laxus…recalling everything in that moment. Or rather…just their fight earlier in the day. "…I remember nothing upon dying and being reborn. But you…I clearly remember our last encounter….and I will tell you this: we will not have the same result as last time."

.

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Next Time: The Storm.


	65. Chapter 65: The Storm

"Erzaaaaa…!" Happy cried out while approaching Erza and Minerva alongside Pantherlily. Everything seemed fine….minus the mushroom on his head. "There you are…! You're safe!"

"We were getting worried about you…" Pantherlily said with a sigh before giving a nod to Lector and Frosch.

"It's good to see you…" Erza smile and nodded to them before glancing at Happy. "Happy…I have to ask…what is that thing on your head?"

"Oh, that?" Happy pointed to the mushroom. "I have no idea…but it won't come off!"

"It's attached itself firmly onto his head…" Pantherlily nodded. "I tried to pull it off numerous times, but to no avail."

"Can we cook it?" Lector asked.

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch eyed the mushroom, mouthwatering at the sight of it.

"Don't eat it off my head…!" Happy pleaded.

Minerva narrowed her eyes at the mushroom. "Hold on a second. That's not a mushroom…" Crouching down, Minerva grabbed the mushroom before yanking it off Happy's head effortlessly, peeling off some fur in the process while both the mushroom and Happy groaned in pain. "I knew it. You're one of the Demon Gates, aren't you?"

"Ack…!" Franmalth was caught. "Y-Yes…But you see I was only hiding out because Hell's Core was destroyed and…!"

Minerva wasn't having any of it. She tightened her grip around Franmalth and held him towards Frosch, who was more than eager to take a bite out of him. "I don't want to hear it. Tell us where the Face countdown is this instant…and if you even think about straying us in the wrong direction to bide time, I will feed you to this cat, do you understand?!"

"Y-Yes!" Franmalth attempted to struggle within Minerva's grip. "P-Please don't eat me! I won't taste good!"

"Then TALK." Minerva's glare pierced into what little soul Franmalth had left.

"Y-Yes, of course…!" Franmalth was SHOOK.

"…I almost forgot how scary she was." Lector spoke with a slight sweat drop.

.

Sting and Rogue took off, one to the left, the other to the right in attempt to flank Marde. Thanks to their Drives, they were capable of high speed movement that would hopefully take the King of Hades off guard. Sting and Rogue threw a series of fast paced punches at the Demon King; however Marde swiftly managed to evade all of them with little effort. "Your strikes are amusingly sluggish…you don't hope to touch me with attacks like that, do you?"

"You sure talk a lot!" Sting reared his arm back, light shrouding his fist. "I can't wait to shut you up!" Swinging his fist forward, he aimed to punch Marde in the face, but such a blow was easily foreseen and stopped by Marde's open palm. Sting was unfazed. Instead he just wore a confident smirk on his lips. "Now!"

Rogue emerged from the shadows behind Marde, darkness trailing behind his fingertips. "Shadow Dragon's Slash!" Rogue swung his hand at Marde, however the demon king easily evaded the attack by ducking under it without even turning to acknowledge Rogue. "How did he…!?" Marde then turned only slightly, his leg slamming into Rogue's side to send him into Sting, the Twin Dragons tumbling along the ground shortly after that.

"How pathetic." Marde shook his head. "What a sloppy showcase…" With two movement of his fingers, several large vines were sent forward to finish off Sting and Rogue before a counter attack could be mustered.

"Roundtrip!" Cygnus flung Rebellion towards Marde, the blade spiraling around towards the demon king at high speeds. The blade sliced through the incoming vines with such ease…however Marde shifted his body to the side so the dirty blade wouldn't even come close to touching him with its filth.

"A roundabout trip…? I can easily see through such a maneuver…" Marde stepped to the side as Rebellion circled around once more…only Cygnus grabbed the blade to thrust it forward for his Stinger technique. The gravity god was much closer than Marde would've preferred. Even though Marde managed to evade, the blade just barely grazed his side. "…"

"Got you." Extending his free hand out, Cygnus released a gigantic wave of gravity that pushed Marde backwards. To Cygnus' surprise, Marde managed to block such a heavy attack by using his arm. The sleeve was torn but otherwise Marde seemed fine. "…Okay, this is getting a little ridiculous."

"You're telling us, Cygnus-san…" Sting rotated his shoulder with a frown. "Nothing we've done so far fazes him…but I'm about to change that!" Sting took off once again, this time leaping into the air with white dragon slaying brilliantly around his arm. "White Dragon's Holy Nova!" Sting pushed his arm down, releasing a large beam of light that raced towards Marde. Once making contact, a widespread dome of light encased the area. Sting landed on the ground, narrowing his eyes at the result. There was destruction, but…

"Pathetic." Marde had taken to the air, much higher than Sting in fact. Lifting his hand up, more vines arose from the ground, racing towards the trio at rapid speeds with full intent to bind or impale them.

"No way…!" Sting grit his teeth while leaping backwards to avoid the vines. "This guy just won't sit still!"

"Then I'll make him!" Cygnus increased the field of gravity around Marde tenfold, causing Marde to plummet back down to the ground. To Cygnus's annoyance, Marde's knees refused to bend.

"A demon bows to no god." Marde responded to Cygnus's annoyance with a swipe of his hand. A powerful wave of raw curse power swept Cygnus, Sting, and Rogue up, pushing them off their feet and quite a ways away from the Demon King…all while he still held that book in his hand.

"Is nothing truly effective on him…?" Rogue questioned with a grunt while standing back up. "Furthermore…I don't think he's taking this very seriously at all. He's still holding onto that book."

"I'm not about to take a loss to someone who refuses to even use both hands…!" Cygnus growled.

Marde merely smiled at the humans in their plight. "Do you understand the futility of your situation now…? There is naught you can do against my power."

"Room for one more?!" Natsu shouted from the broken ceiling above. He stared down at Marde, immediately noticing the book in his hands. Igneel wanted that book badly…and with what Natsu knew, nothing could come from it, could it? Either way, it was still Igneel's request that Natsu still had to fulfill! So with that in mind, Natsu took a high leap into the air with flames flaring around his fist, and descended towards Marde. "I'M ALL FIRE UPPPPPP!"

"Out of my sight." Marde lifted his hand up, creating several large vines that shot up towards Natsu. To Marde's surprise, Natsu deftly evaded and even ran along the vines to shorten his trip to Marde, aiming a strong punch at Marde's face. Marde erected a barrier just in time to defend against Natsu's attack and pushed him back slightly. "How did he…"

Sliding back, Natsu regained his footing and looked back to the trio behind him. "Looks like you guys have been having a bit of trouble. Don't worry; I'll take care of this now."

"Oh HELL no." Cygnus objected to the very notion immediately. "There's no way I'm dropping this fight just because you arrived! He's mine!"

"Igneel asked me to get that book back on the Isle! So this is my job to do!" Natsu shot back.

"Natsu-san…Cygnus-san…" Sting patted the both of them on the back with a grin. "I see how it is…let's do it like this: whoever beats him first gets the reward and the glory. It'll be a race between the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth, Fairy Tail, and White Eclipse!"

Cygnus had to take a moment to think it over. "…You know, I know you're playing me right now, but I accept."

"THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL I'M GONNA LOSE!" Natsu roared out with flames comically erupting from his mouth.

Meanwhile, there was Rogue who let out an exasperated sigh. "I can't believe such a simple trick worked on them both."

Now that that was out of the way…Natsu turned back to Marde with Cygnus, Sting, and Rogue behind him. "You better bring your A-Games! Because I'm not holding anything back."

Marde sighed quietly, shaking his head very disappointedly. "It seems you just do not know when to quit. Very well…this will just be another few bodies added onto the ever growing pile."

.

Arms crossed, the coat still firmly hanging from his shoulders…Laxus Dreyar stood tall against Tempesta; the Calamity Demon. Everyone was surprised to see Laxus moving after his stated condition earlier in the day, but the stubborn lightning dragon refused to be removed from the action just because of something he deemed 'a little head cold'. "…"

"Laxus!? You ain't supposed to be moving!" Gajeel exclaimed.

"What? You think I'm hurt?" Laxus scoffed at the notion. This was perhaps the biggest bluff he had ever made, but he'd be damned if he wasn't going through with it already.

"I think the bigger surprise here…" Luke began. "Is the fact that a demon who willingly dies and forgets everything can remember somebody that kicked his ass…that's one hell of an impression for sure."

"Laxus-sama…do you really think you can do this in your condition…?" Yukino was just as worried as everyone else. It didn't seem like Laxus was in fit shape…but here he was anyway.

"I'd be more worried about him than me," Laxus responded with lightning crackling around his body.

"Foolish human…you will die to the Calamity." A twister formed underneath Tempesta's body, increasing his speed tenfold as he rushed towards Laxus. To his surprise…just before he could even reach Laxus, a lightning infused fist struck his forehead. The impact was so sudden it was as if time stopped before continuing and Tempesta tumbled violently along the ground before coming to a halt.

"No way…!" Luke's eyes widened. "Even in that state…!?"

"I told ya…a little cough…" As Laxus coughed, "…Won't stop me from kicking someone's cough."

Tempesta fully recovered from the impact, now inhaling violently. "Burn!" Exhaling, a twister of flame released from the Etherious' mouth and consumed Laxus. The impact had to have been strong, but Laxus stood within the eye of the storm of flames, not budging an inch despite the risks.

"You think these lukewarm flames really do any damage? These are embers compared to Natsu's flames!" Lightning exploded from around Laxus body to completely disperse the flames. He then forced himself into his Lightning Body to speed forward, drawing his fist backwards. "Take this!" The gap between himself and Tempesta closed within seconds and Laxus slammed his fist into the demon's chest; the momentum on his side made it easy to blow Tempesta backwards. Laxus was satisfied with the impact….however he immediately cringed noticeably in pain, a large bruise on his chest. "Agh...what the…?"

"He got hit…?" Micaiah groaned while sitting up. "But I didn't see anything…"

"We must've exchanged punches…you slimy bastard…" Laxus forced a smirk to appear on his lips. "But it'll take more than that to put me down."

"You call that an impact? That was nothing more than child's play…" Tempesta responded. Without a doubt, this had to be the biggest bluffing battle of the day thus far…which didn't exactly instill much confidence.

"Let's see how long that lasts!" Laxus took off once again, raising his hands over his head as lightning surged powerfully around his conjoined fingers. "Lightning Dragon's Jaw!" Laxus swung his electrical hammer fist down at the Calamity Demon, but the same trick was not going to work twice.

Tempesta avoided the Lightning Dragon's Jaw this time, presumably because of Laxus's lowered speed due to his sickness. Regardless, that did not stop Tempesta from placing a hand on Laxus's chest while he was close. "Impact." An earth shattering BOOM echoed throughout the area. Whatever it was Tempesta did, it was highly effective as Laxus was thrown backwards and boy that hit did not look pretty!

"Laxus…!" Gajeel wanted to move, but Tobias had one a larger number on him than he thought.

Laxus landed on a knee, one eye shut as he panted heavily. Even he was reeling from such an attack. "That it…?" Laxus grunted while standing back up with obvious signs of trouble. Lightning crackled around his body once more, this time focusing into a slowly growing orb resting just above his head. "Let's see how you handle this one. Raging Bolt!" Once the orb reached Laxus's desired size – which was huge mind you – he sent it hurtling towards Tempesta. There was no time for the demon to dodge and a large explosion occurred on the spot, sparkles literally flying everywhere! A thick cloud of smoke formed around Tempesta, completely shrouding him from view. "Heh…"

"D-Did he get him…?" Yukino asked while looking at the others, but there was nothing but uncertainty hanging heavily in the air.

As the smoke slowly cleared…..Tempesta was still standing; damaged, but standing. Laxus's eyes widened at the stubbornness of this demon; just before he took it down easily but now…! "You've gotta be fuckin' kidding me…!"

Tempesta wasted no words and instead allowed the tornado to wrap around his lower body. Taking advantage of Laxus's newfound sluggishness, he slammed a tornado infused fist into Laxus's face. The impact made Laxus gasp for air and he fell over onto his back with such force the ground was imprinted with his stature. "You've fought well in your condition, human…but this is the end of the line for you." With the tornado still around his fist, he violently slammed it into Laxus's chest once again, the spiraling force never-ending as massive damage was continuously dealt to Laxus, who finally let out a cry of pain in the process.

"Oh fuck…!" Luke tried to stand up but his wounds didn't allow that for a second and he fell right over. "Damn it…!"

"W-What do we do!?" Yukino was panicking. She couldn't muster up the strength to do anything and could only watch this horrifying scene.

"Move damn it…" Gajeel mumbled to himself as he slowly managed to stand…but by then it was already too late. Laxus stopped moving. "…!"

"Oh no…" Yukino brought her hands to her mouth, a cold sweat forming on her forehead.

The twister on Tempesta's arm faded as he stared at Laxus. "As I said…the result will be different this time. A human can never truly hope to stand up to a demon." Tempesta began to move his arm back…or rather, he tried to, but he found that Laxus had a hand firmly around his wrist. "…!?"

"That's what your first mistake was…" Laxus had a grin stretching his lips as lightning furiously flared around his free hand. "Thinking I'd just lay down and die like that! Iron Fist…of the Lightning Dragon!" Tempesta had nowhere to run and was forced to completely eat Laxus's rising uppercut! It was so fierce Tempesta coughed up blood that landed on Laxus's infamous coat. The Calamity was forced backwards and landed on his back with his jaw agape, not moving an inch.

"Holy shit…did he do it!?" Luke's eyes widened at the scene that played before him.

Gajeel slowly made his way towards Laxus, supporting him up. "You're one crazy bastard, you know that….?"

"My heart can't handle this much stress…literally…" Micaiah groaned before standing back up. She still had her alternate appearance from when she arrived.

"…A valiant effort indeed…" Tempesta was STILL raring to go!? Even after such a heavy blow, he was still standing! "But it will take much more effort than that to kill me…did my words from before go in one ear and out the other? You will not kill me so easily?"

"Take this to the old lady." Laxus pushed his coat to Gajeel and the iron dragon away simultaneously. "I'm getting sick of your attitude…but it's time to put an end to this." Laxus eyed the few pools of water around, presumably from Tobias's attacks earlier….and Tempesta was unknowingly standing within the largest pool of all. "Get a load of this one then…Lightning Dragon's…Roar!" Angling his head down to the ground, Laxus released a roar of lightning that scattered into three separate bolts of lightning that raced towards the Calamity.

"…!" Tempesta noticed his folly a second too late. The three bolts of lightning all converged on their mark for a powerful static explosion. This was definitely enough to finish Tempesta off for good as he slowly fell backwards with white eyes.

"Finally…good night…" Laxus could not push his body any further than he already had. So with that last roar, he finally collapsed and fell unconscious.

"Now…is it over…?" Luke asked.

"Yes…it is over…" Tempesta's voice echoed throughout the area as his body started to bulge. "With Hell's Core destroyed, this will be the end of my life…but I will not be going out alone. Join me, all of you…accept the sweet embrace of death, and come to Hell with me!" Tempesta's body exploded in a black mist…a mist of Magic Barrier Particles that slowly descended onto the group.

"Oh shit…!" Gajeel immediately covered his mouth. "Don't breathe any of that stuff in!"

"Believe me, I won't…!" Luke covered his mouth. Yukino and Micaiah covered their own mouths as well…but that wasn't going to save them in the long run.

"This isn't going to do anything…" Micaiah stated bluntly.

"What do we do…? We don't have anything to stop this…" Yukino looked at the others worriedly. They were all just as distraught as she was.

"Shit…!" Gajeel shut his eyes, feeling utterly hopeless in this situation. All did truly seem lost until a gust of frost completely blew through the area, freezing the Magic Barrier Particles and the entire area in a purple layer of ice. "…?" The Magic Barrier Particles were nothing but glitters of snow.

"…" Gray walked through the area slowly, wearing nothing but a stern expression on his face. "Is everything okay?"

"…" Micaiah narrowed her eyes at Gray, feeling the need to give an agonizing stare for several reasons.

"I never thought I'd be glad to see you…" Luke let out a heavy sigh, FINALLY relaxing after the stressful turn of events.

"Somebody help me carry him…" Gajeel nudged to the unconscious Laxus.

"Not me…" Micaiah shook her head to walk off. "There are still demons afoot…and I will not rest until I've exterminated them all."

"What's up with her…?" Yukino looked at the others…but even Gray started to walk off. "Where are you…?"

"There's something I need to find." Gray responded with his back turned. Ever the huge help as always.

.

Arcturus' lips curved up into a malicious grin. Even with the bandages around his eyes he could always detect the scent of Takeru. "So…you've finally decided to show yourself to me again, Takeru. What took you so long…you weren't frightened were you?"

"Frightened by you?" Takeru spat at such an accusation. "Are you trying to make me laugh? This time we're going to settle the score that started here in this very room a while ago…"

"Oh?" Arc tilted his head curiously. "You weren't able to defeat me back then either. What makes you think you will be able to do so now under such circumstances?"

"Simple…" Takeru's body flared an obsidian aura, black scales forming along his face and arms to signify the activation of Dragon Force. "This is where we put an end to it all!" With incredible speed Takeru rushed forward and brought his claw down across Arcturus's chest. "Shadow Dragon's Slash!" Arc did block the strike, but he was sent skidding backwards several yards.

"….Oh?" Arcturus licked his lips. He definitely felt that hit and it made him grin widely. "Perhaps this won't be a gigantic waste of my time after all. Very well, Takeru…come at me with everything you've got. Otherwise this won't be a very entertaining fight."

.

Against his will, Franmalth led Erza's group to the Face Countdown room. The timer was there for them to see: 30 minutes remaining. That seemed like enough time…but what where they going to do from there? "Hmm…perhaps we can shut Face down from here…?" Erza suggested.

"You were surprisingly cooperative, thank you." Minerva gave Franmalth a sickeningly sweet smile that only made him even more frightened than before!

 _"_ _I hope something happens soon! They're dangerously close to deactivating Face…!"_ Franmalth's thoughts were racing. He led the enemy to the key room; even if it was against his will it was something he had done that could potentially bring about the end of their plans!

"I suggest we blow everything up." Minerva gathered her magic around her hands…but before she could even take that plan a step further, a vector slammed into her stomach violently, knocking the wind out of her; immediately after impact, several vectors wrapped around her arms and legs, pulling her into the ground.

"I suggest you sit tightly and watch as all hope slowly fades away…" Tayakata tapped her foot with a condescending grin on her lips. "My…it seems that none of our newest recruits can keep their heads on straight. I think we should order in for some replacements…"

"Tayakata…" Erza wasted no time in requipping one of her sharpest blades, lunging at Tayakata without even thinking. If she did take a second longer to notice her surroundings, she would've noticed the whip of lava that came at her from the sidelines. The lava struck her hands, the intense burning sensation causing her to yelp and drop the sword. The lava then wrapped around her wrists, tying them together while slamming her face first into the floor.

"How reckless…" Maggie chortled quietly. "Look what I've caught! This must be the rare Titania in her defenseless form. It's not often you find one of these just lying around. Kyouka really let you go, didn't she? For shame…"

"…" Erza glared up at Maggie while a blade quickly manifested from her foot! Pushing her lower body off the ground, she aimed to slash Maggie with the blade's hilt secured firmly within her foot! Unfortunately for her…Tayakata's vectors stopped her slash just before they hit the mark and forced Erza onto the ground. "Agh…!"

"Yes!" Franmalth shouted from the sidelines like the useless mushroom he was. "I didn't think Maggie-sama and Tayakata-sama would be here! What a stroke of luck…! No, this is exactly how it was planned! Haha, Franmalth you are truly a genius! Now I shall watch…the sin of crossing these two dangerous demons costs how much…? How much!?"

"Erza…Minerva!" Oh man…if the Exceeds wanted to do anything now would be the time. But at the same time, the casual aura emanating from Maggie and Taya was so overbearing they couldn't muster the will to even take a step forward.

"Just stay right there, won't you?" Maggie offered a smile to the frightened creatures. "The last thing I'd want to do is burn an adorable lil cat all because they wanted to risk their life for this cherry blossom." Maggie's sadistic grin widened as her arms started to shine brighter, the temperature vastly increasing. Erza was definitely feeling the burning sensation and it felt as though she would melt right there! But she refused to let out any cry of pain, much to Maggie's dissatisfaction. "Oh, trying to act all tough now are we? Where was that attitude in the torture chamber? Are you saying I'm not causing enough pain!? That can be arranged." With her free arm, she whipped Erza across the back with pure lava…yeah, that left one hell of a mark and Erza screamed from that. "That's better."

"No…" Pantherlily took a step forward, but the look Taya gave him made him freeze.

"I wouldn't." Taya stated while returning to look at her nails. One had no idea how much Pantherlily wanted to step in right now…

"How about another one? Taya, I'll let you have it." The lava demon smirked before glancing at Taya.

"Very well…I suppose I'll crack her open…or was it; 'take a crack at her'? I honestly can't remember." A blade of darkness formed in Taya's hand and she lifted the obsidian blade, staring down at Erza. "It was a valiant effort, at least."

BANG.

A bullet soared through the air, striking Taya through her shoulder! "…!?" With a hiss of pain Taya recoiled, dropped the blade and dispersed whatever vectors were present.

Maggie didn't even have any time to react to Taya, because not even a second passed before a bullet struck her in the chest. Her Lava Embodiment couldn't protect her against such bullet so she recoiled and staggered backwards with an annoyed expression. "Bloody hell!?"

"Pew…" Reve's lips blew on the barrel of the gun after both bullets hit their mark. Taking several steps forward, he stood next to Erza as she slowly stood up, glaring directly at Taya. "Finally found you."

"Reve Volver…so, you've finally decided to join the party, have you?" Taya rolled her shoulder with a coy smile.

"Reve…" Erza shook her head, allowing a glow to wrap around her body as she entered her Lightning Empress Armor, now glaring at Maggie.

"I don't care what you do." Reve said while pointing his pistol directly at Taya, aiming for the spot right between her eyes. "Don't touch Taya. She's mine."

"Likewise." Taya said with a shrug to Maggie. "There's a cowboy I must exterminate. So if you'd be so kind to eliminate the red headed step child, that would be lovely, Maggie."

Maggie and Erza…Taya and Reve…a climactic battle was about to take place with only 25 minutes before Face went off!

.

.

Next Time: The Final Push!


	66. Chapter 66: The Final Push

"LET'S GOOOOOOOO!" Natsu roared before leading the charge, sprinting towards Marde at full speed with flames blazing wildly around his fist.

"You won't get the chance. Thorns." Marde flicked his fingers in one simple movement, conjuring sudden thorns that emerged from awkward angles to pin and skewer Natsu like a pin cushion…but to Marde's surprise, Natsu evaded the move before it could even reach him! "What…how did he evade a move he hasn't seen before…?! Unless…" Marde had one thought…but it would never finished as Natsu scored the first true direct hit against Marde in the form of a punch to the cheek at sent him flying into a large rock.

"Got him!" Natsu said with a wide grin.

"Oh that's not even fair!" Cygnus complained. "How are you JUST gonna get here and land a hit on him like that!?"

"Get better!" Natsu replied. While his remark got under Cygnus's skin, there were far more pressing matters to attend to: like Marde who emerged from the rubble relatively unfazed from Natsu's hit. There was just a burn mark on his cheek.

"You will have to do a much better job than that if you truly wish to TRY and subdue the likes of me." Marde scoffed.

To Marde's constant remarks, Cygnus titled his head in slight confusion. "You really like talking about yourself don't you? I think you'd beat Reve in an egotistical contest, and that's no small feat…but onto more important matters!" Taking the lead now, Cygnus pushed his hand forward as a golden aura exploded around his body: God Trigger! From his palms, golden waves of gravity shot out and exploded around Marde, significantly increasing the gravity in the area once more. "Looks like you're nothing but a paper weight now!"

Rogue quickly and silently moved around in the shadows to close the gap between himself and Marde. He wasn't going to emerge predictably like last time; instead he rose just in front of the demon king, unaffected by the gravity due to his intangible state. "Shadow Dragon's Eruption!" Right in front of Marde, an eruption of shadows occurred. Had it not been for the increase in gravity, Marde would've been thrown off his feet, but nope!

Immediately after Rogue's eruption, the shadow dragon retreated to make room for Sting, who was coming in full throttle with all of his momentum packed into his shining leg. "White Dragon's Drill Kick!" In one fluid motion, Sting swung his leg at Marde's chest. The hit landed true and the force was so great Marde flew backwards through several pillars of rubble before finally coming to a stop on the ground! "There we go! Now we're getting somewhere!"

"Oh, I'm not even closed to being finished yet!" Cygnus took to the air, placing his fist into his palm sideways. This prompted a black and white magic seal to form above Marde, leaking with Eclipse magic. "Time for the big guns; Eclipse Hammer!" From the seal, a hammer composed of Eclipse magic dropped down on Marde, resulting in a glorious explosion that shook the entire castle! Or…well, what was left of it anyway. "Now that's what I'm talking about."

Silence filled the air for a moment before Marde emerged from the smoke. He didn't seem fazed by the previous string of attacks and proceeded to sit on his throne, crossing one leg over the other. "…Your efforts thus far have been nothing but pathetic…" The fact Marde took all of that and could talk so casually posed a problem for the four mages. "And yet…it stirred an emotion whirring up inside of me since your efforts in my castle began….an emotion I had long forgotten and believed I had no need for: anger. That's right…you humans…you've all made me **_very angry_** _."_ Marde grinned once again…but there was no happiness behind that smile. It was an angry, twisted smile that conveyed every single hateful emotion the Demon King was withholding all day.

To that…Natsu just gave a shit eating grin. "Anger, huh? Looks like you're just as human as the rest of us…which means that you can also be beaten."

Oooooh…that was the button he probably shouldn't have pressed. Marde's smile grew for a second before a sigh passed his lips. "I didn't want to have to do this…Master END, please forgive me for this unsightly show you're about to witness." That was when Marde finally placed the book of END down on the nearest piece of rubble…now freeing up both hands.

"Looks like he's finally getting serious now." Rogue mumbled.

"Yes…I believe it's time to properly erase you from existence." Marde's twisted smile appeared once again. Without even moving a muscle, several monstrous roses appeared around the group of four; the bulbs opened up and released gigantic beams of curse power that converged with all four mages in the center, resulting in a large dome-like explosion. Sitting comfortably in the throne was Marde, who couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the destruction he caused. This was his way of relieving the stress that had slowly been accumulating throughout the entire day…and damn was he enjoying it.

.

Erza took off towards Maggie, lightning charging around the tip of her electrical lance. In her other hand, she had prepared a blade composed purely of water to counteract Maggie's Lava embodiment. The first swing came from the blade of water; a simple slash released several powerful crescents of water that raced towards the lava demoness. "Take this!"

"A little water won't get the best of me and you know it!" Maggie countered Erza crescents of water by creating a curtain of lava before her. The water meeting with the lava resulted in nothing but steam and the lava hardening from the volume of water used. That was nothing for Maggie, but Erza's follow up was unseen due to the curtain of lava.

"Elthunder!" Stabbing the tip of her lance into the solidified wall of magma, a blast of light erupted from the tip to shatter everything. Maggie was thrown backwards but she didn't falter much in the face of damage.

Maggie recovered quickly, a small vortex of lava swirling around her hand which she drove into the ground. "Melt!" The floor underneath Erza started to pool and melt due to a sudden rise in temperature. An eruption of molten lava exploded on Erza before she had the chance to truly react; the only thing Titania could do was requip into her Flame Empress Armor to reduce the damage dealt, but damn did lava hurt.

Faltering just slightly, Erza regained her footing before pointing her lighting lance forward, a magic seal forming just in front of the tip. "Lightning Cyclotron!" With the addition of her aquatic blade, three bolts of lightning shot forward towards Maggie to inflict massive damage with the water/electric combo.

Maggie leaned backwards, gathering an abundance of curse within her mouth. "Ashfall…" Exhaling, a ball of heat and ash was sent towards the incoming combination of Lightning Cyclotron. The two attacks exploded upon meeting each other instantly; the ash covered Erza's sight and made it impossible to track Maggie. Using the ash as cover, Maggie swiftly moved forward and brought her fist to Erza's cheek; impact was something else because Erza was almost lifted off the ground from such force!

"Agh…" Erza grunted before opting to change her tactics. She knew she couldn't physically touch Maggie lest she wanted to burn herself to death; that would change with one armor in particular however: The Giant's Armor. That in mind, Erza donned this armor and dropped both her aquatic blade and lightning lance before retaliating against Maggie with a punch of her own. The blow was sufficient enough to send Maggie staggering backwards, turning her head to spit out some blood. This caused Erza to grin slightly. "Is that painful enough for you?"

Meanwhile, not too far off, Reve and Taya were really going at it! Reve fired continuous shots from his pistols to strike Taya's vitals; this man was really going for the kill. Unfortunately for him, Taya's vectors made his shots a little inaccurate as they shielded her from any life-threatening damage. Rolling to the side, the gunslinger dropped two pistols in the process to exchange them for sawn off shot guns. Once coming to a halt he pointed them forward to release two condensed bullets that spread out into a wide wave. "Spread Shot!"

"Oh ho, this is going like our very first fight, isn't it?" Taya hummed while bringing up a wall of vectors to shield herself from spray of bullets. She underestimated Reve's power just slightly as a few of her vectors were broken through and the bullets ran along her sides, drawing a large amount of blood. Taya hissed quietly in pain before sending a vector into the ground, where it raced quickly before rising up to punch Reve in the chest. "And you remember how that went, didn't it?"

The one weakness of Reve's Precision Eyes were now being exposed: while he had excellent eyesight and could keep up with movements of even the fastest individuals, he could not actually see through objects. Therefore he was unaware of the vector travelling through the ground until it actually hit him with such force he grunted in pain and was thrown backwards until he narrowly managed to catch himself. Before he could even recover, Taya was on him with her blade of darkness, aiming for Reve's neck with no hesitation! Reve had to sway his body in time with Taya's swings to avoid being beheaded! "Tch!"

"What's the matter? I hope you're not on the ropes already!" Taya teased while making sure to keep the pressure on Reve. Of course Reve couldn't stand such a taste of his own medicine and elected to shut Taya up by pressing his boot to her stomach, forcefully kicking her away while knocking the wind out of her. Reve wasn't getting away with such a tactic for free as Taya hurled her sword the moment she was kicked away, striking Reve's side for some heavy damage. "Agh.."

"Grr…" The sword in Reve's side dispersed but with nothing to plug the wound it would soon become a very serious injury. Like that was going to stop Reve here and now, though.

"Running out of steam already?" Taya held her hands apart, generating the energy to create a pitch black sphere crackling with black sparks of lightning. "Let's see how you handle this one then…" Pushing her hands forward, the sphere rocketed towards Reve.

The Gunslinger was more than ready. Pointing one shotgun forward, he clicked the trigger to release a condensed bullet that clashed with the obsidian sphere. The result was an onyx explosion that created a thick cloud of smoke between Reve and Taya; this was the time from Reve to shift from his Precision Eyes to his Thermal Eyes; optics now turning a red hue, this allowed him to detect Taya's heat signature even as her form was masked by the smoke. Reve aimed another bullet, this one at Taya's leg. Oh, the joy he felt when it hit, because he could see Taya cringe in pain even if she didn't make a noise in the process. "Heh…" It was around then that the smoke cleared and Erza slid back to Reve's side. Both sides were running each other ragged, but neither of them were willing to give in so easily.

"How's the Lady!?" Lector asked while rushing over to Minerva.

"She's fine…just unconscious…" Pantherlily reported before turning his gaze to the fight. With only 25 minutes left on the clock…things were starting to get down to the wire…

.

Mest finally arrived back at Tartarus with Carla, Wendy, and Cynthia. With that out of the way he could finally take a rest. "There…we made it…"

"Oh…?" Lucy turned along with a few others. "Wendy, you're back and…"

"WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR HAIR!?" The questions came from several Fairy Tail mages, all of them pointing accusingly at Wendy's shorter hair.

"What…?" Wendy tilted her head.

"…I don't see a problem with it…" Cynthia sheepishly poked her fingers together, a red hue forming along her cheeks. It was odd that she of all people was embarrassed, but now that she finally made her comment, everyone noticed her.

"CYNTHIA!?"

While everyone was surprised…there was some obvious signs of hesitation from Cynthia's attitude prior. She glanced at Wendy and Carla, who just gave nods for her to ahead. "Y-Yeah…it's me…I got the stupid knocked out of me by Wendy, thankfully."

"Glad to have you back!" Lucy beamed while clapping her hands together. "Although…it looks like we're still in the middle of something…" She was referring to the number of Lamys still parading around the battlefield like it was a playground.

"She's still around?" Cynthia smacked a hand to her face, dragging it down over dramatically. "I should've expected that someone as annoying as her would still be kicking…but why are there so many!? Levy told me that rabbits multiplied like that…not sheep. But more importantly, Wendy came up with the best idea!"

"What's that?" Lucy asked.

"They had me carry them around to the guilds housing Saints that haven't appeared to battle yet. White Eclipse, Radioactive Decay, Aurora Pistola…" Mest just sounded flat out exhausted. "Carrying all three of them is no easy feat…"

"I asked the Wizard Saints to see what they could do about Face!" Wendy explained. "Blue Pegasus is already on their way as we speak!"

"Nice goin' Wendy!" Cana said while ruffling Wendy's short hair. "Broke a Face unit, got our Cynthia back, AND you came up with this plan? You're growin' up faster than I'd like! Well, in most areas." That last part was an obvious tease, but that particular topic always still got to Wendy.

"We wouldn't be here if Cynthia didn't open her eyes." Carla nodded.

"Ahaha…let's not focus on me right now. The day isn't over yet…" Cynthia said with a sheepish smile.

.

"Darkness Demon's Claw!" Arc swung his claw in an arc, clashing across Takeru's chest with a heavy trail of darkness following behind his fingertips. This was a direct hit and Takeru was sent staggering backwards and Arc continued to attack. His prey was in his sights and he wasn't letting it go. "Darkness Demon's…"

Takeru rebounded quickly and extended his hand out. "Shadow Dragon's Rough Silk!" From his fingertips, thin beams of shadows rushing out to pierce through the already approaching Arcturus. Arcturus was unable to avoid all of the beams coming his way, so a few of them did pierce through his body to draw blood, but the demon seemed unfazed for the most part and continued to rush Takeru down, slamming his darkness coated fist into Takeru's fist to drive him into the ground. "Gah!"

"That was a good hit…" Arcturus grinned while licking his lips. It hurt, but he was used to the pain if anything. "But you'll have to do much better than that…I wonder how you will with no magic though." Here it was once again…Arcturus was slowly undoing the bandages around his eyes. Once he did, Empty Eye activated once again. That all too familiar pulse that erased magic within a wide area…only it wasn't limited to just them. "Every human in this castle that uses magic will not be doing so until I fall."

"What!?" Takeru's eyes widened at this news. His magic was immediately nullified…and if what Arc was saying was true, then…

.

"Damn…" As the smoke cleared around Natsu, Cygnus, Sting, and Rogue, they were all shown to be noticeably damaged by Marde's attack. Natsu tried to summon flames…but his magic was completely shut down along with the others. "Huh!? What happened to my magic?! I had it just a second ago!"

"Ho…." Marde's sinister chuckle caught their attention. "It seems Arcturus has had enough of your games…as have I. Now suffer as you are truly powerless to stand against me." With a snap of his fingers, the bulbs around the four began to gather curse power once again.

With nowhere to go…the situation started to look increasingly grim. "Crap…!" Sting shouted in worry.

.

Click click. ….Reve's guns weren't letting out any bullets. "Shit. Don't tell me he's still here too…"

Erza was gaining no response from her massive armory either. None of their magic was responding at the worst possible moment! "Wait…what happened?!"

"Looks like Arc has finally found his prey…and he's made our job that much easier." Taya grinned as a vector emerged from her back, reaching out to grab and restrain Reve. "I must say…it's a bit of an anticlimactic ending to our bout…but I did tell you, Reve. This would be the last time we ever meet."

"Reve…!" Erza went to assist Reve in whatever way she could, but a punch from Maggie melted and blew apart her Giant's Armor before she even knew what hit her. Erza was sent tumbling along the ground before coming to a halt; skin marred with third degree bruns from Maggie's attacks. "Ugh…"

"Don't you dare take your eyes of me, love. I'm your opponent, after all." Maggie tapped her foot impatiently. "Play with fire, get burned. Didn't you know that?"

"What do we do…..?" Frosch looked at the other Exceeds with tears welling up in his eyes. Unfortunately for them, there wasn't much they could do in this situation…

.

"What will you do, Takeru Tenebrae?" Arc questioned with his eyes glaring directly into Takeru's very soul. "With no magic…once again, you are powerless before me, don't you realize that? What limits can you surpass now?"

"You…" Takeru's Dragon Force was canceled once Empty Eye activated. But that didn't mean Takeru had nothing up his sleeve. "There's always one more resort…in order to defeat you, I'll draw out that power you yourself gave me." It wasn't much…but it was the only thing he had left: Darkness Demon mode! Wings sprouted from Takeru's back as his body was coated in a heavy aura of darkness. It wasn't magic, but curse power granted to him by Arcturus a long time ago.

"Oh? And here I thought you hated me." Arcturus chuckled.

"You're going to help me get stronger." Takeru replied before lunging forward. Once close to Arc, the two just began a slug fest of darkness! Their fists missed, hit one another, or collided, creating powerful shockwaves that erased everything in the vicinity. Takeru landed a powerful blow to Arc's face, while Arc landed one to Takeru's chest. This exchanged continued for a few seconds until Takeru was finally blown away by a kick to his chest. "Oof!"

"Darkness Demon's Rage!" Parting his lips, the demon released a torrent of pitch black darkness in Takeru's direction, aiming to consume the Eclipse mage before he could mount a proper counter attack.

Takeru managed to recover just in the nick of time, darkness shrouding his "Darkness Shadow Dragon's Slash!" Swinging his arm forward, his own darkness sliced through Arc's before any major damage could be done. The shadow dragon then sped forward while rearing his arm back once again. "Darkness Demon's Claw!" Clenching his hand into a tight fist, a heavy aura of darkness flared around it and he swung it at Arc, who managed to block it with an arm. A shockwave boomed out from impact.

"Not good enough!" Arcturus chuckled. "You'll never beat me with that half-assed strength and you know it."

"I wasn't aiming for you." Takeru replied with a growing smirk.

"What…"

"I was aiming…for this!" Takeru took his free hand to form a blade of darkness, which he then plunged directly into Arc's Empty Eye! Arc had to recoil to place one hand over his eye in noticeable pain. "To get rid of that damn eye of yours for a little bit…because now…!" As Arcturus recoiled, the effects of Empty Eye were nullified, meaning that magic was now restored! Shadows exploded around Takeru's body as he also forced himself into Dragon Force once again. "I can win."

"You…" Arcturus let out a feral growl while staring at Takeru with his good eye.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art…Eternal Eclipse!" An overly large magic circle firmed above Arcturus, covering a wide area of the land. From the circle, the White Eclipse insignia emerged, pulsing with a white light, which soon fired off a massive beam of shadow dragon slaying and darkness demon magic! In the midst of the attack, it morphed into a dragon's head for more damage as it crashed down onto Arcturus with a mighty roar. The ground trembled violently in the process as the roar seemed to grow louder with every passing second. Eventually, the attack settled down…and Arcturus was finally down. "I…got you…" Satisfied with himself, Takeru's body returned to normal and he landed on his back, passing out from magic usage and damage.

.

Just before the bulbs released another round of beams that would for sure finish them off…Cygnus felt his magic return at the last second with the reactivation of his God Trigger. "Oh…!?" Not wasting any time, he flung Rebellion outwards, watching as the blade circled around to cut the bulbs down by the root! Slicing all of them down, he turned his attention to Marde with a wide grin as he inhaled. "Gravity God's…BELLOW!" Exhaling, Cygnus released a large, golden wave of gravity that rushed towards Marde at incredibly fast speeds.

"Hmph…" Marde shook his head before leaping off of his throne to avoid the bellow, but that's where Sting and Rogue were waiting for him from below!

Sting on one side, Rogue on the other, the Twin Dragons held their arms behind them with their palms open. Sting gathered White Dragon Slaying in his hand while Rogue gathered Shadow Dragon Slaying; the two magic merged together to create a violet sphere that expanded before shrinking. Once they were ready the Twin Dragons thrusted their hands forward to release all of the energy they gathered! "WHITE SHADOW DRAGON'S WAXWING FLASH!" That tiny sphere exploded into a massive beam of energy that flew towards Marde! This was their strongest joint technique, and not even Marde was coming out of this one unscathed! …Or so they thought.

"Don't you get it….?" Marde was briefly consumed by the Waxwing Flash…before the entirety of the attack started to shrink and spiraled between Marde's palms before it was completely erased. "It will all be absorbed within me…nothing you do will ever come close to hurting me."

"Okay, now THIS is getting a little ridiculous!" Cygnus shouted in frustration. "I've seen someone eat an attack but this is taking it to another level…"

"Try this on for size!" Natsu appeared behind Marde, lightning and flame flaring around his body as he entered his dual mode. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!" Natsu brought his fist to Marde's side where an explosion of fire and lightning…should've happened. But instead Natsu's flames just fizzled out on impact. "Huh!?"

"Exactly." Marde twisted his body to kick Natsu right back down to the ground, landing soon after with an unsatisfied expression. "I've had enough of this farce…it's time to bring this to an end." With a swipe of his hand, the ground shattered beneath the four's feet and they began to plummet! That wasn't the only major issue, as the vines started to wrap around them and constrict tightly with full intent to crush them to death.

"Crap…! I can't move…!" Rogue struggled.

"Neither can the rest of us…" Cygnus grunted. This seemed to be the end…until a blade of ice completely froze everything and shattered the vines. "What the…?"

"…." Marde turned his head to face the slowly approaching Gray. "…Silver's boy? I always knew he would turn on us someday…just not like this."

Gray didn't even acknowledge Marde at first. Instead, he tossed Natsu his scarf. "I found this in what I assume to be Maggie's room. If you have something important to you, don't lose it."

"…Thanks." Natsu nodded to Gray while finally putting his scarf back on.

"I'm TALKING to you." Marde demanded Gray's attention as he held one hand up…and he got it. A swift blade nearly cut into his arm, but he pulled it back just in time to only receive the frigid air that froze his hand. "….."

"Ice Demon's Zeroth's…Impact!" Gray pushed off the ground, slamming his ice coated fist into Marde's side. The impact caused a trail of ice to follow, and that was an attack Marde definitely felt as he was pushed backwards into his throne with a cry of pain.

"Okay, now this is REALLY not fair." Cygnus stared in amazement. Sure, he'd seen Gray bust out these moves before…but there was something completely different about it when he pushed back an opponent the four of them were having trouble with.

"You've got a lot to answer for." Gray stated in a stern tone while narrowing his eyes.

"….Don't get so cocky." Marde eventually brushed off Gray's hit. "It will take much more than effective magic to defeat me."

.

"Are you prepared to give up yet?" Taya questioned while squeezing the life out of Reve ever so slowly. She wanted to savor this moment after all and it didn't look like Reve would be finding a way out of this.

"You…really don't know who you're talking to, do you…" Reve spoke while feeling his magic return to him. His eyes switched to his Target Eyes, meaning that he couldn't see anything in front of him…but he didn't need to with a sniper rifle off in the distance. Using that to aim, he fired the long range weapon to strike Taya directly in the back! "I'm Reve Volver, I don't know what giving up means."

"When…!?" Taya stumbled forward, falling to a knee after the bullet hit. The impact forced her to release Reve.

"Just now…" Erza took a leap backwards, that golden aura wrapping around her body to reveal her in her Heaven's Wheel Armor, conjuring a large plethora of swords overhead, all of them pointed at Taya and Maggie. "Heaven's Wheel!"

Reve spread his arms apart, creating a multiple guns all around the room along with Erza's swords. "Devil's Wheel." On their cues, the blades and guns began to fire all at once! Mounting a defense against a dual assault like this was practically impossible and the two demonesses had to do nothing but just…take it!

"Go Erza! Go Reve!" Happy cheered for the both of them.

The smoke from both attacks began to clear; Maggie and Taya were both on a knee, glaring up at the two mages before them. "You think this is over…?" Taya held her hand out, a small black triangle beginning to form. "You will leave this life before I do…"

"I can't believe this…" Maggie groaned while attempting to stand.

"I don't think so!" Erza now shifted to her Amadura Fairy Armor, equipped with both blades as well. Gathering energy within her swords, she pointed them forward to release a gigantic sphere of emerald lightning towards the pair. "Photon Slicer!" Reve was not going to be excluded from this. To ensure that this battle would end, he requipped the strongest weapon in his arsenal: The Eclipse Cannon. Clicking the trigger on the bazooka-like weapon, a sphere of Eclipse Magic soared towards Maggie and Taya right alongside the Photon Slicer. The spheres rocketed towards the pair of demons, exploding on impact. Taya was blown backwards while Maggie's body just exploded into bits and pieces of lava that scattered all along the room.

"Ooof…that was kinda gruesome…" Lector had to turn away from the scene.

Reve didn't waste any time. While Erza went to figure out how to shut Face down, Reve slowly made his way over to Taya. The Eclipse cannon faded and all he had was a single pistol. Once reaching Taya he stood over her while pointing the barrel of the gun right between her eyes. "…So, it's come to this."

Even while down, Taya gave a coy smile. "Look at that, cowboy. You finally bested me once. How does that feel? All of your improvement wasn't for waste…but I doubt you would've been able to do so without the assistance of Erza." Taya's words definitely got under Reve's skin as his arm started to tremble from anger. "But…a win's a win, right? So you might as well savor in the moment…this will be our last meeting after all."

Unbeknownst to the others…the bits and pieces of Maggie started to piece together again…Taya's talking was doing nothing more than buying her time to reform unnoticed.

"Pull the trigger. What's taking you so long?" Taya looked up at Reve, simply waiting.

"I was giving you a chance to say your last words. If that's all you have to offer…you're an even bigger disappointment than I thought, Tayakata." Reve clicked the trigger…but a blade pierced through his side before he could fully finish. Eyes widened as he fell over from the wound, blood spurting. "…!"

"Reve…?!" Erza turned, but before much else could be done, Maggie's form wrapped around Taya's and vanished between the cracks in the floor.

"Damn it…" Reve coughed up some blood while curling his hand into a fist. "She got the slip on me…what are you looking here for!? Hurry up and stop Face…"

"R-Right…" Erza turned to the computer again…but then her body was robbed of all control under her own will. "What the…!?" It wasn't just her; Reve, Minerva's, Happy, Lector, and Pantherlily's bodies were all moving without their consent.

An injured Sayla wagged her finger disapprovingly. "No…we can't have this interruption…not when our plan is so close to fruition."

"That's right, Erza…" Kyouka appeared from behind Sayla, smiling sweetly at Titania. "We're so close…we can't let you interfere again. You will sit back and watch…as the age of Magic comes to an end."

.

.

Next Time: The Ultimate Demon


	67. Chapter 67: The Ultimate Demon

Lamy after Lamy was added onto the ever growing pile. There must have been about 40 of them or so in total because at the end of it all that pile was huge! "Finally…" Orga dusted his hands off. "That took way longer than it needed too…"

"Why a sheep of all things was so slippery, I'll never know…" Warren said while shaking his arms.

"Don't even pretend like you weren't trying to hook up with one of them…" Max narrowed his eyes at Warren, who had no comment to that remark.

"The important part is we've done all we can down here…!" Lisanna nodded while pumping a fist into the air. "Although…" Her gaze went back up to the sky, where Adam and Acnolgoia were still duking it out in the sky! The vibrations of their aerial battle could be felt down below, and the earth still shook violently as a result. "What about that…!?"

"When did he get there!?" Cynthia flailed.

"He tried to kill us a few minutes ago…but Adamantine stepped up quickly." Cana explained. "That being said…I don't know how much longer we have until things start going to total shit. Even without an arm that dragon is still putting up one hell of a fight."

"I believe he just needs to hold on for a little bit longer…" Zalen said while looking up at the sky. "Even though I believe Adam is genuinely going for the kill.

"In the meantime, what are we going to do with these lost sheep?" Tyson pointed at the Lamy pile. For some reason all of them seemed quite content despite having beaten so thoroughly. "They're kinda worrying me with all their mumbling…"

"I'll take care of them." Kuro nodded while placing his hands on the ground. "Fire Make: Devil Tornado!"

"Oh…that's a hot guy right there!" One Lamy exclaimed…before Kuro set them all ablaze in a vicious twister of Fire Devil Slaying! There were a few cries of pain before the Lamy clones were reduced to ash; they weren't exactly that durable anyway, and it was a relief to FINALLY be rid of that annoying laugh of hers.

"That's one thing to check off the list…" Levy said with an exasperated sigh. "I never want to hear that laugh again for as long as I live…" Right after she said that, the two dragons fighting in the air crashed down violently into the air, a cloud of dust and dirt flying up from the collision. "ACK!"

"Ah crap..!"

.

"You again…?" Erza narrowed her eyes at Kyouka, but that was really the only thing she could move with her body underneath Sayla's Macro.

"Aren't you happy to see me?" Kyouka smiled while approaching Erza, tracing her claw along Titania's cheek gently. "Doesn't this feeling remind you of the torture chamber…restrained…helpless…~?"

"You…" Erza grit her teeth.

"Fret not…" Sayla hummed while pointing her finger at Reve, commanding him to stand and point his pistol at Erza. "It will all be over soon. I will have this one here shoot your brains out…then Minerva's, and he will to the cats…then I will have him end his own life."

"You're insane if you think I'd actually do that." Reve spat, however Sayla ignored him and forced him to fire a shot off into the distance to prove her point. "….."

"I'm glad you see things my way." Sayla smiled sweetly before pointing her hand at Minerva. "Be rid of this traitor first." Reve's arm slowly moved to Minerva. "Annd…" Sayla was about to issue the command, but from out of nowhere, an injured Mira flew forward in her Satan Soul to punch the everloving crap out of Sayla, sending her flying into a nearby wall, thus releasing her hold on the others. "Oooof…! Y-You again!? You continue to pester me so…!?"

"Agh…" Mira landed back on the ground, her body forced out of Satan Soul. Her injuries from before were no better…in fact, they possibly had to be even worse because of how she forced her body to move. Writhing around in pain, Mira did manage to glare at Sayla. "I told you…I wasn't letting you get away…but I'm spent…"

"Kyouka-sama…I don't have any energy left…" Sayla rested against a piece of rubble. "Please…you must see our plan through…"

"Erza…I don't have anything left…" Mirajane was struggling just to speak. Mira looked to Reve to see if he could be of any help, but he was down…even though he wouldn't actually admit it, and his injuries from Taya were going to make it extremely difficult for him to continue, while Minerva was still unconscious.

"Don't worry." Erza and Kyouka spoke in unison, glaring each other down. "They won't be getting any further."

.

Marde had quite the crowd in front of him after Gray's arrival. Bringing his hand up to his mouth, he wiped away the blood caused from Gray's attack. _"Kyouka? Do you hear me? These humans have been testing the limits of my patience. It's time for you link yourself with Face's countdown…"_

 _"_ _But, Marde-sama…if I do that…I will die…"_ Kyouka responded.

 _"_ _Tell me…what is more important than us? To ensure that Master END is revived…no matter the sacrifice, this is our mission."_

 _"_ _Yes…you are correct, Marde-sama. Then I will do what I must."_ That was Kyouka's final response before Marde turned back to the group before him.

"…You zoned out on us. Having second thoughts?" Cygnus said while cracking his knuckles. "With this many of us around, I wouldn't blame you."

"No." Marde casually replied. "I was just putting the final nail in the coffin that is your struggle. Now then…I believe it's time for me to put an end to this." Marde's body began to let off a malicious violet glow, his entire form beginning to shift. "You humans have caused so much trouble for me…it has grown very annoying…and I know not what to do with all of this anger…" Marde's teeth grew sharper as he spoke; everyone went on guard as Marde slowly emerged in his Etherious Form. "Now…gaze upon the true power of the King of Hades…the Ultimate Demon."

"You think that scares us?!" Natsu responded with a glare. "You can't take us all out and you know it."

"I'm not interested in ants." Marde's gaze narrowed to Natsu and Gray…and within the blink of an eye, he grabbed the two of them by their necks and flew off!

"Wait a second!?" Natsu struggled within Marde's grip. "Let me go!"

"Hey, you can't just pick and choose who you want to take on!" Cygnus shouted.

"I think he just did, Cygnus-san." Sting pointed out. It was then the tip of a scythe was pressed firmly to the back of his neck. With a cold sweat forming on his forehead, Sting spoke hopefully. "Rogue…I really hope that's you."

"….I wish I could say it was." Rogue replied.

"You hibernate for a few months…and you can't even wake up in peace?" Kiora let out a heavy sigh. "Looks like I'm going to have to teach you lot some manners. I'll start by removing your head from your shoulders…you can't cause any trouble that way."

.

Marde dragged Gray and Natsu across the ground violently with their backs facing him. At this point, he was just doing whatever it took to ensure that any and all humans that dared to stand against him WOULD fall. "Perish, you foolish insects!"

"We're not…close to being finished yet!" Natsu growled while twisting his body, latching onto Marde's arm along with Gray to shift the momentum! A dual fire and ice punch slammed into Marde's back, now driving the King of Hades into the ground for a moment before the Fairy duo took a leap backwards to regain themselves.

"We're not letting this plan of yours go any further." Gray said while taking a stance.

"In the name of Fairy Tail, we're taking you DOWN!" Natsu roared with fire swirling around both of his hands.

Marde recovered from the surprise impact quite easily, glaring towards Natsu and Gray with complete and utter disdain. "Do your best, humans. For you will not live to see the next sun rise."

.

Erza sped off first in her Flight Armor, closing the gap between herself and Kyouka within the blink of an eye. The second she closed the distance between them, Erza aimed rapid swings her sword at the sensory demon in rapid succession, refusing to let up for even a second. Despite her efforts, she only landed a few swings against Kyouka in the end. "Tch…Where do you think you're going!?" The blades she held were swapped for her Flame Sword, and a few slashes of that sent waves of fire towards the Demon Gate.

Kyouka used her claws to deflect Erza's high speed slashes. The slashes that did land caused a moderate amount of damage to her, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. For the incoming waves of flame, Kyouka swiftly evaded them with little damage done to her person. "Tell me…can you feel it yet?"

"Feel what?!" Erza took another step before…yeah, she felt it now. The weak breeze that was blowing through the area suddenly caused Erza an incredible deal of pain. Every single nerve in her body was shaken with immeasurable pain that caused her to cry out and hug herself in a vain attempt to cope with it. "What is this?!"

"Have you forgotten? I still have control over every sense in your body." Kyouka responded by licking her lips. "Even the slightest breath will feel like thousands of swords stabbing you all at once. Doesn't it remind you of my gracious treatment in the torture chamber?"

Mira took a glance at the others as if to ask if they had any idea what it was Kyouka was talking about, but alas, none of them had the slightest clue. "…Erza…"

"I will not falter in the face of pain…!" Erza shouted while her body returned to her Heaven's Wheel Armor, forcing herself to gather the magic needed to accumulate 100 blades, all of them pointing towards Kyouka. Without another moment's notice, she sent all of these blades towards the Demon Gate in attempt to skewer her mercilessly.

"You're absolutely adorable when you make that face. That's just one of the reasons I enjoy playing with you." Kyouka smiled at Erza's remark, not even giving the blades above a second thought. Her whip talons did the job for her, disposing of any of the blades that truly threated to cause damage. She then closed in on Erza, lifting her foot to aim a powerful kick to Erza's stomach. With her increased sensitivity to pain, along with the other battle damage she piled up throughout the day…let's just say that simple kick felt as if a cannon ball at full throttle blew a hole through her stomach. The cry of pain Erza released was a testament to how she was really feeling at the moment. "There's that scream I loved so much…let me hear more of that voice~"

"This demon is creepy…" Frosch tugged at Lector's vest.

Kyouka, now heeding Marde's message, leapt onto the Face control panel and…dug her claws deep into it. Electrical shocks emitted from the device, and the Face timer started to whacky. What was 20 minutes began rapidly decreasing!

"What the hell is she doing…!?" Reve forced himself to sit up, staring at Kyouka. "Is she linking with that machine…?"

"That's correct!" Kyouka grinned madly. "I am establishing an Organic Link with Face! This will speed up the countdown and bring you humans closer to your inevitable end!"

"You're insane. If you do that you'll end your life before you can even come close to beating Erza….!" Mira exclaimed.

"I'll gladly give my life in the name of the Underworld King and Lord Zeref! If I must become nothing more than a mere puppet to them to fulfill their desires, then so be it!" Kyouka's appearance began to change; her talons grew longer, her body increased in size just slightly; her mask reformed along her face…Kyouka's Etherious Form was now here! Leaping from the Face device, she released a roar and emerald lightning shot out from her being. This was her spreading the effects of her Curse to Reve, Mira, Lector, Happy, Pantherlily, and Minerva, who jolted awake from the intense pain; at the same time, the Face countdown began to rapidly decrease even faster than before!

Erza pinned a sword into the ground to act as a support to pick herself up. Her entire body tingled strongly with pain, but if she continued to stay down…at this rate, Magic would cease to exist. If it all depended on her, she wouldn't dare give up when it mattered most…

.

"Thorns." Marde clenched his hand into a fist, sending enlarged vines towards Natsu and Gray with full intent to crush them. Standing side by side, Natsu and Gray crossed one arm over the other without moving an inch after that.

"Burn!"

"Freeze!"

A wave of fire and devil slaying ice shot out from their respective sides. The wave of fire completely incinerated the incoming vines on Gray's side, while the ice completely froze over the vines on Natsu's side. It was a perfect unison of fire and ice only capable through the teamwork of these childhood rivals!

"You only delay the inevitable." Marde narrowed his eyes before extending his arm forward, unleashing a gigantic beam of tremendously powerful curse power that soared towards Gray.

"Ice Make: Shield!" Arms crossed, the ice maker formed a large shield of ice before himself and Natsu. He honestly expected it to hold for just a little longer than it actually did, but it faltered at the last second and shattered, leaving Gray to deal with the brunt of the blast which blew him backwards.

"The only thing that's ending is YOU!" Natsu sprinted forward with lightning and flames wrapped around his arm. "Iron Fist of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" Natsu swung his fist downward in attempt to crush Marde into the ground. Marde flew into the air to avoid the blow and the ground received it instead, shattering it to pieces. "Get back here!"

"Ice Make: Gugnir!" Gray placed his hands on the ground, forming a gigantic spear of devil slaying ice that shot forth, aiming to impale through Marde.

Marde only took higher into the sky to avoid something that could cause such damage to him. To the demon king's surprise, the large tip of the sphere shattered to reveal Natsu, who shivered slightly but wore a large grin on his face. "Cold!" Leaping from the frozen spear, Natsu linked his hands over his head as he now had the aerial advantage over Marde and slammed his conjoined hands into the skull of the Ultimate Demon, sending him rocketing towards the ground at a violent velocity.

Marde managed to catch his landing, landing on his feet, though the impact cratered the ground slightly. Lifting his arms above his head, creating a massive spinning sphere from his hands from where an immense wooden beam was fired at both targets. "Dea Yggdrasil!"

"Gah…!" Natsu's eyes widened as he and Gray tried to defend against the wooden beam, but it was no use! They were both pushed backwards before slowly regaining their footing. This beam of wood actually tried to crush them into the ground and they both decided they weren't going out that way. With rapid punches of fire and ice, Natsu and Gray respectively aimed to take a chip off the old block! "HAAAA!"

"HAAAA!"

"This is…" Marde growled. Before long, the two Fairies managed to succeed in destroying the Dea Yggdrasil before it could cause them any more damage.

"Give it up!" Gray pushed off the ground, covering his fist in ice devil slaying. Once close to Marde he aimed a punch at his face, but the demon king blocked it with his arms. Damage was still dealt and he slid backwards a great distance. Panting heavily, Gray grinned to know that they were finally making some headway against Marde after all this time.

"…I see. So you humans will not fall to conventional means." Marde was finally starting to put the pieces together. But at some point his frustration faded away, which is why he was able to laugh in the face of the two of them. "Perhaps I had been blind to your cockroach ways. I was focusing so much on stomping you under my foot, I forgot the easiest way to deal with such irritating creatures: to slice your head off. Metaphorically speaking…I have just the way to do that."

"Oh yeah?" Gray quirked a brow. "You think we're just gonna let you take us out that easily?"

"You don't have a choice in the matter. You never did. The fact you speak as though you do fills me with much rage…" Marde's voice was calm, contradicting the emotions he felt at the moment. The demon king began producing a black, paralytic mist around Natsu and Gray that sealed their movement to envelop them; a massive beam of dark spirits emerged from the mist and shot towards the night sky. "The ultimate Curse…the Memory of Death…a spell Marde Geer himself has crafted to fulfill the wish of his creator: Zeref. To kill even him! Memento Mori!"

"What the hell?!" Natsu tried fighting through the sea of dark spirits that nearly enveloped him, but it was no use.

"Gah…!" Gray was in the same boat…no matter what they did, it was useless.

"Worry not. Those who are taken in by this curse neither die nor live…they are simply…erased." Marde spread his arms as the beam of dark spirits expanded for a moment before slowly dissipating. "They simply become…nothing." Where Natsu and Gray remained…nothing. Finally…Marde could revert to normal and smile. Nothing could stop them now.

.

"I can't move a muscle…my body's numb…" Reve grit his teeth in sheer agony. Kyouka's curse was really doing a number on his already injured body…Mira and Minerva weren't faring too well either; the same could be said for the Exceeds suffering along with them.

"I won't stop now…!" Erza sprinted forward, fighting against the pain her body felt. She HAD to stop Kyouka now otherwise it would all be over. "I'll be sure to defeat her!" Erza swung her sword with all her might across Kyouka's chest, but the Demon Gate easily stopped it with one hand and gripped Erza's wrist tightly. "…!"

"I have plans for you, Erza!" With incredible strength, Kyouka slammed Erza down to the ground and slashed her side with her talons. With Erza's increased sense of pain, she would have been better off getting thrown through few solid brick walls. That scream of pain was always music to Kyouka's ears and it was clear that Erza was reaching the limits of how much pain she could take. "You have such beautiful skin, Erza…why don't we see more of it again?" Kyouka then began to rapidly claw at Erza's Heaven's Wheel armor, reducing it to it to nothing while leaving Erza in her undergarments. Kyouka then stomped on Erza's chest, garnering yet another cry of pain while Kyouka's foot continued to press her into the ground. "This is it! This is my total victory! I've defeated you humans and nothing can stop Face now! But don't worry Erza…I won't kill you." A devious smile formed and she licked her lips. "I'll turn you into a puppet for Lord Zeref or Marde-sama to use. Each day, ever so slowly…your body and soul will be torn apart!"

"Leave her alone…!" Mira acted as if she were about to move, but there was just no way in her condition and the pain was enough to put her on the verge of death.

"First…" Kyouka reached down to touch Erza's skull. "I'll rob you of your sense of sight…this will be the last thing you ever see. Then…your touch….your smell…your hearing…All of your senses will belong to me!" At this point…Erza couldn't see anything…hear anything…feel anything. Nothing but pain.

"Stop it!" Frosch pleaded.

"You can't do that to someone…!" Happy shouted with tears in his eyes. Erza was completely unresponsive at this point.

"…." Reve grit his teeth. Was there even anything he could say or do in his pathetic condition? Unlikely.

"That's much better." Kyouka snickered before staring at the others. "Perhaps I'll turn you all into puppets as well."

"….This pain…." Erza mumbled.

"…?" Kyouka thought she heard something…but there was no way. She stared down at Erza just to make sure…and that's when a roaring uppercut struck her in the chin. Erza's raw strength made Kyouka stagger back with widened eyes.

"This pain isn't even worthy of being called pain!" Erza shouted. Grimacing as her knuckles flared in the most intense pain possible. Her eyes were blood red….but that wasn't important in the slightest. "The pain of losing a loved one is more painful than this could ever be!" And yet another punch struck Kyouka's face. "I will not fall! There is a guiding light in my heart that will never fail me!"

"What the fuck!?" Reve's eyes widened at Erza's final stand…which shouldn't have even been possible!

"HOW?!" Kyouka roared in anger while slashing Erza's side once again. To Erza, it felt as though her entire side was sliced clean off…but she still refused to falter in the slightest. But even with whatever god forsaken force was driving her, she was NOT immortal. She would die if she kept this up.

"What…? All of her senses are off, how could this be!?" Lector looked at the others for an explanation. "Perhaps having all of her senses robbed gave birth to a hidden seventh one…but would that even be possible? I haven't heard anything about that before…" All of this was flying right over Frosch's head.

"It's simple!" Happy exclaimed. Don't do it…don't do it. "It's because she's Erza!"

"Because…she's Erza…?" Reve repeated those words while staring over at Erza. Now, if you're thinking that Reve watching Erza fight like this was awe inspiring to him…then you couldn't be anymore wrong. This was absolutely INFUIRATING to no end for Reve. How…why!? What was it about Erza that made her so god damn special that she could fight like this!?

"I've had enough of you! How DARE you stand up to an Etherious like some higher being!?" Kyouka was preparing to finish Erza once and for all! But before she could…bang. A bullet struck her right between the eyes, forcing her to recoil with a shocked expression. Even in Reve's critically state, he managed to take his pistol out to shoot her with pinpoint accuracy. "B-but how…you shouldn't be able to move in that condition…!"

"Because I'm Reve fucking Volver. And I refuse to take a back seat to anything that woman can do!" Reve shouted. His mantra? Whatever Erza could do, he could do better…that's what made them rivals after all.

Was Erza even aware of what Reve had done to save her life? Who knew, but it was time to bring this to an end! "FALL!" Two blades formed within her hands and she slid past Kyouka while delivering a fatal cross slash. That technique was enough to finally defeat Kyouka…Erza's senses returned and in the process she just blacked out and dropped her swords.

"She did it!" Pantherlily grinned.

"No, not yet…!" Mira pointed to the Face timer! It was still going down!

Minerva stared at Erza, then at Kyouka. Using what little magic she had left, she used her Territory to switch places with Erza. Grabbing the nearest sword, she plunged it into Kyouka's chest to finish her off; emerald lightning emitting from the finishing blow. Kyouka's body finally disappeared, which was thought to lead to victory…but they couldn't have been anymore wrong. "…The timer…!" 00:00. They were out of time.

.

"Ahhh…" Marde partook in the sweet sound of silence. At last, he was finally rid of the humans that pestered him so, and in a few short moments, the remaining Face units would go off. There was nothing that could stop this plan as the final phase was just about to go underway…at least that's what he firmly believed until he took another glance at the spot where Natsu and Gray should not have been…but were! "…!?"

Somehow, Gray shielded Natsu from the Momento Mori. "…."

"His body…has been demonized…?" Marde couldn't believe what he was seeing. How was this possible!?

"Natsu….the rest is…up to you…" Gray fell forward, collapsing on the ground motionless.

"Gray…." Natsu stared with widened eyes at his fallen comrade. It was then an unrelenting rage surged from within Natsu; flames exploding around his body as scales formed along his skin! Dragon Force was activated and Natsu's rage burned strongly. "YOU BASTARD! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!" Natsu lunged at Marde, aiming a fierce haymaker for his chest.

"This can't be possible!" Marde immediately turned to his Etherious form to leap away from Natsu, but the assault was relentless!

"Crimson Lotus: Fire Dragon's Punch!" Natsu hounded Marde, aiming a series of high speed fiery punches all over the demon king's body before he could even react. The final punch was a roaring uppercut that brought forth a large pillar of flame that sent Marde soaring into the air. Natsu wasn't even close to being finished yet; fire and lightning wrapped around his body in union with his Dragon Force. Knees bent and he pushed off the ground, flying towards Marde. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Sword Horn!" IMPACT! Natsu's hard head slammed directly into Marde's stomach…even Marde had to cry out from such a blow. Unfortunately, Natsu's flames fizzled out and Marde still had yet to be put down.

"THIS ISN'T OVER YET!" Marde's voice raised for the first time in who knows how long. He grabbed Natsu before he could fall to the ground and glared at him. "I will end you myself!"

"…Amazing…I'm all out of magic…" Natsu's former grimace turned into a tired smile. "But it's the end of the line for you now."

"What…?" Marde then caught something out the corner of his eye.

It was Gray, with a bow and arrow completely molded out of devil slaying eye. The tip of the arrow shone brightly while Gray had the string pulled back as far as it could go. "Ice Devil Zeroth's Destruction Bow!" Releasing the string, the arrow soared towards Marde and pierced right through his chest! The Demon King let out a cry of pain as his body jolted violently. Natsu and Gray gave each other that victorious smirk as Marde released the Salamander and fell to the ground, reverting back to normal with a giant hole in his chest. "Finally…"

"We got you…" Natsu landed on his stomach, wearing a large grin at their victory.

"…." Marde stared up at the sky, still wearing that smile he had when everyone first arrived. "…So the Demon King has been defeated…this is shameful. However…do not think for even a second that you have attained victory…because as we speak…" The ground started to tremble violently…all Face units still present began to activate and the life of Magic itself in Earthland began to die. "…Face has activated. Everything is still going according to plan…and there is nothing you humans can do to stop it."

.

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Next Time: Help From Above.


	68. Chapter 68: Help From Above

Just a few minutes before Face was set to explode, most of the remaining Wizard Saints gathered at the sight of the Face units, excluding Siegrain, Anri for obvious reaons, Lucius, and Kemuri. "So this is Face…" Calium stroked his chin while staring at the mass of Face units before him. "You know, it really says a lot when you leave other people to clean up your mess…how many of these exist again?"

"Roughly 3000, if I remember correctly." Zios added with a slow nod. "I know not how durable these machinations are, but we can't afford to waste any time thinking about that.

"I concur…" Jura agreed, feeling 100% from the encounter earlier in the day with Tartarus. "Everyone else is doing their part, so we must do ours as well."

"Let's make this quick." Avani spoke to the others. "If those demons were really coming after us to kill us, perhaps they wanted to make sure we couldn't interfere with their plans."

"I reckon that's not too far from the truth." Mac spoke while lifting his hand up. A bright light wrapped around his arm before it formed into a gigantic rocket launcher which he held with one hand and pointed it at Face. "Now, enough with the yappin'. Let's try brute force and see how far that gets us." With a click of the trigger, the heavy artillery weapon released a gigantic rocket that soared towards Face. The rocket exploded upon impact, creating a large cloud of smoke that obscured the Face unit from view. After a few silent moments, the smoke cleared and the Face unit looked to be unharmed. "Hmm…let's just try that one again then." Without any hesitation, he fired off another rocket to the Face unit. This one succeeded in destroying it, but there was some obvious doubt written on his face at the effort it took to destroy just one Unit. "…Hrm."

"This may be a little more difficult than we originally thought." Zios' remark was not the one everyone wanted to hear, but it was true. "Would anyone else like to take a go at it?"

"Allow me." Calium took a step forward while lifting his hand above his head. Ellipse magic formed above his open palm, taking the shape of black and white discs. "Eclipse Discs." 10 discs of Eclipse magic shot forward to various Face units. As the discs struck several units, they exploded. Calium waited patiently for the result, and as it turned out he only managed to take out just a few of them while the others remained unscathed. "This is the day I wish Siegrain informed us properly about the capabilities of this creation…or last least granted us means to destroy it."

"We're going to run out of time and magic before we succeed in destroying these darned things." Mac grunted.

"There's got to be a quicker way to deal with these things…" Avani placed her chin in her hand, attempting to think of a way to quickly eradicate the remaining Face units. But there were just far too many…and far too little time left.

.

Blue Pegasus all aimed to do their part as well. All aboard the Christine, they approached a Face unit while getting all stations ready for battle. "Ichiya-san, we're closing in on Face!" Jenny reported while looking back at Ichiya.

"Excellent, men! Are we ready to fire?!" Ichiya questioned the Trimens who were manning the cannons.

"Ready!" Eve exclaimed while locking onto the Face unit up ahead. "Target is locked and loaded!"

"Then fire!" Ichiya commanded. At his command, Eve fired the cannons. Large oval shaped blastwere fired from the Christina's cannons, colliding against the Face unit for a huge explosion. There was a moment of silence before the smoke finally cleared, Face was undamaged by the massive blast.

"No way..!" Ren's eyes widened at the ineffectiveness of their attack. "No damage at all!"

"Fire again! Cannons are ready." Hibiki shouted while looking back to Eve. Eve fired the cannons once again, only to retrieve the same result as last time: absolutely no damage! "Agh…impossible! We haven't even scratched this thing…this situation is incredibly unhandsome."

"And you're telling me that there are 3000 of these things everywhere…?" Ren shook his head at the numbers. "That's an impossibly large amount…not even our handsomeness combined with Jenny's beauty can make haste of such numbers…"

"What do we do…?" Eve looked to the others, but they were just as lost as he was on this matter.

.

"What do we do?! What do we do!?" Melody began to panic as the two dragons fighting rocketed to the ground. It seemed that Acnologia was still strong even without two arms, but Adam was still putting up a fierce fight despite the difference in strength. It was then a pulse boomed out from afar. The silver make mage briefly felt lightheaded. "W-What the..?"

"Did anyone else feel that…?" Lucy looked around.

"…That must have been Face activating." Mest looked off into the distance. "…I knew it, there were just too many of them to stop…"

"Wait…if magic is disappearing, then…" Lisanna stared at her current outfit…really; it was just the two piece her takeover granted since she had been stripped of her clothing earlier in the day. "I'm gonna be…!" Poof! Lisanna's Takeover wore off, but Mest came through with the save and wrapped a blank around her just in the nick of time. "Thank you…"

"Okay but more importantly…!" Cynthia pointed to the two dragons duking it out on the ground. "What are we going to do about that?! I've got curse power still, but I don't know how effective it's gonna be…"

"Oh you're definitely imagining things." Levy wagged her finger disapprovingly. "I'm NOT letting you out of my sight, young lady!"

"Ah…" Cynthia glanced away while poking her fingers together.

"But that doesn't solve our situation any…" Waiston grunted, feeling his magic steadily beginning to slip away. At this rate he wouldn't be able to muster the strength for an attack that would at least get Acnologia's attention. "What do we do…?"

.

.

In Pergrande, the Face Units installed began to shine brightly as indication that they were about go off. At this, Ashnard could only shake his head and scoff. "So…it appears as though they've run out of time. How disappointing; it seems we can't leave that country to clean up their messes any longer."

Waltz shrugged, turning his back to Ashnard. "Fiore is filled with nothing but incompetent mages…to think they could clean up something they've created is expecting far too much of them."

"They're still children." Ashnard lifted his hand, commanding Heracles' captain to get the cannons ready. "All cannons ready."

"All of 'em are ready!" Patty exclaimed from within the helm while pressing various buttons frantically. The entire walking fortress began to let out a low whirr sound as a large amount of magic began to gather within the primary cannon. "Ho ho ho! Just tell me when to fire, aye!"

"Their folly will not be the end of my country. Ready…aim….fire." Ashnard pointed forward.

"BLAST AWAY!" With a maniacal grin, Patty pulled the level before pressing the button to launch the cannon. The low whirr sound became louder and louder with each passing second and the main cannon gathered the magic it needed at the front. Patty laughed before the large beam of raw magic shot forward, tearing through the sky while ripping apart multiple Face units with ease. The cost of the destruction was outweighed by the benefits of stopping the Face units in Pergrande…they were nothing but rubble by the time Heracles was finished, but at the same time, Pergrande looked like a nuclear bomb testing grounds in several areas. "ALL FACE UNITS IN PERGRANDE, DESTROYED!" Patty reported with a widening grin, patting the inside of Heracles. "I'm so proud of my baby!"

"Now then…Seven is next." Ashnard pointed off in the distance, but Waltz's hand stopped him. "Hmm…? Is there a problem, Count Waltz?"

"No problem." Waltz turned his back, staring at the night sky above. "I heard something…and if it's what I think it is then…their luck is much greater than I initially thought…"

.

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Erza groaned, slowly regaining consciousness. Her vision was blurry but she was pretty sure she was looking directly up someone's short skirt and she wasn't sure how to feel about that. A distorted, yet familiar voice echoed in her ears. "…Za…Erza…..Erza, WAKE UP!" A boot kicked her side just hard enough to wake her up.

"Ouch….!" Erza recoiled and sat up. She found herself staring at an old friend: Mii Koryuji! "Mii…you're here?!"

"About time you woke up. I've been nudging you for a while now…!" Mii grinned. "You all look like you've seen better days, though. The heck happened to you all?"

"Dying…" Mira weakly mumbled, and that wasn't exactly an exaggeration either.

"Too much…" Minerva groaned.

"What are you doing here….?" Reve rolled his eyes. Mii was actually the last person he expected to see in such a critical time such as this.

"What is little ol' Mii doing here?" Again with the name puns…as if everyone hadn't suffered enough throughout the course of the day. "I'm here to help, that's what!"

"You're gonna take on 3000 Face units in the few seconds we have left? I know you're just a bag of surprises – good and bad – but that's not something you can pull off." Minerva responded while shaking her head.

"Oh please, even I'm not that good." Mii waved a hand before a large smile appeared on her face. "However! I did bring the mother lode of back up, so you'd better be thankful!" Hearing those words, Erza's eyes lit up. The letter she had Jet deliver earlier finally arrived!

.

"Ichiya-san!" Jenny took a glance at the radar, noticing a few dots on the scene. "There's something…a lot of somethings, actually…all of them are approaching really fast!"

"What? Take evasive maneuvers, men!" Ichiya command. Good thing he issued that order when he did, because the very second the ship moved to the side, a gigantic pink dragon flew past them at high speeds, shattering Face on impact.

"WHOA…!" Eve's eyes widened. "Is that a dragon…!?"

"Wait a moment…I've seen that shade of pink before…" Jenny scratched her cheek while staring at the dragon that flew by. It clicked in an instant and she snapped her fingers. "Ah! That beautiful shade of hot pink, I know who that is now…!"

Princess Ena, current ruler of the Isle of the Dragons turned to look down at the remains of the Face unit she shattered, quirking a brow at the rubble. "THAT'S the big bad machine Erza-senpai was worried about…? It's so brittle and frail…Oh well, she asked for our help and we'll give it to her! Come on everyone, we have a job to do!"

.

It wasn't just in Fiore either! All of the Face units that remained in Earthland would soundly be dealt with by Dragons from the Isle! Edna, Vemona, Drake, Gaius, Nasir, and even Prince Kurthnaga himself joined the fray! Speeding through multiple units, Edna, the Crystal Dragon merely let out a bored yawn. "How dull…I was expecting to have at least to put my back into it." With crystals forming around her tail, she swung it violently at several units, reducing them to nothing but large pieces of broken material.

"This is great exercise! I haven't had the chance to spread my wings in a long time!" Vemona hummed while shattering a large number of Face units.

Staring from below, the Wizard Saints could only watch in awe as the Dragons from the Isle made short work of the Face units. "Well I'll be damned…" Mac chuckled.

"Looks like they had a plan B after all…" Calium folded his arms across his chest.

.

.

"Are those Dragons from the Isle?" Ashanrd quirked a brow.

"Aye aye!" Patty confirmed by use of large telescope. "They're really thinning out the numbers on those units!" Glancing at the radar, the Commandant saw the amount of Face units, represented by red dots, decrease drastically with each passing second. "2000…1500…1000…!"

"Now how on earth did they convince the Dragons of that island to help…?" Ashnard was definitely intrigued by this. "Patty. Turn this around. We're done here."

"Aw, but Sire…!" Patty whined. "I wanna watch!"

"Turn it around, now." Ashnard wasn't going to repeat himself again. With a shiver and a defeated sigh, Patty begrudgingly began to operate the mobile fortress, turning it around from all the action going on.

.

While most of the dragons dealt with Face, there was the issue of Acnologia still looming in the area. Kurthnaga lunged forward with darkness swirling around his fist, punching the apocalyptic dragon square in the chest. This was enough to get Acnologia off of Adam, although it wasn't clear if it did any more than that. "Acnologia!" Gaius and Drake surrounded Acnologia as Adam got up, turning this int situation.

"You dragons still live…?" Acnologia was more annoyed than anything else. He had only come for his own unclear reasons, but the fact these dragons were now interfering with his plans made that exceptionally difficult.

"I see you're still missing that arm." Drake taunted.

"Give yourself up in the name of the Princess…or forever hold your peace…" Gaius grunted.

"…It's odd how the former bad guys are on our side now." Lucy said with a comical sweat drop, but the assistance was definitely welcome.

"I don't have the patience to deal with this…" Acnologia's time was up. From the looks of things, it seemed impossible to carry out the plan he had with all the interruptions. There was always another chance…so with that, he flapped his wings once before taking off within the blink of an eye.

"Should we go after him!?" Kurthnaga stared at his fellow subordinates for an answer, but Adam interjected, reverting to his normal form along with the others now.

"Don't worry about him now…he's long gone." Adam shrugged.

.

"Aren't I just the greatest?" Mii was verbally patting herself on the back as the dragons flew around overhead.

Ena, Vemona, and Edna landed in their human forms, taking a look at all the carnage done. "Yikes…what on earth happened here?" Ena questioned. "You all look like you've been mauled by a train…."

To that analogy, there was nothing but nervous laughter from some. "That's not exactly the best comparison…" Lector corrected. "But what are you doing here…!?"

"I sent them a letter." Erza explained while sitting up. "But…that doesn't explain why it took you all day. I had Jet send it ASAP…"

Ena began rubbing the back of her neck with a nervous laugh. "About that….we actually got your letter pretty early in the day, Erza-senpai…but, uhm. We had a really hard time deciphering it."

"Honestly…" Venoma shook her head. "It looked as if you were writing some really inappropriate things…things so bad that our deal Princess fainted once or twice. We couldn't make heads or tails of what you were trying to write."

Hearing this news just broke Erza's heart. A comical shocked expression took hold of her features as she stared at the three dragoness' before her. "W-What are you trying to say…!?"

"Your penmanship stinks." Edna bluntly responded. Oh, one could hear Erza's heart shatter at such blunt words.

"Pffft…haha….HAHAHA!" Reve could finally let out a laugh as he pointed at Erza. "You can't write?! This is hysterical! Just another thing I'm better than you at!" Of course…he would take this time to be petty about the smallest detail.

"Is NOW really the time for this, Reve?!" Erza had comical tears flowing from her eyes. This was already a stressful enough day, now she had to worry about her terrible handwriting!?

"Yes! If you let ME do it, they would've been here sooner." Reve finally stopped laughing. "Ah…that was needed."

.

Marde…was not pleased. He could feel Torafusa's defeat to Midnight and Cobra, while Sora also went down…and to top it all off, Face was destroyed! There was absolutely nothing left of the Magic Pulse Bomb, leaving the Demon King to only stare into the sky wide eyed at the failure of his plan. "How…is this possible…you should not have…been able to stop Face…!"

"Looks like Erza really did plan ahead…!" Gray let out a sigh of relief before turning to Marde. "It's Game Over for you, devil."

Kiora was thrown on the ground by Cygnus, who emerged with Sting and Rogue with victorious smiles. "And look at this!" Cygnus held up the book of END. "Snagged this too! Don't know what it's about, but…" Cygnus stopped in the middle of his sentence with the stares Natsu and Gray were giving him.

"Give me that book." Gray demanded. "My father asked me to destroy END and I WILL see it through."

"Like hell!" Natsu shouted at Gray. "Igneel told me not to destroy that book at any costs! So just give it to me!"

"Oh boy…" Rogue could see where this was going. "Not like this…."

"Come on you two…" Sting groaned.

"Uh…" Cygnus looked between Natsu and Gray, both of their gazes piercing into his very soul. "Okay, look…! I don't know what's going on here, but I'm not about to be a part of this." Cygnus was just about to throw the book at the ground…when it vanished from his hands. "…What the…"

Zeref appeared in the middle of all of them clutching the book of END tightly in his grasp. "Ah…if you will excuse me, I will be taking this off your hands now. Thank you for keeping it safe, though…this book is very important to me…"

"Shit…!" Cygnus took a step back.

"L-Lord Zeref…" Marde tilted his head slowly.

"Marde…I'm very disappointed in you. Not mad…just disappointed. Here I trusted in your abilities to make my wish come true…but it seems that you are incapable of doing even that." Zeref shook his head disapprovingly. "For being one of the strongest demons of my creation…it seems this may have been a task too great for even you."

"N-No…Lord Zeref…" Marde was trying to think of something he could say, but the words weren't coming out. "I can…destroy these humans right here and now! Just…grant me some more power, and they will regret the moment they dare to…!"

Zeref snapped his fingers. Marde's body shone brightly for a minute before he turned into a book, the ghastly mist that was Marde's essence flowing back inside before it closed tightly. "You've done quite enough….now go to sleep." The very action of turning Marde into a book stunned those around. Hell, even Kiora was pretty wide eyed at witnessing the event in itself. "I'm afraid I cannot let this book fall into either of your hands…it's too precious to me, you see…but I must commend you for your efforts. Somehow…against all odds, you emerged victorious against my band of demons once again. Perhaps this may be the last time you encounter them…perhaps not. But for now…this will not be our last meeting…isn't that right, Natsu?"

Natsu subconsciously clenched his hands into tight fists as Zeref's words, not uttering a single sound. "…"

"Farewell. We shall meet again…as foes, no doubt." With that said…Zeref vanished just as quickly as he appeared, leaving the others in complete, dumbfounded silence.

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And there stood Makarov, standing in front of the crystallized Mavis while tilting his head down. "…In the end, I couldn't do it…" The old master let out a heavy sigh.

The project of Mavis appeared, shaking her head to tell Makarov not to worry. "You didn't need it." Mavis reassured Makarov. "All turned out well in the end…that just means that we cannot use this until the proper time has come, that is all, Sixth."

"You are right…" Makarov spoke in agreement. "The battle is over…so there is no use in thinking about it now."

"That's the spirit. Now then…let us prepare to rebuild. Everyone will be coming back soon." Mavis gave the brightest smile that made it hard to stay down.

.

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Next Time: Tartarus Rebirth: Epilogue! The End of Part 1.


	69. Chapter 69: Part 1: End

The sun could finally shine on a bright, new day. All of Tartarus had been defeated, presumably for good judging by Zeref's parting words, Face had been destroyed and dealt with thanks to the assistance of the Dragons from the Isle, Cynthia was back…everything couldn't have been better! The only thing that remained from Tartarus's attacks were the scars. Mental, physical, and the damages dealt to the various towns, guilds, and Council. There was a lot of rebuilding that had to be done throughout Fiore…but at last, there was a time of peace that was going to last long enough for that to happen. First, just outside of Magnolia Town, Lucy was taking care of Wendy, Cynthia, and Carla now things were finally over.

"How is that, ebi-ebi…?" Cancer snipped his scissors rapidly after redoing Wendy's hair. What was formerly short returned to the long hair that just reached to her lower back.

"Wow…! It's back to its old length!" Wendy was quite amazed with Cancer's abilities as always.

"It looks nice on you." Carla gave a soft smile.

"…I can't decide which one I like more." Cynthia was poking her fingers together sheepishly once again. Very strange that she continued to be the flustered one when it came to Wendy. "But it looks nice!"

Lucy returned Cancer, now taking a glance over at Cynthia. There wasn't a chance to properly speak to Cynthia since her return due to how the previous day ended. But now, Lucy could fully express her worry and relief to the omega dragon's return. "Cynthia. How do you feel, honestly? Your eyes are still red…"

"Me…?" Cynthia pointed at herself before giving a shrug. "Tired, exhausted…sore…bad…I could go on."

"Let's just leave it at that…" Lucy knelt down, wrapping her arms around Cynthia for a tight embrace. "We were all so worried about you, you know? We promise to never let you out of our sights again!" Lucy started to tear up as she spoke, unintentionally squeezing Cynthia a bit harder. "I'm so sorry for abandoning you…"

Cynthia remained quiet the entire time, feeling the saline welling up in her eyes. With an audible sniffle, she returned Lucy's hug and whimpered. "I treated you all so horribly…I'm so sorry Lucy. Even though I should've had more faith…"

Sniffling, Lucy pulled back from the hug to smile at Cynthia. "More faith…? Don't be so silly. The fact you're back with us is proof enough you were waiting for us."

"…I've done a lot of bad things…" Cynthia didn't feel right. She couldn't look Lucy in the eyes and honestly say things were okay, because they weren't. Not to her. "I've hurt a lot of good people…I've even killed some. Can you honestly say things are okay, Lucy…? Can you look me in the eyes the same way you did before knowing all of this…?"

There was a heavy silence that filled the area. Wendy wanted to reach out and say something, but Carla stopped her. "You've already said your piece…" Carla quietly whispered to Wendy. "Now…the others have to say theirs."

Lucy brought two fingers to Cynthia's chin, turning the young girl's face to her. That same smile was still plastered on her face. "You're still our little Cynthia…for better or for worse. To think that we'd abandon you when things got bad…who put that thought in your head?"

"…Thank you." Cynthia couldn't express her words of gratitude any more plainly.

"Now come on…we've got a surprise for you!" Lucy took Cynthia by the hand and began to walk off with Wendy and Carla right behind them.

.

.

White Eclipse rebuilding…well, with Zalen at their disposal it really didn't take long at all. All he had to do was take a few minutes and BAM! The White Eclipse guild hall was fully rebuilt and everyone could relax in their home once again with the heaviest of sighs. "Home sweet home…" Luke sighed contently while crashing on the couch. "I don't want to do anything for the rest of eternity."

Before anything else happened, Sidney turned his attention to the rookies who participated in the battle with Tartarus, all giving them a nod of acknowledgement before vanishing in a puff of white smoke. "He was nodding to me." Reiss spoke smugly.

"….I'm too tired for this." Tyson gave a wave of his hand, letting Reiss bask in the moment.

"Agreed. I'm going to bed." Heather started to walk up the stairs to go to her room. However she noticed Reve sulking somewhat as he went to his room. Curiously, the poison slayer approached Reve. "Oi…what's up with you? You've been pouting ever since we got back."

Reve already has his hand on the door, remaining silent as Heather questioned him. "…Taya got away." Reve mumbled. After all he'd been through towards the end of that day that was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to the problems he'd dealt with. Taya, watching Erza fight in an impossible condition…it was just a really long series of events that he wanted to get over. "It's been a long day."

"I know." Heather agreed. "Listen, cowboy. I know you showed that wench a lesson and there's nothing for you to be ashamed of…she just ran away from you, yeah? Guess that means she wasn't ready." With a small, comforting smile, Heather lightly punched Reve in the arm. "Don't sweat it."

Back in the main hall, Takeru sat alone in the corner. His arms were crossed and he stared at the floor in deep thought, not wishing to be disturbed. That didn't stop Waiston from coming in to check on him. "Yo…Tak, you good? The mood's been a little grim since we've returned."

"…I'm fine." Takeru gruffly responded.

"Don't look it." Waiston shook his head. "What's up, man…?"

"It's Serena…" Takeru admitted without much of a fight. "She attacked White Eclipse with Taya…yet when we went to Tartarus she was nowhere to be found. I couldn't spot her anywhere."

"Yeah...I noticed it too." Waiston sighed while kicking back in his seat. "I don't know what her deal is…but you know she's not going to have the warmest reception if she ever decides to show her face again, right? She tried to kill all of us without even so much as a fair fight."

"Give me a chance." Takeru lifted his head up while staring at Waiston. "I'll bring her back."

"Do whatever you want…but I don't know what Sidney has to say about that." Waiston shrugged casually before sitting back up. Standing up, the frozen dragon went elsewhere.

Sophie retired to her room just like everyone else. She couldn't get that encounter with Lucy out of her mind and just stared up at the ceiling from her bed in silence. "…Why would they wish to be friends with me…that is simply impossible. The next time we meet…she won't be so lucky…"

And finally, in the infirmary…Aira just stood around, restocking medical equipment while thinking about Leon's death. She couldn't remain sad or depressed about it…that wouldn't be fair to Leon. He asked her to live her life for the both of them…so that was the very least she could do for him. With a nod of determination, the S class prepared herself for the days ahead. It was going to be cold and a little lonely…but she had her family beside her, so really…there was nothing to fear! "Tomorrow's a brand new day. Just another reason to try and smile."

.

The ruins of what used to the Council HQ was…really demoralizing, especially for the leader of the Council that was Siegrain. Siegrain stood with his arms crossed behind his back. "…They got the jump on us. This is partially my responsibility."

"Siegrain-senpai…what do we do now?" Correll questioned while rubbing the back of his neck. "This is going to take a lot of work to build up again."

"And a lot of paperwork that I'll be doing…" Odin grumbled that pretty bitterly, because he knew that Correll would be paying him by the end of the day to do his share of the work. "We also lost a number of men…"

"…This was a defeat for us." Siegrain admitted. The words were bitter and left a sour taste in his mouth, but it was the truth. "We lost many things today…and I will accept full responsibility for it all. But this defeat today will pave the way for a stronger tomorrow. First, we rebuild…then we begin recruiting. It is time for a new era of the Magic Council.

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The doors of Sabertooth opened. Sting, Rogue, Lector, Frosch, Yukino, Orga, and Rufus all stepped inside with Minerva behind them. "We're home!" Sting said with a bright smile, placing his hands behind his head.

"Welcome home!" The other members of Sabertooth exclaimed. They were all more than elated to see that Minerva had finally returned to them.

"Welcome home, Minerva-sama." Yukino tilted her head, offering a small smile to their strongest mage.

Minerva choked up…it wasn't very often that that happened, either. Tears started to form in the corner of her eyes before steadily rolling down her cheeks. With a sniffle, she could say happily that; "I'm….I'm home…"

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"I can't stop thinking about it…" Erza sat at the riverside in Magnolia. Her arms wrapped around her knees as she recalled all of that torture she experienced throughout the majority of the day. Her body was still shaking…

"Hey…" Mii sat next to Erza, crossing her legs while staring at the red head. "You okay…? I know I haven't known you for very long, but it's not like you to make a face like that, y'know…?"

"….." Erza didn't say a word. She wasn't even sure how she could bring this up without sounding humiliated.

"Ay…" Mii sighed, rubbing the back of her neck as she and Erza sat in silence. "The Dragons went back home. But Ena said she was glad to be able to repay you all for helping them. If you want their help, try to send an eligible letter next time, right?" Mii playfully nudged Erza's side…no response. "…This is getting awkward."

"I know you'll overcome this, Erza." Jellal's spoke while walking past the two of them. Erza blinked and turned, spotting the hooded male's back. He was returning to Crime Soricere's side…now that everything was over they could finally return to their life of remaining in the shadows. "You're strong enough to."

"…." It wasn't much…but it was just enough for Erza. Her body stopped shaking and she finally smiled as Jellal and the others left the scene. "Thank you. Thank you too, Mii, for showing up when you did."

"Ah, it was no problem." Mii waved a hand. "Just doing what I do best; helping the winning side."

"Mhm…and tell me, how's this living thing treating you?" Erza quirked a brow at her inquiry.

"…I kinda like it." Mii shrugged. "At this point…if I'm gonna die, it's gotta be on my own terms. God, you people ae so infectious…not sure if that's why I like you or hate you." Standing up, the female dusted off the bottom of her dress. "But…I gotta get going. I'm a busy girl after all…"

"You're welcome to come by anytime. Hate to see you go so soon, though." Erza offered a small smile.

"But you love watching me leave, right?" Mii winked suggestively. Yeah, even after all this time no one was safe from her perverted or flirtatious comments. It took all Erza had to not groan at the remark. "I'll take that as a yes, but I can't say I blame you." That said, Mii started to walk off. "I'll be around. Call me if you need me! That goes for anything~"

.

Gray returned to the snowy mountain where he and Silver had done battle. More importantly, he was standing at the site of his mother's grave. That was both of his parents now that had their lives taken by the monsters known as demons. Sitting in silence, he just wasn't sure what emotion to convey at the moment. Juvia followed Gray…there was still something that she had to tell him and she was honestly frightened by how he would react to the news. "Gray-sama…" Juvia's voice gently rang in his ears.

"…Juvia..? You followed me?" Gray slowly turned his head to Juvia.

Stepping forward, the water mage rubbed her arm while glancing away. "Juvia is…so sorry, Gray-sama…Juvia had to fight the necromancer that was controlling your father and I…I had no choice…"

Gray listened to her words carefully. He realized what it was she was going to say and he stood up, giving a glare as he grabbed onto her. "You…."

Juvia flinched. Whatever was coming, she thought she deserved it for causing Gray so much grief and agony that she knew he had already experienced enough of already…but what happened next surprised her. Gray buried his head in her chest with tears streaming from his eyes. "….!"

"Thank you…" Gray's voice was cracked and muffled…but it was clear that his thanks were completely sincere.

.

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Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen all crowded around Laxus's bed. They were extremely worried about him after hearing how he pushed himself even further than he should have against Tempesta. "…Please, wake up." Freed pleaded. "I know a little sickness isn't going to keep you of all people down!"

"Yeah! If you die on us, don't think I won't be taking your soul!" Bickslow pleaded in hopes Laxus would wake up soon.

"Please…" Evergreen just looked on in worry.

"….." Slowly, Laxus's eyes began to open. The Raijinshu stared in amazement as Laxus finally began to awaken. The first thing he did was…sit up, pulling all three of them into a tight hug, much to their own surprise. "…I'm sorry. I did a shitty job protecting you all."

.

.

In the palace, Hisui and Emmeraude were hearing the reports of everything that had transpired. In short, there was damage done to Fiore in various locations; nothing that some hard labor wouldn't fix. "What a disaster this has been. At least we came out of this with minimal damages." Emmeraude shrugged, walking down the hallway with Hisui right behind her.

"What do you suggest we do?" Hisui questioned.

"There's nothing to worry about my little Jade Princess." Emmeraude reassured Hisui with a small smile. "Everything will be going according to plan very shorty. The people will understand a tiny tax increase to pay for the reparations. Of course I intend to pay them back fully since this was brought about by our weakness as well." Pushing the throne room floors open, Emmeraude sauntered to the throne and sat in it. There was an invisible pulse of magic that spread the moment her fine ass sat on that throne. Legs crossed, arms rested, she rested her face against her fist and smiled. "Queen Emmeraude will be sure to treat Fiore right, believe me, my dear. This country couldn't be in better hands, and think every citizen here will agree…"

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Later in the day when the sun began to set; "Come on, come on!" Lucy practically dragged Cynthia across Magnolia. Wendy and Carla were still following, keeping silent on the matter. They were getting closer to the Fairy Tail guild, which was still under construction but they were getting there slowly.

"The guild…?" Cynthia tilted her head. They stopped just in front of the doors, where Cynthia showed obvious signs of hesitation. "…."

Wendy took hold of Cynthia's hand, offering a warm smile to ease her worries. "Come on, let's go." The two nodded to each other and Cynthia pushed open the doors where…

"WELCOME HOME CYNTHIA!" Confetti exploded everywhere as the entire guild welcomed Cynthia back home.

"W-Wha…for me…?" Cynthia could already feel the tears welling up in her eyes.

"Of course!" Lucy smiled. "Sorry for keeping it a secret, but I did have to keep you busy all day."

"It was a little difficult with the guild in ruins…but this was something that everyone wanted to do first and foremost." Mira said with a soft smile. "We wanted to welcome you home, Cynthia."

"That's right." Levy gave a firm nod. "It's only right."

"…But I…" Cynthia was about to say things about her bad attitude and actions, but nobody wanted to hear about that.

"Why didn't you wait for us?" Laxus scoffed.

"…I'm sorry." Cynthia looked down at the ground, shifting around awkwardly.

"…Doesn't matter now." Laxus stood up, ruffling Cynthia's hair a little bit before returning to his seat. "Don't do that ever again. We're putting a bell on you or something."

"…Eheh…" Cynthia rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand.

Makarov sat with his legs crossed. "I know you feel a great deal of regret for the actions you took as Rose. I cannot say that none of it matters…but I will tell you this. You are still my child. Even if you bare our insignia or not…I've come to think of you that way as I do everyone else. All you can do now…is move past that incident and move forward with the rest of us. The scars of Tartarus cut deep…but I know you're all strong enough to move on from them."

"…Heh." Natsu grinned slightly, pumping his fist into the air. "Next time I see Zeref, he's going down. But….that's not what this is about." Natsu grinned to Cynthia. "This is your welcome home party! Oh and thanks for letting us out! I knew it was you."

"I don't understand why you were so secretive about it…" Erza crossed her arms under her chest, chuckling softly.

"…You caught me." Cynthia shrugged with a sheepish smile. "I uh…hope my red eyes aren't going to be an issue or anything. I'm…not exactly the same as I was before…"

"You're still you." Gray remarked. "As long as you've got Wendy and us, you'll still be Cynthia."

"He's right!" Wendy nodded in agreement.

"So!" Mavis popped down, sparkles in her eyes. "How does it feel to be back home, Cynthia? As you can see…we all missed you very much."

There was no reason to hold it all in anymore. The tears fell from Cynthia's eyes like a waterfall, but there was never a bigger smile on her face than at this very moment. "I'm…so grateful to have all of you as my family…thank you all so much! A-And…it feels nice to be back home. This is where I belong…"

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"So…he failed…" Desdemona sat in her seat, one leg crossed over the other while watching the humans rejoice in their victory over Tartarus. "I suppose that's not surprising. I don't know what that human Zeref even saw in him." With a silent shrug, shifted her legs.

"What a good for nothing…" Ophelia snickered. "I can't believe Marde lost to a bunch of pathetic humans. What a disappointment…"

"As expected…you can never truly count on him for anything. It's a shame his disappointing tendencies passed down onto you. Like father, like daughter I suppose…" Des remarked, oh so casually at that. The shot fired caused Ophelia to grumble before going silent. "Now that all of the obstacles and interruptions are out of the way…I can finally have my turn. Rejoice and relax while you can…because the time to play my game is soon. And I do hope that you provide me with some entertainment…it's been far too long since I've mustered a smile."

.

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Fairy Tail: Dawn of Darkness: Part 1, End.

**Part 2 will not officially start until sometime early next year! Chapters will still be released occasionally, but the story itself will not continue until then. Thank you all for reading!


	70. Chapter 70: Happy Holidays!

Magnolia was the source of a fantastic Christmas festival! The tree in the center of the town was lit up in a myriad of Christmas themed colors and there was a gentle snowfall to go along with it. The jingle of bells really added to that festive holiday. Lucy sat up from her bed and stretched, staring out her window with a wide grin. The joy of Christmas was one that she'd never get tired of no matter how old she got. "Ahh! It's Christmas!" Excitedly hopping from her bed, she rushed out to her living room and guess what she saw?

Natsu and Happy had already raided her fridge for just about everything it was worth. "Yo!" Natsu said with a piece of chicken in his mouth. "Merry Christmas, Lucy!"

"Aye!" Happy mumbled with a piece of fish in his mouth.

"HOW!?" Lucy's eyes nearly bugled out of her head! "I put a lock on it this time! Several!" Thinking about it…this was Natsu, and whenever he broke into her house he was usually hungry. "…You're lucky it's Christmas. So I'll let it slide this ONE time…." It was the least she could do today.

"So what are you still doing here? It's like…2PM. The party's already started." Natsu casually mentioned. "I came to get yya."

"WHAAAAA!?" Lucy stared at the clock…and Natsu was right! She pulled an all-nighter and ended up falling asleep! "Oh crap!"

.

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Outside in Magnolia, the others of Fairy Tail were gathered around the tree. There were quite a few stores closed and open to enjoy the festivities. Cynthia and Wendy were enjoying a nice cup of hot chocolate on a bench near the river while watching everyone enjoy themselves. "I missed the snow." Cynthia admitted with a sheepish grin. Her red eyes took a little getting used to, but it wasn't long before everyone who knew her became accustomed to it.

Wendy turned her head to glance at Cynthia, swinging her legs off the bench a little bit. "Really?" Having finished her hot chocolate, there was a bit of a sly grin on the young slayer's lips. Leaning over, she scooped some snow into her glove, molding it into a snowball before… "Ha!" She tossed it right at Cynthia's face!

"Wha…!" Cynthia had no time to react and ended up getting nailed by the snowball Wendy threw. Flailing, the omega slayer ended up collapsing into the snowy ground. "Oof…!"

"Oops…was that too sudden?" Wendy blinked while leaning over the bench. It was only a moment before a snowball was tossed at her face and she too ended up falling into the snow. "Ack..!"

"Gotcha." Cynthia grinned shyly. Before either side knew it, they were hurling snowballs at each other in a good old fashion snowball fight, laughing all the while!

Carla was watching the whole thing take place. She wasn't sure when she started smiling, but she did. It was around then that Happy approached her with a large fish in his hand, tied all nicely with a pink ribbon. "Carla…! I got you a fish for Christmas!"

With Happy's intrusion, Carla turned with her hands on her hips while staring at the fish. "You and your fish…" But who would she be to decline such a thoughtful gift on Christmas? So she accepted it with a smile. "Thank you, Happy."

.

Erza dragged Kagura along to the cake shop, which happened to still be open even during the holiday. Why? For some strawberry cake of course; no Christmas day was complete for the red headed female without one. Glancing around the lively town, a soft flush stained Erza's cheeks. "I'm happy to see everyone enjoying themselves this time of year."

While Erza savored her cake, Kagura just held her plate and looked on. "I agree…its things like this that make all the fighting we do worth it. These holidays make me glad we make it out of these situations. By the way…there is a lot of mistletoe floating around. I suggest you stay clear of it."

"Huh…?" Erza blinked while glancing round. She then happened to spot Minerva and Sting under some mistletoe, watching that situation play out.

"…I'm not doing it." Minerva shook her head.

"But its tradition! There's no harm it in, is there?" Sting flashed an innocent smile. Not that he had any idea how things really went, but he figured one couldn't argue with tradition.

"I'm definitely not dealing with this." Minerva used her magic to suddenly transport Rogue into the area. So when Sting opened his eyes…he'd have an unfortunate surprise awaiting him. Pleased with her work, Minerva dusted her gloves off with a satisfied grin.

"Agh…! What did I do to deserve this…!?" Rogue said while spitting off to the side. "I was just enjoying time with Frosch and…wait, where's Frosch!?" The shadow dragon had to glance around, only to see that Frosch somehow found his way into Kagura's arms, and she was completely enamored with him.

"…All I want for Christmas is this precious exceed." Kagura's eyes sparkled from her apparent need to have Frosch, who just stared at her with his blank happy smile.

"Hey! He's mine, back off!" Rogue shouted at Kagura. It wasn't long before the two of them were in a heated argument about ownership of Frosch…even though it should've been clear at the very beginning.

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Mira was enjoying some hot chocolate with her siblings, staring at the tree with a soft smile on her face. A moment passed and she was bumped into from behind, causing her to take a step forward. "Oh…! I'm sorry; I should've been watching where I was standing." Turning, she was immediately met with a large hat. "Oh…?"

Underneath that hat was a female with bright pink hair and green eyes. She was clad in a stereotypical witch outfit along with a rather large chest sticking out. The female adjusted her hat while staring up at the tree. "Oh…don't mind me. I apologize for my intrustion."

"It's fine!" Lisanna waved her hand while smiling at the strange female. "So…uh…what's your name? I've never seen anyone around here with a getup like that…."

Ignoring the question, the strange female stared up at the Christmas lights. "Ah…Christmas is such a beautiful time of year, isn't it? The gathering of guild mates…families…magic…it's all quite wonderful. I myself enjoy wandering around such crowded areas like this town. I can feel the magic of every mage here seeping into me…"

"Uhhh…" Lisanna looked to Mira and Elfman, neither of whom had an answer for what was just said. It was awkward because this woman WAS speaking to them yet none of them had an answer.

"Man….?" Elfman awkward replied.

"Oh…I'm sorry. I suppose that was out of the blue." Clearing her throat, the witch turned and smiled to the Strauss family. "What a lovely family you all are. Remember to cherish your family during these holidays. You never know when you might lose them..." The witch then began to walk off with her ominous words hanging in the air.

"What on earth was all that about…?" Elfman questioned while looking at his siblings, who had even less of an idea than he did.

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It wouldn't be a Christmas around this area if some fiasco didn't start. It all began with the devil plant known as mistletoe. People needed to be more mindful of their surroundings otherwise they'd end up in incredibly awkward situations due to tradition. Chelia stood by and only shook her head in severe disapproval; as Cupid she could not stand the sight of things happening at the moment. "I don't approve of this at all. People need to be more mindful of where they're standing."

"I agree." Raven was right next to her and nodded. Of course neither of them realized they were standing right below one of those evil plants until Yukino pointed it out.

"Huh…?" Chelia looked up and her cheeks were stained with a bright red crimson hue. "U-Uh…! This…is fine…!" The poor girl suddenly got incredibly flustered; it was all fun and games until she was the one under the love radar. "Uh…!"

"…You're a little hopeless sometimes, you know that…?" As if Raven was one to be able to talk in this situation.

.

If you thought things couldn't get any more awkward, Luke and Erza were watching the fiasco, both of them completely unaware they were standing under mistletoe. Well…Luke noticed, but he was actively making an effort not to say anything about it. Meanwhile, Erza was just completely oblivious to the fact. "This is just crazy." Luke shook his head.

"…Yeah." Erza nodded in slight agreement. "I can't believe people aren't being mindful of where they're standing." As she said that her eyes slowly started to drift upwards.

"Things will be fine as long as you don't look up…!" Luke tried, but he was too late. Erza noticed and things just got extremely awkward after that. "…Look, we can pretend we didn't see this. I'm sure nobody would mind…"

Erza was already feeling embarrassed. A red hue stained her cheeks and she shook her head slightly. "B-But…it's tradition…we can't just ignore it!"

"But…" Luke glanced around. As if things weren't already awkward enough he could feel a few people staring. "…Okay…fine, let's just get this over with…on three? One…two…three…!"

And on three, Erza had to stop because she was just too embarrassed. "No! Wait..! I need a little bit to mentally prepare…I'm not ready."

There were several groans coming from the onlookers as this situation in particular continued to be prolonged. "…I think I'm catching a social disease watching this." Jaxon shook his head, bringing a hand to his face as the awkward situation going on. "A little honesty would've made this situation much less awkward."

"I think it's kind of amusing…" Lucy brought her hand to her mouth, giggling quietly.

"At this rate, I just want him to get it over with…" Roxanne crossed her arms, boot tapping impatiently in the snow. If her significant other was going to kiss someone like this, it might as well have happed already.

"Okay…" Deciding not to procrastinate anymore, Erza hastily grabbed Luke by the cheeks and pressed her lips to his. That kiss didn't last longer for a few seconds and once Erza pulled away her spirit began to leave her body and she fell into the snow. She was eventually dragged off by Kagura to recover.

"…" Luke just kinda stood there in shock before falling over on his back into the snow.

Lucy waited a few moments before standing over Luke, holding a hand out. "…You're not dead, are you? Kagura had a bit of a hard time pushing Erza's spirit back into her body, so…"

Luke reached out for Lucy's hand and used her support to pull himself up. "…That was…something. But for my better interests I'd rather not relive it again." Luke let out an awkward cough.

"Well, it can't get any worse for you, can it?" Lucy clearly forgot who she was talking too. Because an annoying blue cat decided to tease the both of them by hanging a mistletoe over their heads before flying off. It technically happened. "HAPPY…!"

"…Oh, this should be good." Cygnus quipped while shoveling some popcorn into his mouth. He couldn't wait to see how this was going to go down.

"…Guess I'm two for two…" Luke sighed, just wanting to get this one over with. At the very least it was nowhere near as awkward as the kiss with Erza. The fact it actually happened was due to Natsu being distracted by some free food not too far off anyway, so he didn't even notice!

Roxanne's eyebrow twitched, a comical malicious aura beginning to emanate from her being as her orange eyes turned red. "He's getting a little too frisky over there." And she began to walk – or rather, stomp – towards Luke and Lucy. That wasn't a situation that was going to end well.

"And there she goes…" Cygnus chuckled, quite amused at what was about to unfold.

Meanwhile, Sophie just stood in a corner nearby glaring at Lucy with some dagger eyes. She was sure Lucy was aware of it, but it didn't matter. Sipping her cup of iced coffee quietly, Protos Heis elected to do something else at the time. "…I'll spare you for the holiday season…"

Also…nearby, Juvia was trying her absolute damnedest to ensure that she could get a kiss with Gray under the mistletoe. She was actually the one who set up all these traps along Magnolia in hopes to rope Gray into one of them, but he wasn't having it. "Gray-sama…!" And here you could see Gray in his natural habitat: speed walking away from a rather desperate Juvia just trying to get something for the holidays. Not everyone was lucky.

.

All in all…it was quite the happy Christmas Holiday! After all the fighting everyone had participated in lately for one cause or another, it was great for them to relax and unwind like this. The coming year ahead was going to be a new adventure for them all! Filled with good and bad…their challenges were not yet over. But for now…they'd enjoy a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

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Happy New Year everyone!


	71. Chapter 71: The Winds of Change

All was quiet within Magnolia town. Ever since the Tartarus incident, everything was peaceful. It was a nice era of peace that could have lasted forever at this rate. The only trouble caused was the usual strife between rivaling guilds; all of which would be settled within the Grand Magic Games which were right around the corner to bring in the New Year! Cynthia and Wendy were doing what they usually did during the night: sleeping together in the same bed. Ever since Cynthia returned, the mood in Fairy Tail skyrocketed back to its usual levels! This night however…would be a little different than the rest. Feeling a little restless, Cynthia had to shimmy her way out of the bed without waking Wendy or Carla. Slowly walking into the bathroom, she stared into the mirror at her red eyes and sighed.

"…I miss my blue eyes…" Cynthia's voice held a melancholy tone to it. "…Mom's eyes were so pretty. I'm glad I at least got her looks." She was thinking of a way to get her eyes back to normal. Before she knew it, a head splitting ache coursed through her head. Gripping her head with both hands, she let out a quiet groan before those red eyes shone fiercely once again. Standing back up, Cynthia had a malicious grin on her lips.

"Ugh…finally. I hated being stuck in there…" Rose spoke with a groan. That's right…Rose was still alive. Rose was a part of Cynthia after all…Wendy only managed to knock Rose unconscious and suppress her so Cynthia could be free once again. But after all this time, Rose reawakened. "My mission is still incomplete…" Walking out of the bathroom, a sharp stone formed along her hand. She really planned to kill Wendy in her sleep!? Rose lifted her hand up….however she was halted before she could do much else.

"I-I won't let you hurt her…!" Cynthia whispered loudly while gripping her head tightly. With all the mental strength she could muster, she managed to suppress Rose once again. Cynthia fell back into the bed, panting heavily from the strain it put on her body. "….W-What's happening to me…?" As much as she wanted to dwell on this, the sleeping Wendy couldn't have had better timing, for she instinctively reached for her partner to cuddle once again. Being in Wendy's hold was enough to lull Cynthia into sleep once again, but there were several thoughts floating around in her subconscious…all of them concerning that little demon that resided within her….

.

The sun rose on Magnolia. Another early morning; another morning in which Lucy had to see what the guild had in store for her today. Over the course of the last few weeks, the black marking on her back started to spread upwards once again. It was really concerning to Lucy and the medication she was given was starting to not work. Her headaches were minimal, but she didn't feel good with an almost visible mark along her body. Hence why she elected to bundle up the way she did for the weather. "Haa…" The blonde sighed, bringing her scarf up to her neck. She glanced around, noticing the nearby females gossiping about something.

"Oh my god, have you seen him!?"

"He's so cute!"

"It's like all the ladies just flock to him! He hasn't even been around for a month yet "

"He got my boyfriend so jealous…but I have to admit, it was really hard not to dump him for that dreamboat…!"

"Huh…?" Lucy tilted her head curiously. "What are they talking about…?"

"EEE! Here he comes!" A female squealed.

A male started to walk down the Magnolia streets. His hand rested on the hilt of his sheathed blade and he kind of sauntered as though he owned the streets! Long red hair reached down to his shoulders, a white headband wrapped around his forehead. Dark blue eyes opened to gaze around at the ladies present before a sly grin slowly crept onto his lips. "Good morning, my hunnies~" The male's voice was smooth and slick. It was enough to make the females nearby swoon just from the sound of it!

Lucy looked around, unable to believe what it was she was seeing right now. "Huh…? Who's this fruitcake…?" She questioned aloud, but that only angered the girl's around.

"How dare you not know him!?" A brunette shouted.

"Now now…" The male shook his head, plucking a rose from a nearby and held it out to the female. "It is quite all right, my dear. I have yet to introduce myself to this brown eyed beauty. Please don't get upset, you're much cuter when you smile~"

"Ahhhhh~!" Squealing, the female accepted the rose and held onto it for dear life, comical hearts flowing out of her body. "He's so dreammmy…"

"H-Hey…!" A young man appeared from around the corner with a bouquet of roses, kneeling before the brunette! "Honey, I got you your favorite roses! H-How did he already!?"

"Oh, this is your lovely lady? I must say, you're quite a luck man." The red haired male responded with a chuckle before plucking a rose from the bouquet. "I would be threatened by my presence too, if I were you. I mean….I'm just too pretty! Seriously!"

"You've gotta be kidding me…" Lucy couldn't believe what she was watching. So she turned and started to walk off, but the red haired male was already in front of her! "Ah…!"

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't let your beautiful face just walk off yet. A face without a name is perhaps the worst crime I can think of~"

Lucy narrowed her eyes before facing him with a deadpanned expression. "You haven't been around here very long, have you…?"

"You may call me, Zelos." Zelos took a bow before Lucy.

"Zelos…?" Lucy blinked a few times before sighing, figuring it would be rude not to introduce herself. "I'm Lucy. Nice to meet you…I guess."

"Why's he hanging out with that harlot!?" A jealous female exclaimed.

"You wanna come over here and say that?!" Lucy's eyes narrowed as that red aura briefly flared around her body. "I'll punch your lights you…! …Ah…!" Realizing her sudden aggression, she coughed and tried to play it off. Luckily it was a pretty natural reaction but it still bothered her.

"This rose has thorns!" Zelos grinned, hearts forming in his eyes. He liked what he was seeing. "So, pray tell…isn't there a guild around here?"

Oh no. Lucy could already see where this was going. "W-Well…yeah. There's Fairy Tail…"

"Yo, Lucy!" As if by some magical cue, Natsu and Happy appeared, both of them giving Zelos a curious stare. "…Who's this guy?"

"Oh…he says his name is Zelos." Lucy shrugged. "And he wants…to join a guild nearby." This was a desperate cry for help if there ever was one.

"He seems kinda fruity…" Happy snickered. "What's your name?"

"I'm Natsu Dragneel!" Natsu spoke with a grin while pointing to himself. "If you're looking for a guild, I know just where to bring ya!"

Zelos gave Natsu and Happy a once over before turning his back to them. "Yeah, I'm not really interested in talking to guys." He then turned to Lucy with a wide grin. "Would you mind being my escort to this Fairy Tail guild?"

"WH…" Natsu and Happy's eyes widened as Zelos blatantly brushed them off. "I'm gonna kick your ass!"

Well…this wasn't a precursor or anything. Lucy was stuck between a rock and a hard place, but for now she decided to be nice. "Come on, Natsu…what's the worst that could happen…?" She then leaned into Natsu's ear to whisper; "If anything me may leave a bad first impression and get kicked out."

"Heh…" That made Natsu snicker a little bit. "All right, Zelos. We'll take you over there."

Zelos, still ignoring Natsu, draped an arm around Lucy while following her to Fairy Tail. "Off we go!"

"…For some reason I'm extremely irriated." Happy mumbled.

"That guy pisses me off…" Natsu grumbled.

"ZELOS-SAMAAA! PLEASE WAIT!" The crowd of females Zelos massed wanted to chase after him, but knew it was for the better that they didn't.

.

.

Several knocks on Sabertooth's door caught Sting's attention. Curious as to whom it could be, the guild master slowly opened the door. "Yo…?" Standing at the door was a fancily dressed male with black hair and red eyes. Sting tilted his head curiously while staring at the male before him. "Welcome to Sabertooth, can we help you with something?"

"Ah yes…" The male responded with a slight grin. "I was wondering if I could join this establishment of yours. I heard this was one of Fiore's strongest guilds, after all…"

"Oh, sure thing! We always welcome new members! We just got another one the other day and she's been a big help." Sting nodded a few times before stepping aside to let the soon to be guild mate in. "What's your name?"

Stepping inside the building, the male lifted his head up to grin slightly. "You can call me…Dios."

.

.

Yuji waved his hand in front of Sophie's face, just trying to get a reaction out of the girl somehow. But there was nothing. Sophie stared blankly at Yuji and tilted her head slightly. "Still nothing. We gotta fix this. You can't be a robot."

"Does not compute…" Sophie uttered in a monotonous tone before giving a dry laugh. "Hahaha…just kidding."

"OH MY GOD." Yuji's eyes gleamed. "You….you told a joke!? Progress!"

"Leave her alone already…" Yaya sighed. "She's just as human as the rest of us."

"heay, ighrt. Hess toyall a borot." Shinji muttered under his breath. It didn't seem like many knew what it was he just said, but Yuji understood it perfectly and nodded in agreement.

"Losers…" Miya sighed while munching on some candy.

"Where'd you get that candy…!?" Nyx questioned with wide eyes.

"I stole it from the old man's closet." By old man, Miya was referring to Calium. Little did she know that this was some very expired Halloween candy. She was aware of this when her stomach started to rumble. "…"

"What was that noise?" Yaya questioned while looking around.

"It appears as though Miya's stomach is going to erupt." Sophie pointed out very casually.

"S-Shut up…!" Miya held her stomach and her face slowly began to pale. The rest…well, I'm sure you can all assume the direction this was about to go.

From afar, Calium was watching the entire thing. It was nice to see the young ones partially getting along…although he knew that sometimes they could all be more trouble than they were worth. This was also the part where he would punish Miya for ignoring the order of NOT going into his office, but for now he'd let her stomach take action on her instead. "These kids…" The master chuckled silently before walking off.

.

.

Chelia sat inside her bedroom, staring outside the window with a heavy sigh. She was supposed to be out training with Raven right about now, but she wasn't feeling it today. It was one of those days she wanted to be alone. Every so often she needed a day to herself to lament the loss of her magic. Normally it wouldn't hit so hard…but she was lucky to come out alive when the demons attacked Lamia Scale. Without a doubt she was the weakest link due to only having item magic. Her words did manage to put some sense into Cynthia, but….

"I miss it…" The former sky goddess mumbled to herself as the wind started to blow through her open window. She did not regret sacrificing her magic for the sake of her friends and those who needed her…but she did miss it. Being able to fight, since magic was the only thing she was good at. "The wind doesn't seem good either…is this a bad thing…? Something is about to change…" The silent voice of the wind told Chelia one thing; it was an omen. Weather it was good or bad had yet to be foretold…

.

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Next Time: The Magic Swordsman.


	72. Chapter 72: The Magic Swordsman

The doors to Fairy Tail pushed open, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy walking in with a sigh. Their expressions matched the mood because right behind them was Zelos, who stepped forward to make a grand entrance. "Hello Fairy Tail! Your glorious hero has arrived on the scene. Please, please, settle down. I'll take autographs one lady at a time. As for the dudes…good luck with that."

"…What the hell?" Cana peered away from her mug of beer to stare at Zelos. "Natsu, what did we tell you about picking up stray dogs and bringing them in here?"

"He does kinda smell like one now that I think about it…" Natsu had to cover his nose once Cana brought it up.

Zelos completely ignored Natsu's comment and slid on over to meet Cana. "Oh, who do we have here? You know…I bet you're as cute as a button when you smile. 3"

"…Am I under the table drunk again or is he actually speaking with hearts?" Cana stared while tilting her head.

"I think I saw them too…" Wendy said from a table nearby. She quietly sipped her juice while sitting next to Cynthia. It was clear that Zelos had everyone's attention with his entrance…now it was just a matter of how his first impression was going to go. So far it wasn't good.

"I take the blame for this…" Lucy said while rubbing the back of her neck. "I was just trying to get over here and I happened to witness his arrival…"

Mira placed her index finger on her chin, tilting her head curiously as Zelos spoke. "I think I've seen you around lately. Aren't you the one who's had the ladies around Magnolia help you out for free? Seems like you were taking advantage of them to me…"

"He was flirting with everyone. I doubt he even remembers their names…" Lucy scoffed.

"Rachel, Elizabeth, Sarah…" Zelos started to list off a number of female names. He went on for about a minute but it was staggering that he actually remembered all of them. "…And Rebecca. I take slight offense to the idea that you would deem me to be the kind of man that would get the help of 'random women'. All of those women have helped me settle into Fiore and I could not be more thankful for their assistance."

"Oh my." Mira smiled. "He's more courteous than I thought."

"…Did you get any help from dudes?" Romeo quipped in on the conversation. "And stop grinning like an ass! It's annoying."

Zelos narrowed his eyes at Romeo, a scowl replacing that grin of his. "You're an annoying brat, you know that?" And then his attention shifted to Erza, whom he tried to acquaint himself with. "Oh, and who is this red haired beauty over here…"

Erza wasted no time attacking Zelos. She grabbed his arm and hurled him towards the nearest support pillar in the guild. "HYAH!"

"WHOA!" Zelos was tossed like a rag doll across the building's interior! However…he was far more graceful than his appearance let on! With a simple, elegant flip, Zelos landed perfectly on a table and bowed. "That's quite the throwing arm you have there! Sure startled me!"

"...He reacted to Erza's throw pretty fast." Levy calculated Erza's strength, the arc, the velocity, everything needed to judge the impact force. "…That was faster than most people could react. Who is this guy again?"

"Ooooh…" Levy's smartness caught Zelos' attention. "Intellectual hunnies are always on the radar too!"

"Good god…he's just a walking libido…" Erza sighed heavily.

"What's that supposed to mean?! …Oh, I get it. You mean to say I exude masculine sexiness." Zelos quipped with a sly grin.

"…What's a libido…?" Cynthia turned to Wendy curiously, although Lisanna and Levy ended up covering their ears to avoid THAT conversation.

"Don't worry about it." Lisanna responded.

"Please…" Carla let out a sigh of relief with the two saviors. "Someone get this guy out of here…"

"Geez…" Gray sighed while shaking his head. This entire scene was just starting to make him sick. "What do you want already? Aside from checking out our women? Go to Blue Pegasus if that's what you're into…"

"Juvia agrees with Gray-sama! …She also belongs to Gray-sama, so don't come over here!" That said, Juvia latched onto Gray's arm and he began to freak out.

"This isn't how it works…!" Gray said while trying to pry Juvia from his arm, but alas her iron grip was far too much for him to shake off.

"Ah, beautiful love." Zelos brought a hand to his heart. "It's almost as beautiful as I am. I mean…have you seen me? I'm so pretty."

"And he's a narcissist to top it all over. Wonderful." Erza rolled her eyes. "What are you doing here again? …And what is your name?" She was thinking how nice it would be to have Laxus present to help deal with this man…but unfortunately it was just her and she was going to have to deal with him for the time being.

"Oh, yeah, that's right. I almost forgot to introduce myself! I am Zelos…but you all can call me the almighty handsome wonderful glorious Zelos! Or Zelos-sama for short. I wanted to see what this 'guild life' is all about. And seeing as how I'll be residing in Magnolia for the time being, I decided to see how Fairy Tail worked. Makes sense, right?"

"So you're asking to join?" Makarov finally make his comment from the bar counter, quietly coughing into his sleeve.

"Not quite." Zelos said while waving his finger. "I just want a sample! Where is your most reliable team? I'm sure all of the ladies around here are very capable! Think of this as a job within a job. I can pay quite handsomely~ Aside from my devilishly good looks, I mean. 3"

"THERE IT IS AGAIN!" Cana pointed but she was so drunk and off balance she ended up falling out of the stool. "Agh…!"

"Nose goes." Gajeel placed his hand on his nose, followed suit by several other members of the guild. The only people that didn't even get a chance to react were….: Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Erza, Cynthia, Wendy, and the two exceeds of Happy and Carla. Team Natsu, how about that. "HA!"

"…Well, you heard him." Makarov really wasn't up for dealing with someone like Zelos at the moment. Perhaps he'd change his mind upon returning. "The guild could use a little more money." Makarov remarked while taking a sip from his mug of beer. "You ruffians are always destroying things and it's still coming out of the guild's pocket. Think of this as your way of paying me back."

*sigh* It seems they weren't escaping this fruit cake anytime soon. Erza didn't have any choice. "Very well…there was a job I was already on the way of heading to anyway. You are free to come along if you wish. We leave now."

"Very nice!" Zelos grinned. "Is this the group? Majority of ladies? This is something I can get behind."

"Shut up and get moving otherwise we'll leave you behind…" Gray huffed as the team began to make their way out of the guild.

.

.

Once on the train…it was pretty much how you would expect. The three dragon slayers slumped over in their seats due to motion sickness while the others were fine. Erza held a piece of paper in her hand and began to explain the mission. "This is an S class mission. There have been reports of an abandon warehouse being used for illegal storing. It is difficult to determine who is using this warehouse, but the Council has informed me that they are dangerous and should not be using that area. It will be our job to scout and deal with them if necessary. Is everyone clear on what needs to be done."

"Gonna be sick…" Natsu was barely managing to hold in his lunch.

"As long as the fruit cake here doesn't get in our way…" Gray scoffed.

Zelos was chilling a seat, hands behind his head with one leg crossed over the other. He was paying attention to the conversation at hand, although he had not a single thing to add, so he was just going to switch topics. "So! I've decided to use this time as a chance to establish everyone's nicknames."

"I already don't like where this is going…" Wendy groaned while leaning against Cynthia.

"Lucy will be the "Blonde Beauty"!" Zelos spoke with a cheesy grin, meanwhile Lucy's expression just fell.

"…I don't think I want to be called that." Lucy muttered with a deadpanned expression.

"And Erza will be called…." Wait for it… "Red headed scarlet blooming rose!"

"Can't you come up with anything simpler!? Who in their right mind would want to be called that!?" Erza shouted across the aisle at the male who continued to wear that large grin on his face.

"As for Natsu…he will be; "Hey you." And Gray can be… 'that guy.'". Zelos shrugged.

"I see you've spent a lot of time thinking about our names…." Gray shook his head, feeling more irritated than anything. "Can you even fight? Otherwise you'll just be dragging us down."

"Well as it turns out, I…" And before Zelos could finish speaking, a mob of females from around began to swarm him.

"AHHH! THERE HE IS!"

"HE'S SO HANDSOME!"

"EEEEE!"

One could barely make out the male's voice over the crowd of the screaming ladies. "Whoa whoa! One at a time ladies, come on!"

"…Geez…" Carla brought her paw to her forehead and just sighed. "We're not getting anything from this guy except maybe a migraine or an aneurysm…"

.

.

After the train came to a stop, the group of nine had to walk a mile or two before finally coming to a large abandon warehouse in the forest. It was roughly two and a half stories tall. "This is the place…?" Cynthia stared at the building. "It doesn't look abandoned…there's a lot of weird scents coming from inside as well. Someone's inside for sure."

Erza nodded slowly in understanding. "Just as I thought. Here's how we're going to do this: Natsu, Lucy and Happy, you three take the left side of the warehouse; Cynthia, Wendy, and Carla will take the right. Gray, you come with me and storm the front."

"Hey, what about me? I'm on this mission too you know." Zelos sighed while lowering his head.

"You will keep watch of the front and warn us if reinforcements are coming." Erza stated. "You will alert Gray and myself if so, understand?"

"Haaa…I get it, you just don't trust me to handle things. …A wise decision. What a beautiful mutual trust you've all built with each other." Zelos shrugged, a hint of a smile appearing on his lips. "That's fine. I can understand that completely. It is your decision after all." The male waved a hand before walking off a little bit. "I'm a good lookout after all."

"Now that he's out of our hair…are we ready?" Erza looked to everyone and they nodded. Everyone took their positions and with Erza's signal…they all charged the warehouse! Breaking inside by any means necessary, Team Natsu prepared for quite the fight!

…Meanwhile, Zelos just sat comfortably against a tree, glancing back at the building occasionally at all the action he was missing. "Ah…they're a smart bunch. I wouldn't trust me either. But they seem like good people." A few minutes of strange silence later and Zelos heard it; the sound of the bushes rustling. "…Oh?" A brow was quirked as several shadily dressed men appeared to surround him.

"You're with that group aren't ya?" One of the men questioned with a powerful magical aura radiating from his body. The others around also proceeded to let their aura release, causing the ground to tremble; they were no joke. "Then you just fell into our trap."

"Oh?" Zelos tilted his head. "I'm just the lookout…I was supposed to let them know if anyone was coming…but all I see around here are a couple of dead men…"

"WHAT'D YOU SAY!?" Zelos' remark clearly angered these men. "GET HIM!" And with that command, they all lunged at the red head at once!

Zelos' lips curved into a sly grin that was just barely noticeable to the human eye. "…Don't hate me." The mysterious male gripped the sword on his waist, sitting up from his position almost instantly. In one smooth motion, Zelos brandished his sword and spun into the air in a graceful, elegant spiral; a trail of wind followed his unmatched movement. "Decisive Slice." Upon landing on the ground, Zelos sheathed his blade once again and all of the men fell into the ground; lifeless. "That was so pretty…" Zelos' tone was sleek and smooth as he rested against the tree once again.

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Next Time: From The Ashes.


	73. Chapter 73: From The Ashes

Emmeraude's heels clicked along the halls of Crocus Castle. As sovereign ruler of Fiore she was kept busy, but this was good for her personal tastes. Due to her Queenly Majesty, the moment she took a seat on the throne the country was hers to rule. One would think she would have to answer for the Face situation that occurred some time ago, but she pushed all blame onto the former King, Toma, and made him answer for the ineptitude of the country for failing to prepare for such a situation. Since then, Queen Emmeraude was hailed as Fiore's greatest ruler…and the crazy part is that she was actually doing her best to benefit the country! Leaning forward, she examined a lacrima screen. "Hm…so I see the shipment has been approved. Wonderful. Things are proceeding smoothly."

"Emmeraude." Hisui appeared around the corner, holding a file in her hand. "I've collected information one what you were looking for. I hope it's sufficient…I tried my best to obtain it."

Emmeraude took the file, quickly flipping through the pages to skim the information. "I'll give this a thorough read later. But from what I saw it appears that you've done a wonderful job my dear." The queen patted Hisui on the shoulder with a proud mother-like smile.

"T-Thank you…!" Hisui grinned. Emmeraude's influence on the throne strongly affected Hisui due to the fact she was the heir to the throne. "O-Oh, shouldn't we begin preparing the stadium for the Grand Magic Games?"

"Hmmm? We have those here too…?" Emmeraude mumbled that statement. "Yes…that's right. I almost forgot about the grand festivities. It's right around the corner…I'm eager to see what strength the guilds in this country have to offer for us. Perhaps we'll see Protos Heis as well…I'm sure my wonderful little machination will arrive if she's found a home."

"If you want, I could issue a search…?" Hisui suggested. "I can round up a few people."

"No need, my dear. I appreciate the gesture. But Protos Heis is a highly combative experiment. Anything she deems a threat she will engage without a moment's hesitation. I can't let those poor, ill prepared soldiers face off against something like that. Plus…as we've discussed before, I need her to act on her own to eradicate the Lambda Virus. It will be then that she returns to her darling mother."

Hisui felt a twinge of jealously. From what, she wasn't sure. But she was going to comply with Emmeraude's wishes. "Very well. Also, the Council has a message for you whenever you are free. Siegrain wishes to have a discussion with you."

"Noted. Thank you my sweet." Emmeraude offered a sweet smile before walking off. "Running this backyard country is far easier than I believed it to be. All that's left to do now is sweep all the troublesome matters under the rug permanently…it'll only take a little more time…"

.

.

The Council HQ was fully rebuilt after the Tartarus fiasco. Several Councilmen stood before Siegrain's desk. The Chairman turned, staring all of them down. "Thank you all for coming here today."

"Of course sir!" This voiced belonged to Fullbright Justice. The one man in the Council who actually wanted to do his job and tolerated no injustice. "In the name of Justice, I promise to do everything to ensure the safety of Fiore! In Justice we trust!"

"…Pipe down." Odin sighed heavily while pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm getting too old for all of this work, damn it."

"What is you would have us do, Siegrain-sama?" Layanna questioned. "Catch criminals? Tighten security?"

"Both answers." Siegrain explained. "We took a severe blow when Tartarus struck…there is no doubt that the people want to blame the Council for our lack of protection at the time. We are going to do everything in our power to ensure that the people respect us once again. No matter what it takes."

"Heh…" Correll's lips curved up into a slight smirk. "Just say the word, Senpai. A little lawful enforcement could do this country wonders. These evil fiends need to be reminded of the terror of the law."

"I'm glad you all agree with me." Siegrain nodded. "So here's how we're going to act, and I will need each of you to act accordingly…"

.

.

"I apologize for the actions my brother has committed on us…" Trinity spoke to his Black Phoenix family, a look of sadness on his face. "Because of him…we lost very important people."

"It's not your fault, Trin." Lucia said with a comforting smile. "We all made it out alive….well, most of us."

"Next time I promise I won't let anything happen to any of you." Tristan proclaimed. His pride as a knight and ace was destroyed with Sayla bent his body to her will with a single finger. He could not let anything like that happen ever again. Because of the loss of their guild master, the atmosphere around the room was pretty…somber.

"What will do in the mean time?" Another member, Lily, the paper mage spoke up. She was kind of short compared to everyone else with brown hair and blue eyes. "We don't have a guild master."

"Who said that?" That familiar voice echoed throughout the guild hall, causing all of those present to look around confusedly. Soon, a void opened up and Anri stepped right out and yawned as usual. "I got put down for a nap…and lemme tell ya, it hurt like a bitch."

"…You're alive?" Was the general reaction Anri received from her surprise appearance.

"Yes." Anri replied. "It wasn't pleasant either. I may be alive, but Daityas still took my soul. I don't think I'll be getting that back anytime soon. But I'm alive and I'm proud of my Phoenixes for fighting so valiantly. We always rise from the ashes no matter what, yes?"

"She finally said something that makes sense for once." Lucia quipped with a small chuckle. It wasn't very long after that that Anri's fist slammed into Lucia's stomach and sent her into a wall. "…Yup…that's her all right…." The golem groaned before falling unconscious.

.

.

Wendy, Carla and Cynthia snuck into the warehouse from their respective side. Luckily for them the boxes were much bigger than they were, so they had no problem staying out of side by using them as cover. "I wonder what's going on in here…" Wendy mumbled while peering around the box. She saw several men hustling to move around the cargo. Whatever was inside was heavy since it required multiple people for one box.

"Strange…" Carla tried to get closer, but it was a little too risky.

"We're to wait for the signal, right…?" Cynthia asked. Usually at this point Natsu would be raring to go, but their presence was concealed and they had the advantage because of it.

It was around that time that Erza and Gray stormed the front! They were acting as the distraction and the main attack force, catching the attention of the mysterious group. "Intruders!?"

"Hey, get them outta here!"

Gray took the initiative, slamming his fist into his palm before placing his hands on the floor. "Ice Make: Floor!" A slippery ice coating spread along the first floor of the warehouse, causing multiple people to slip and fall on their behinds. "Erza!"

Wasting no time, Erza took to the air as a golden light wrapped around her body. When the light dispersed she was donning her Heaven's Wheel Armor, complete with several swords floating around her person. "Dance my blades!" Flying forward, the circle of swords sliced through the several people that had fallen, blowing them away into the boxes of cargo with ease.

"I'm fired up! Let's go!" An explosion of fire occurred from the opposite side of the building. Natsu jumped forward with flames blazing around his body, landing in the middle of a small group with a grin on his face. "Flame Dragon's King's…." His arm lifted up, a focused blaze around the entirety of his hand. "Demolition Fist!" Slamming his hand into the ground, a powerful wave of fire exploded from contact. The force of the flames was more than enough to set ablaze several boxes of cargo while blowing people away.

"NATSU!" Lucy shouted from above. "We're not supposed to be destroying things! We have to keep it all intact! You idiot…" As she berated the Salamander from a higher floor, she soon found herself surrounded by a few of these well-dressed mysterious people. "I guess we're doing this." A bright glow surrounded her body as she entered her Stardress: Aries. "Ha! Wool Bomb!" Arms held forward, a cloud of pink wool expelled from her hands. She was taking them out in the least violent way; with comfortable fluff that could smother them.

"We were supposed to not destroy stuff?" Clearly Natsu didn't get the memo. "Oh well?"

 _"_ _You've got some people sneaking up on you both."_ Rose's voice echoed in Cynthia's head. It was a weird feeling but acting on that instinct, Cynthia turned while nudging Wendy's shoulder. Lo and behold, the other person in her head was absolutely correct! Several suited men tried to sneak up on the small duo, but they were prepared now. "Omega Fire Dragon's Roar!" Parting her lips, a funnel of vermillion flame shot forth to consume those who tried to attack them!

Wendy followed suit, leaping into the air with her arms spread apart. "Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" Spirals of air formed around her hands. Once she threw those forward they expelled into several cyclones of wind that consumed and blew away the opposition, sending them into walls while toppling several boxes over. The cargo within the box seemed to be…some sort of medicinal herb? "Huh…What's that…?"

.

Still outside, Zelos watched the building as the multiple explosions shook the warehouse. Fire, ice, wind, wool, there was just a bunch of carnage in every which direction. "Sounds like they've got it all under control in there." Standing up, the male began to walk towards the building at a slow pace. "Guess it couldn't hurt to see what they're capable of in there." Pushing the doors open, Zelos only saw Team Natsu slaughtering this mysterious group. "Whoa! You guys are pretty good!"

"Didn't we tell you to wait outside!?" Erza exclaimed while evading a swing imbued with lightning magic, only to retaliate with a fierce kick to the attacker's chest.

"Oh yeah. A few dudes tried to get all touchy feely. Told them I wasn't feeling it and into women and had to put them down for a little dirt nap." Zelos waved his hand so nonchalantly as he spoke; like he didn't even care or notice that he was interrupting a big brawl. "It's boring out there. Plus I wanted to see my hunnies in action!"

"You're a nuisance." Gray sighed.

"I'm too pretty to be a nuisance. Also…" Zelos pointed to the dude crawling on the ground towards one of the many herbs scattered on the floor. "What's that guy doing?"

"There's something bad about that plant…!" Wendy shouted from the higher floor. "Don't let any of them ingest it…!"

Too little too late. The man began to ingest the herb. At first, their injuries began to heal as though nothing even happened! But then….it started to get worse. They began to scream and roll around on the ground in pain; their form began to grow larger and more disgusting.

"W-What's happening…?" Lucy asked while taking a step back. She didn't notice all of the other people ingesting the plant as well, undergoing a very similar transformation themselves.

"W-Whoa…! Talk about walking up on the wrong side of the bed…!" Zelos commented while staring at all the monsters starting to form. "If there were any mirrors in this place…I'm sure they all would've broken by now."

"This isn't the time for jokes!" Erza shouted as a sweat drop formed on her forehead. She could feel the incredible rise in magic power coming from these men turned monsters. "T-They're mutating…from a simple plant…?" It wasn't long before the building was infested with these monsters! And all of them had only one goal in mind: destroying the intruders.

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Next Time: The New Member.


	74. Chapter 74: The New Member

Team Natsu (and Zelos) stared as they were quickly surrounded by a large group of humans turned monsters. To recap, the humans Team Natsu were fighting in the warehouse ingested some strange medicinal herb that caused their bodies to undergo a strange metamorphosis. They grew in size and the skin turned into a hellish pale green color. Of course Zelos and his carefree attitude had to take this situation lightly and pulled out a small hand mirror and pointed it towards the monsters. It didn't take long for the mirror to instantly shatter. "Yup…just as I thought. These guys are really ugly." And because he wasn't paying attention the magic swordsman was smacked with incredible force, lifting him off the ground with ease!

"AHHHH!" And CRASH! Right into a few crates that collapsed on top of him.

"…At least he's out of the way now." Lucy said with a sweat drop. But if they were able to send someone like him flying…these things were really strong. "W-What do we do?"

"We take them down!" Natsu pounded both fists together, embers sparking from impact. Wasting no time, the Salamander took the initiative and charged forward with flames blazing around his fist. "Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu swung his fist forward, but to his surprise he was met halfway! Not only that…but this monster was strong!? Black eyes widened as he struggled to hold his ground. "W-What the hell!? These guys are tough now!?"

"Natsu-san, look out!" Wendy warned Natsu off the monster's free arm, but it was a little too late and the fire dragon was flung off into the nearest with a grunt of pain. "Ah…!"

"Natsu!" Happy flew over towards Natsu to see if he was okay. Natsu was a little dazed and bruised, but nothing he couldn't handle.

"What's the deal with these things…" Gray said while slamming his fist into his palm, a frigid wind expelling around his body. "Ice Make: Freeze Lancer!" Thrusting his arms forward, several enlarged lances of ice shot forth from all angles; the lances spread out, striking and colliding against the monsters only to make them stagger just slightly. "Tch…!"

"Please be careful!" Wendy warned. "T-They're still people after all!"

"We don't know if they're too far gone or not. And for everyone's safety we can't take that chance." Erza's body was washed in a familiar golden light and she appeared in her Flame Empress Armor. Lifting her sword up and swinging it down, a fierce trail of fire shot forward in a vertical line. To Erza's surprise, the monsters were exceptionally quick as well and evaded the fire before it could touch them. "Huh…?" Titania turned to her left, bringing the blunt side of her blade up to block a punch from the monster. "Agh…! These things are strong…what did that plant do to them?!"

An explosion occurred from the floor above. Wendy and Cynthia were tossed over the railing and had an uncontrollable flight pattern, eventually crashing right into a nearby wall. The pair groaned while lifting their heads up groggily. "Ugh…" Cynthia shook her head. "That hurt a lot…"

"Is there anything we can do against these things…?" Wendy questioned while staring at the others. It was a struggle since everyone was currently divided, and taking these things outside didn't seem like the best option since they could escape and run rampant.

"Don't let them escape!" Lucy shouted while unleashing another Wool Bomb upon a small group of three of the monsters. The wool only managed to hold for a few seconds before the monsters began to tear through it like paper. "Oh crap."

"DesTROY…" A monster growled while continuing its advance.

Pushing the crates aside, Zelos removed the pieces of wood from off him while dusting off the herbs. "Well…that was pretty rude. It looks like you all could use my assistance. I didn't join this job just to look pretty!" Knees bent and the swordsman took into the air, brandishing his short sword as the fires of hell wrapped around the blade. "Hell Pyre!" Swinging his sword, a sphere of fire rocketed towards a group of monsters like a meteor and exploded in a vicious blaze! Of course the monsters were exceptionally quick to evade the flames, and the only result Zelos obtained was setting several crates and multiple herbs ablaze. "Ugly creatures really know how to run fast, don't they…?"

"Nice job you idiot, you missed!" Gray shouted. Now wasn't the time for any type of distractions.

Although Zelos did indeed miss…there was something that caught his attention. The plants were extremely flammable and the blaze that was produced was larger than it should have been. Despite his good looks, Zelos was also a very quick thinker and it didn't take much longer for him to figure out a plan. "All right! I, the great Zelos-sama, got it! Listen up everyone!"

"We're gonna die in here…" Carla let out a heavy sigh as Zelos began to speak.

"These plants are really susceptible to fire! Not my fire of passion, mind you. Although!" Zelos was getting the point. "Since using these plants, these creatures have become very quick when it concerns fire. I believe this is because they are afraid of it just as the plants are."

"So in other words you want us to commit arson?!" Lucy shot Zelos a heated gaze, only to receive hearts flowing from his being comically.

"With such a fiery gaze like that, you'll melt my heart instead, Lucy-chan!" Zelos responded with an enamored tone.

"I'm gonna be sick…" Lucy groaned.

"Hey, you!" Wow…Zelos was actually using the nickname he gave Natsu on the train and it worked! "Unleash your biggest blaze! Scarlet beauty, crimson cutie, you do the same!"

"Stop calling me that!" Erza was not only annoyed, but also flustered by such a remark. Although it wouldn't hurt to follow Zelos' advice since he seemed to be correct on the matter.

"Crimson cutie….i-is he talking about me…?" Cynthia pointed to herself.

"It fits…" Wendy mumbled before quickly saying something else. "I'll help fuel the flames…!"

"Such a helper you are, Wendy-chan." Zelos winked before trying once again. Igniting his sword in flames, he acted as a distraction to the opposing monsters. "Hell Pyre!" Swinging the blade once again, a sphere of flame rocketed towards the monsters, all of them moving out of the way as quickly as possible.

"Burn it all, huh? That's something I'm great at!" Natsu grinned.

"Don't sound proud of it, you pyromaniac!" Gray exclaimed.

Ignoring the ice maker's words, Natsu's mouth already began to inflate as flames spiraled around his mouth in a miniature vortex. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" Parting his lips, a funnel of orange flames expelled from his mouth and soared to a large group of crates; the ensuing blaze was fierce and took up a large section of the warehouse while making the monsters cower away. Erza followed suit with a figure eight slash of her flame sword, adding onto Natsu's wicked blaze!

"Omega Fire Dragon's Roar!" Cynthia lurched forward to stay her crimson flames onto the growing blaze!

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" Wendy unleashed a strong gust of wind that fueled the collection of flames! The fire spread out to every inch of the warehouse and cornered the monsters in a corner. Although Zelos didn't entirely think this sudden plan of his through.

"…We should probably get out of here now." Zelos was about to turn tail and run, but a monster caught him off guard and kept him pinned to the ground on his stomach. "Oof…!"

"Kill…" The monster grumbled. If it was going to go down, it was going to take one of them with the rest of them!

Realizing the dire situation he suddenly found himself in, Zelos turned to Team Natsu as they started to flee the building before it collapsed. "….Ohhey. Natsu. Buddy. Friend. If I die here…..I swear I'll come back to haunt you."

"…I just had a sudden, violent urge to abandon you." Gray pinched the bridge of his nose.

"For crying out loud…" Lucy grabbed her whip, using this to wrap around Zelos' arm. While it may not have been his preferred method of travel, Lucy did manage to pull him out from the monster's grip just as the building began to collapse on itself. All that was left was the charred remains of a building once they were all through with it…

"Whew! Lucy-chan, you are quite the savior. How can I repay you? With a kiss?" Zelos was coming on too strong and Lucy ended up Lucy Kicking him away out of pure instinct. Perhaps with a little more aggression than she intended. "…Ah…was that too much…?"

"Nah, he'll be fine." Gray chuckled. "Although…we should probably inform Master…and the Council what happened here today."

"What happened in there…" Happy tried to wrap his head around the situation, but really it wasn't getting him anywhere. He wasn't a heavy thinker anyway. "I'm hungry…do we have fish back at the guild?"

"Can you really only think about fish at a time like this…?" Carla huffed.

"I suppose I'll have a decision of my own to make once we get back to the guild…" Zelos placed his arms behind his back. "What an experience that was….~"

"I almost forgot he was thinking about joining the guild…" Erza admitted while rubbing the back of her head. "Although we did make it out due to your quick thinking…it still cost us the building."

"What can I say? Every building I step into…" Zelos was then thwacked in the back of the head by Lucy.

"I'll hit you if you say something perverted again! We have children here!" Lucy yelled.

"Don't say that after you've already hit me…!" Zelos whined.

.

Once returning to Magnolia, the team stood outside Fairy Tail. "I can only wonder what Master is going to say about this…." Pushing the doors open she was met with…a bit of a surprise. Mii stood in the center of the guild hall, just chilling on a seat. "Huh…?"

"Is that…?" Lucy tilted her head.

"Oh helloooo!" Mii waved with a bright smile. "I was wondering when you guys were going to come back. I've been waiting all evening…."

"And who is this?" Zelos quirked a brow, that smarmy grin forming on his lips once again. "Quite the beauty we have here?"

"Oh no…." Lucy palmed her own face at what she was afraid of what was about to happen.

"Oh?" Mii quirked a brow, looking Zelos over. "I didn't know you were bringing hunks over to this place! Where was my invitation? I feel a little offended."

"These two never needed to meet…" Levy pinched the bridge of her nose as this horrendous scene took place.

"Master…" Erza tried to ignore the scene that was playing out behind her. She then explained the situation that unfolded at the warehouse. "We've already informed the Council of what happened. Now…if you don't mind me asking…what is she doing here?"

"I see…" Makarov responded to Erza's report with a nod. As for Mii… "She dropped by while you were out. She said she had something she wanted to ask of us…but wanted you to be here. Also…has he made his decision yet?"

Feeling his ears burn, Zelos turned to Makarov and nodded. "Huh? Oh yeah, I've made my decision. Such a place filled with cool beauties? How could I NOT join this place?"

"Damn it…" Gray let out a heavy sigh.

"I see…" Makarov simply nodded while having a stamp at the ready. "I will give you your mark then…if that is okay with you."

"However!" Zelos interrupted. "I feel I must get a better feel of this place before I can solidify my decision." The magic swordsman then dropped a large bag of jewel on the bar. "As payment for allowing my lovely self to embark on a mission with some of your finest. I will drop in quite often to see how the atmosphere is around here! I'm sure this lovely lady would enjoy speaking to you, and who am I to rob a woman of her spotlight. Adios, my cool beauties…and you other people." With a bow and a shit eating grin, Zelos departed from the building.

"What an ass…" Romeo grumbled.

"For real…" Cynthia crossed her arms and huff. "But what are you doing here, Mii?"

"Oh, right…!" Mii snapped back to attention. "I uh…I've been thinking a long time after what happened at the Isle. It was pretty crazy to think about how shady I was back then…yet you all decided to trust me. I wanted to die…but a certain someone was pretty adamant about not letting that happen, and I started thinking…I've been looking for someone for a while now. And I don't want to carry that search out alone anymore…I want to be close to people who I know can help me out, you know…?"

"…Are you…" Erza tilted her head as Mii spoke.

The female then took a bow. "My name is Mii Koryuji. I'm an heiress from the Pergrande Kingdom…I'm half human, half angel. My mother was human. I know I've done a lot of wrong in the past…but I humbly request that you allow me to join your guild!"

There was a somewhat shocked silence coming from the room as Mii made her request. Nobody ever would've thought this girl would request to join their guild after everything that happened in the past. "…You did save our lives." Mira spoke with a soft smile. "I wouldn't still be here if not for you."

"You were pretty shady back then…" Gajeel huffed.

"And pretty unreliable." Levy added.

"The streak was high…" Wendy added on.

"Okay okay…." Mii waved her hands with a nervous sweat drop. "…I just like helping you people, that's all. I can understand if…"

"Where do you want your mark?" Makarov interrupted Mii with that kind old smile of his. "I can tell that my children would be more than happy to have you as a member." Looking around, despite what they were saying about her…it was true. They all had smiles on their faces.

"You guys do love Mii!" And there was the insufferable name pun Mii always did. The groans were loud but she knew they liked her. "As for my mark…uh…" Mii thought for a moment before getting an idea. Taking a step forward, she allowed her rainbow colored, fluorescent, almost transparent angel wings to spread. She then pointed to the space between her wings on her back. "Right there."

"Allow me." Taking the stamp from Makarov, Erza stamped Mii precisely where she wanted to be stamped. "There you go, Mii. Welcome to Fairy Tail."

"Your wings are really pretty, Mii-san!" Wendy spoke with a glimmer in her eyes.

"Oh, these?" Mii bashfully grinned while rubbing the back of her head. "I got them from my father. He has the same color wings and apparently is the only angel to have this rainbow color as well. Nifty, ain't it?"

"Please don't talk about angels…" Lucy rubbed her temples. "We had to deal with them some time ago…it really wasn't fun. There was Sirus…and then he got really Sirius…" …She accidentally made the same pun about that situation Luke did during that time. She had to stop hanging out with him.

"Oh…you fought those guys?" Mii tilted her head curiously. "I hated that Sirius one. Such a pain in the ass."

"We're putting a few ground rules for you though." Levy waved her finger around.

"Awh, I feel so special~" Mii hummed.

"First off: no flirting with anything and everything. We have children around here so tone down your attitude when they're around." Levy commanded.

"I got it, I got it. I would never taint these precious babies with such language! So…when they aren't around I'm free to speak however I want?" A sinister glint then appeared in Mii's green eyes.

"T-That's not the point…!" Levy flailed.

"…Looks like the family just got a little larger…" Mavis giggled quietly.

.

Just outside, Zelos leaned against the building with a small sigh. "Ah…who would've expected that she showed up? That's unfortunate. But doesn't matter. I still have to weigh their strength regardless….For now…where are my beautiful hunnies!?"

.

.

Next Time: Revival.


	75. Chapter 75: Revival

Darkness. Lucy was wandering around a pitch black area that had no end, no matter how long she ran or walked. "Natsu? Erza? Gray? Wendy? Cynthia?" She called out the names of her comrades, hoping to call one of her friends. She didn't get any response and was beginning to become extremely concerned. "Guys…?"

BOOM! An explosion shook the darkness. Lucy nearly lost her footing in the process. "G-Gah…!?" When she looked around again, she saw Natsu down on his back! "Natsu…!" Rushing over to the fallen dragon slayer, her eyes widened as he was unresponsive. "N-NATSU!? Are you okay?! Please speak to me…!"

Several smaller thuds happened around her. Glancing around, she could only see the dead bodies of all her friends surrounding her…piling up around her with each passing second. The sight was enough to drive her mad and her body began to shake. "W-What…what's happening…why is everyone…"

 _"_ _Death is coming…"_ That slightly familiar voice rang in Lucy's head. _"You will be…death…"_

When…when did that blood get on her hands? Everything was happening so fast and all at once Lucy couldn't process it fast enough. All she could do was let out an ear piercing scream of agony….

.

.

And that's when she shot awake. The blonde panted heavily and looked around…everything was normal. Granted Natsu or none of the others crashed into her house while she was asleep…everything seemed to be okay. "…Oh thank goodness…it was just a nightmare." Glancing at the clock it was…5:00 AM. Too early, but she was already wide awake now. "This is going to be a long day…might as well get a bath in…"

Lucy began to strip down, grabbing a change of clothes and went into her bathroom. Strangely enough…the light was already on! Was somebody in her house after all? …Was it a thief? Cautiously, Lucy slowly opened the door to her bathroom and saw….Mii just chilling naked in the already filled bubbly water. The female's clothes were messily scattered about the bathroom. "…?!"

"Ahhh….this is the life…" Mii slowly submerged herself into the water, eyes closed with a content smile on her face.

"MII!? What are you doing in my house!?" Lucy shouted only out of pure surprise.

"Oh…hey Lucy." Mii lifted her hand from the tub and waved. "Why don't you join me, it's nice. Maybe I can scrub you down, too~"

She didn't want this. "Keep your hands…mouth…and everything to yourself." Lucy replied before sliding into the tub on the opposite side. The water was nice at least. "Ahhh…so you never answered my question. How did you get in here…? And why didn't you wake me up?"

"You left the door open." Mii replied. "…As in…I picked the lock open. Plus, you were sleeping soundly. I didn't want to disturb you. You had a content smile on your face."

"I thought we told you to stop being shady…" Lucy spoke with a deadpanned expression. But was she sleeping soundly? That dream she had was hell…

"It's finnnne…" Mii waved her hand before finally opening her eyes just a little bit; she planned on checking Lucy out but instead her eyes were just wide for a completely different reason. "W-Whoa…"

"What…?" Lucy quirked a brow curiously. "Is there something on my face…?"

"Uh….look in the water…I don't know how to describe that…." Mii cleared away some of the water so Lucy could look and uh…what came next was a shrilling cry that probably would've gotten her noise complaints in the very near future.

What had Lucy so shaken? Remember that black mark on her back that spread? It moved to the right side of her upper back, crawling along her arm and a little bit of her neck as well. "N-Not again…!"

"Again?"

"I don't know what's going on with me…" Lucy sighed heavily while staring her arm. "Ever since I've noticed this thing, I've been getting headaches, having nightmares…hearing a voice in my head…I don't know what it all means…I was taking medicine to suppress it all, but it hasn't been working lately. Plus…I feel a little more aggressive than usual. In small spurts…like when I was called a harlot the other day, I really wanted to drive that woman into the ground! And to top it all off some moody little brat has been trying to attack me off and on for who knows why!? SIGH…..…I've been told overall that it isn't a beneficial or a parasite…"

"So you've just got some weird thing lurking in your body…?" Mii tilted her head recalling Lucy's attitude at the Isle of the Dragons during some parts. "Is that why you were kinda acting iffy…? Hmmm….maybe that's why those Commandants were after you?"

"But when we went to Joya for that large meeting, Ashnard didn't so much as glance my way…" Lucy let out a heavy sigh and sank into the water. "Why has my life become so complicated….?"

"I'm sure it's nothing serious…." Mii tried to reassure Lucy, but she really wasn't the best at these kinds of things. "You should relax! Come on, let me take this soap and scrub you down! …Touchy-feely free, I promise." Because that was the only way Lucy would probably only say yes anyway.

With a sigh, Lucy didn't really care and shifted to turn her back to Mii. "Fine…do whatever." She was too depressed about the black mark to really care about anything else right now.

"Yeesh…you need to lighten up. I'm supposed to be the cynically depressed one…" Mii sighed, beginning to wash Lucy's back while keeping her hands to herself as promised. "You're also incredibly tense…you know you could use a massage. I've been told that my hands work wonders…!" …No response. Mii frowned. She didn't sign up for this, she just wanted to relax in Lucy's bath, but even Lucy couldn't relax! "This really isn't my forte…maybe the guild can cheer you up…"

"I-I can't show them this…" Lucy finally spoke while staring at the black marking on her arm. "It's gross and disgusting…I'll just wear something over it. You can't tell anyone either, okay! I'm…trusting you with this."

Ewww…what was this feeling Mii felt when Lucy flat out said she trusted her? It made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. "…Okay, well. When you put it like that, I really can't say no."

"Thank you." Lucy sighed. She had some long days ahead of her.

.

.

"I've noticed you've been lurking around here recently." Calium spoke to Rugal within his office: the very same Rugal who abandoned Tartarus not too long ago. "You're walking a thin line, aren't you, Rugal? What makes you think you can live a normal life. Better yet, what makes you think it's possible you can live a normal live here?

Had Rugal been the same person he was all that time ago…he would have cowered at the idle magic aura Calium had around his body. But no, he was a different man now who sought to atone for the error of his ways. "I am aware of the current state that I am in. I wouldn't be surprised if they took my soul if I decided to turn back…and I'd be looked down upon if I stay here. But I want to be able to serve my purposes for the greater good and I want to belong here, even if it means me being ignored for what I am and where I came from." After speaking, Rugal brought himself to a knee, looking up at Calium. "Even if it kills me, I will be redeemed by the law, order, and justice that you humans have instilled throughout society."

"It sounds like you have it all figured out." Calium responded, grinning as Rugal took a knee before him. With a shake of his head, he responded; "We'll have to get you out of that hierarchy demeanor of yours though; we don't bow to anyone here. We're equals in terms of humanity. To bow to a person is to see their existence greater than your own, and here that doesn't exist. Rugal, if it's a home you seek while wishing to fulfill your ambitions, White Eclipse will happily take you. But we can only trust you as far as our weakest member can throw you. If anything happens to one of my runts and your scent is own it, be warned that we won't hesitate to punish you."

"I…I understand…" Rugal nodded firmly while standing back up. It was a strange thing, but accepted like this. While he departed from Calium's office, he found himself holding back tears of joy.

.

Just outside White Eclipse…Leon stood, staring at the guild he could call his home for the time being. Thanks to Rugal, just before Daityas dragged him into hell, a dimensional rift opened up and whisked the acid slayer away to safety. Because of that, Leon was still alive. But he couldn't return to White Eclipse just yet, if at all. There were still too many things he had left to do in terms of improving himself. "I'm sorry, Aira. Everyone. But I can't come back just yet. I have some things left I need to do. Please wait for me, okay?"

.

.

In a building in an undisclosed location, Zeref sat down while holding a book. No, it was not the book of END. That book was sitting next to him on a table nearby. With a snap of his fingers, the book in Zeref's hand shone brightly before revealing to be none other than the previously fallen Marde Geer. The Demon King looked around, unable to comprehend what was happening. "…My Lord…?"

"Marde Geer…one of the strongest demons I have created." Zeref's tone held something akin to disappointment. "All of Tartarus fell to a batch of mere humans. I was certain that I made you stronger than that. Am I perhaps slipping in my age…or were you really just incompetent?"

"I…I am sorry…" Marde lowered his head.

"However…" Zeref continued. "I am not without understanding. The humans have grown beyond my expectations…and the assistance of the dragons from the isle did thwart your plans, I know. This is why I've decided to give you a second chance at life. I've spent this time enchanting your book to make you twice as powerful as before. Can you look me in the eye and tell me that you will not make the same mistakes as last time when you decide to act?"

Marde stared directly at Zeref. It wasn't often the death wizard granted anyone a second chance…but this was an opportunity that he could no squander. "Yes, my lord." Marde bowed. "There were still many thing left unaccomplished that I wish to check up on."

"Very good." Zeref nodded before waving his hand dismissively. "You are now free to go. Do not disappoint me again…or I shall burn your book to erase your existence entirely. You will meet the same fate as those disgusting humans."

.

.

Desdemona sighed in her seat. She shifted, crossing one leg over the other while staring at a chess board filled with various pieces. She lifted one up, using it to gently knock another down before relaxing once again. "I believe that's enough time for waiting. Ophelia dear…"

Shortly after being called, Ophelia appeared within her mother's chambers with her arms crossed. "Yes, Mother?" The half-breed responded with a quirked brow. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Yes, do make yourself useful for once and go outside. I have a small job for you: I need you to collect some information from around Fiore. And you aren't allowed to return until you finish it, understand?" Desdemona spoke while staring at her black nails. "…Why are you still here? Go."

"…Tch." Ophelia sucked her teeth in annoyance before stomping out of her mother's room. The attitude was present, but it only managed a sigh from the full blooded wraith sitting down.

"Children these days…"

.

.

Next Time: The Encounter.

Or, you know. Valentine's Day special. Whichever comes first.


	76. Chapter 76: The Encounter

Magnolia was buzzing with activity. It shouldn't have been so surprising considering what day it was: Valentine's Day! There would be nothing so big such as the big couple's competition that happened last time. Everyone had their own way of celebrating the day which would come later. For now, Lucy had just finished some shopping. Mii was with her, carrying a bag to help Lucy out back to her house. "You know…" Mii began. "I was expecting you to be a 'shop till you drop' kinda girl. Admittedly, this is a little underwhelming."

Lucy pouted, staring at Mii while narrowing her eyes at the red head. "Do I look like a spoiled rich girl? …Well, okay no…but when you're working for your own money like I do, I can't exactly spend it all on luxury items. I just need the necessities. …Speaking of, we need to have a talk."

"Yes?" Mii quirked a brow.

"When I said you could have the couch, I didn't mean you could stay there…!" Lucy huffed. "I let you have it for a night, not a few days…why didn't you look at Fairy Hills? I'm sure they have free space there."

"Oh come on…" Mii teased with a nudge of her shoulder. "You know you like having my company around! Besides with your issues, I doubt you'd like seeing the others seeing you like that. The scarf and long sleeve are only going to work for so long you know."

"Well…if you're going to stay, you're going to at least help me with my rent, got it? I'm not carrying any freeloaders around here…" Lucy kept a firm gaze on Mii to try and read her expression.

"I can spare some money." Mii shrugged. "I'm an heiress, after all. Plus it'll be nice having a roommate~"

"Thank you, but keep your fantasies to yourself, I'm not interested…" Lucy let out a sigh of relief before keeping her gaze ahead. She happened to see Zelos speaking with a little girl; the action in itself made her a little curious. "Oh hey…he's out here? I expected him to be surrounded by women…but maybe that little girl is lost?"

"Huh…I guess he likes kids too…?" Mii tilted her head.

After finishing his talk with the little girl, Zelos noticed Mii and Lucy and gave them a wave. "Yo! Lucy-chan, Mii-chan~ Fancy seeing you here on these streets today."

"…No." Lucy shook her head. "We noticed you with that little girl. Was she lost?"

"I would have to give you some paragon points for taking the time to help out a little girl." Mii remarked.

"Ah, that? I was telling her that 15 years from now, we'd be reunited in this very spot by the whims of destiny~" Zelos spoke with such a grin it left the two females speechless.

"…I can't believe this." Mii spoke with a deadpanned expression.

"…I can't believe there's actually someone worse than you, Mii." Lucy really had a hard time trying to react with what Zelos just said. "You…you're unbelievable…"

"Everyone wants a piece of me, but I only have one body…although…" Zelos started, but neither lady present was going to hear it.

"We have to go!" Lucy nudged Mii and both females comically sprinted off, leaving Zelos in the dust.

"I hate seeing them go…but I sure do love watching them leave~" Zelos took in the view for as long as possible before turning around, focusing on the other hunnies around that wanted his attention, and he would be sure to deliver as best he could, if you catch my drift.

"…I'm not that bad, am I?" Mii honestly asked Lucy as they made their way away from Zelos.

"I mean…you come onto anything that moves. I think he only has strict interest in females…" Was Lucy teasing her? Who knew. But she did end up bumping into a strange, smaller person who wore a hood. "Ooof…! I'm sorry…!"

"…." Pink eyes glared at Lucy from behind the hood, taking an extra-long look to study the blonde for a few moments. Ophelia eventually scoffed before continuing on her way.

"Not a very friendly person, I take it…" Mii spoke with a somewhat nervous laugh.

.

.

Sometime later at the guild, Juvia was…having a bit of difficulty. Gray wasn't anywhere to be found despite the fact she was searching up and down for him, and to make matters worse she was almost positive she was seeing things. For example: when she took a glance at Bisca and Alzack, she could've sworn they were kissing! But after rubbing her eyes, she realized they were just talking. "…O-Oh…"

Erza, noticing Juvia's…plight, approached the water mage with a somewhat concerned expression. "Juvia…are you…all right? You seem a little out of it."

"J-Juvia is fine…!" Juvia was a little startled by Erza's appearance and took a step back. "She's just noticing all the happy…couples today…see look!" She pointed at Lucy and Natsu and her face turned beat red for a second. Where they kissing!? No…Natsu was just being an idiot while Lucy tried to push him away for the time being.

"…." Erza lifted a curious brow at Juvia's delusions. "Right…"

Meanwhile, Natsu was probably being a little more annoying to Lucy than usual. To be more precise, he was asking a few questions about her rather warm attire for a relatively warm building. "Oi, Lucy…" Natsu poked her sweater. "Aren't you hot? I mean…you're usually not wearing that much anyway, so…" Way to be smooth on Valentine's Day, Natsu…

"W-Wha…!?" Lucy narrowed her eyes before huffing, making sure to adjust the scarf around her neck to hide the markings along her lower cheek. "I'm fine, thank you very much! You sure know how to ruin a moment…"

"Huh…?" One could visibly see the question marks floating around Natsu's head at Lucy's second comment. The meaning completely went over his head, unfortunately. With a sigh, Lucy ended up shoving a box in Natsu's face before standing up and marching off.

"Nice one, Natsu…." Levy shook her head at Natsu's blunder. Apparently he was the only one who didn't know what he did wrong here.

"That's not our problem…" Cynthia gave a shrug before focusing her attention on Wendy, since she had a gift for her today after all! "S-So…Wendy…!"

"Hmmm…?" Wendy tilted her head curiously, although she could already feel the heat rising to her cheeks.

Cynthia pulled a heart shaped box out of her pocket, holding it out to the sky dragon with a bashful smile on her lips. "H-Happy Valentine's Day…! I got you some chocolate…"

"You beat me to it…" Wendy also had a heart shaped box just for Cynthia. "Happy Valentine's Day…!"

While the entire guild was practically celebrating the holiday, an overdramatic Mii took a seat at the bar and sighed very heavily. "Woe is me…all these lovebirds going around and I can't even find a Valentine…" She was attempting to egg Mirajane on. Somethings really didn't change…but at least she wasn't Zelos tier of terrible when it came to making passes.

"I'm sure you will find someone." Mirajane just smiled sweetly. "I believe everyone has a special person out there for them."

"Man, you didn't even react…" Mii sighed.

"I'm used to it." Mirajane smiled once again. As a model, she probably was used to a lot of people making passes at her. Plus, Mii was really transparent…but at least she was honest?

"Damn…now it's my personal goal to fluster you. The drunk, too. She's cute when she's sober." Mii nodded. The funny part was that she was well aware of Laxus listening. "What…? You want in too? I'm sure we can work something out…"

And here came Lucy to tug on Mii's ear to pull her away. "All right missy, that's enough outta you. I feel like I'm chaperoning you, geez…"

"Hey…come on…! I was joking…! Let me live…!" Mii whined as Lucy pulled her off.

.

Ophelia continued to wander the streets of Magnolia, keeping her identity hidden with the hood over her head. She had to wonder if her mother picked such a time for her to go out since she was surrounded by happy go lucky couples everywhere she turned. The half wraith literally felt sick watching all these couples kiss, hug and cuddle to one another. "Bleh…" She blatantly made this disgusted sound while walking past a kissing couple.

"How rude…" The woman spoke while narrowing her eyes. "Just because you receive no love in your live doesn't mean you have the right to interrupt the love shared between two people!"

"That's right! The bonds of love allow us to live in peace!" The male of the couple responded.

Oooh…that woman definitely didn't realize the button she pressed. Ophelia stopped walking and froze on the spot, a crooked smile slowly stretching on her lips. "Oh? So do you think if you die together with the one you love so much, you'd be happy? Allow me to test that theory…" Lifting one hand up, a large plant slowly started to break through the stone road, causing the couple to back away in fear…

.

The remainder of the day was pretty peaceful in the Fairy Tail for the rest of the day. That was until Lisanna rushed into the building with a panicked expression on her face. "G-Guys…something terrible happened in town!"

"What's wrong, Lisanna?" Mirajane placed her rag down while staring at her youngest sibling worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine…but…well…it would be a lot easier just to show you…" Lisanna really had all of the guild's attention now. While only most of them decided to join her, the others figured they would be filled in later.

.

There was a bit of a crowd near the clothing shop. The sight that had everyone so shaken were the two bodies crucified by sharp thorns that impaled several places. It was a rather disturbing sight and the murmurs of the crowd were all but inaudible. "RELAX FELLOW CITIZENS!" This was the voice of Fullbright Justice; head of the Anti-Magic regime of the Council. His exuberant, justice filled voice brought the crowd to a halt. "There is no need to fear! For I shall capture that foul villain in the name of JUSTICE!"

It was around that time the others from Fairy Tail started to arrive. Gray noticed and waved them over, having to keep Juvia from practically pouncing on him since she hadn't seen him all day. "Yo. You guys see that…? Apparently this isn't the first time people have been killed like that either…it's been happening for a few days."

"Quiet down back there!" Fullbright pushed through the crowd to shush Gray. "Such talk will only cause panic to the citizens! But never fear, I swear on my name that we will catch that criminal!"

"How many people have been killed so far?" Erza questioned the councilman so the murmuring bystanders wouldn't hear. "If you would not mind…Fairy Tail would be more than happy to assist in the search. People shouldn't fear for their lives on Valentine's Day of all days."

"Your assistance is greatly appreciated!" Fullbright gave a two fingered salute. "A perimeter has been set up around Magnolia! Any suspicious persons shall be investigated immediately."

"So what I'm hearing is…" Erza began. "You have no idea what this person looks like…? Not even a slight detail?"

To that…Fullbright poked his fingers together sheepishly, pouting while staring down at the brought. "Unfortunately….no…we do not."

"Nice job, coppers…" Mii quipped.

"We'll find them." Natsu stated firmly while pounding his fist into an open palm. "They aren't going to get away with this."

"I agree…" Zelos was listening in the entire time, standing a bit away from the others. "Anyone who would rob such an innocent, young lady of her life is a foul creature that deserves to be punished." Excluding the fact that he was completely ignoring the man that was killed…he sounded pretty serious about this situation. "I'll be taking part in this search as well. But you ladies should stick near me, your Gleaming Knight; Zelos."

"I think I'd feel less safe that way…" Lucy rolled her eyes at Zelos' attempt.

"Nobody stray too far outside of the town. If you find anything, don't engage and report to us immediately, understand?" Erza gave a glance to the others and they understood the plan.

While everyone scattered, Gray stayed behind and so did Juvia. He was staring at the thorns and plants that stole those innocent people's lives. The feeling he got from them disturbed him…because the only person with such powers should have been dead. Juvia gently nudged Gray to get his attention since he seemed lost in his own thoughts. "Gray-sama? Are you okay…?"

"…Huh? Oh…yeah." Gray nodded. "Sucks that today kind of devolved into something like this…but I have a feeling I know who's behind this. There's this familiar feeling that I just can't shake when I stare at those plants."

"Juvia is coming with you." Juvia wasn't taking no for an answer on this. She wasn't going to leave Gray on his own, plus she had a bad feeling growing in the pit of her stomach.

As much as he wanted to say no, Gray realized there was probably no use in it anyway. With a sigh, the ice maker nodded. "Alright, fine…"

.

.

Ophelia was now off in the forest just outside of Mangolia, a snicker passing her lips at the havoc she imagined going on from her murder of those two people. The string of murders going around was all caused by her and no one was the wiser! It was always humorous to her to watch the humans scatter in a panic whenever something happens. "This era of peace is exceedingly dull. What would Fiore do if I wasn't around to spice things up a bit?" She was on her way home for the day, but she detected a presence growing ever closer to her. "Oh..?"

"So it's you…" Gray and Juvia caught up to her rather quickly! Gray narrowed his eyes at the little wraith, unable to determine what exactly she was due to the mixed readings he was getting from her. "You're the one responsible for what happened in Magnolia, aren't you?"

"So what if I am?" Opehlia turned around, smiling towards the pair of Fairies.

"How could you? That's horrible…inhumane…" Juvia clenched her hand into a fist.

"Inhumane? That's pretty fitting for me, since I'm not human…" Ophelia shrugged. "But…I do have some business with you, Gray Fullbuster. How fitting that you of all people show up before me today."

"Huh…?" Gray blinked.

"Gray-sama…do you know this girl…?" Juvia looked to Gray with some concern and a slight hint of jealously at the thought of there being any more potential love rivals.

"Hell no…!" Gray responded.

"Shame…" Ophelia shrugged before lifting her hand up. The ground began to tremble and a large demonic rosebud began to sprout, towering high into the air before the bulb pointed down at the pair; the bulb opened up, gathering a large amount of raw curse power within the center. "It's amusing, but appalling at the same time."

"Wait a minute…" Gray realized where he'd seen this before…Marde Geer. Ophelia wasn't Marde, but the resemblance in their abilities was far too much for this to be mere coincidence. "You're…his daughter?!"

"Yes, he's my father. Well…I suppose a donor would be the more accurate term." Shrugging, the halfbreed's lips curled into a grin. "But either way…you are the one who landed the finishing blow…and for that, I will have no greater pleasure than killing you myself."

.

.

Next Time: Ophelia's Wrath


	77. Chapter 77: Ophelia's Wrath

"Now then! Dance for me you pathetic humans!" Opehlia snapped her fingers, causing the rose buds she summoned to unleash countless beams of raw curse power towards Gray and Juvia. Without thinking, both Fairies leapt to the side to avoid the destructive beams that cratered the ground upon contact.

"Shit…" Gray covered his face from the dirt flying in every which direction. "You're really picking a fight over some revenge, huh!?"

"Revenge?" Ophelia couldn't help but quirk a brow and giggle at the word Gray decided to use. "Don't get it twisted. Revenge implies that I actually gave a shit about that good for nothing demon. This is for my own personal reasons. If I can destroy the human that defeated the mighty 'demon king' guess that says a lot about me huh?"

"You demons are all selfish…" Gray grit his teeth while placing his fist in his palm, wasting no time in activating his Devil Slaying. The black tattoo appeared along his body and he threw his arms forward. "Ice Make: Devil Lancer!" Fusing his Ice Make and Devil Slaying together, Gray unleashed a plethora of lances that aimed to converge on Ophelia.

"Devil Slaying…right…" Opehlia clicked her tongue before lifting her hand up and swiped it horizontally. This caused a large root up sprout from the ground, cutting off the lances as they ended up being the target instead. "You'll have to try much better than that if you wish to land a hit on me."

While Ophelia was busy dealing with Gray's attacks, Juvia used this time to sneak around the growing roots. When she was close, she aimed a watery punch at Ophelia's face! It was a direct hit, but the female didn't even budge. "Wha…?" To make matters worse, roots sprouted from the ground once more to tie around Juvia's waist to keep her tied down. "M-More plants…?!"

"Cute." Ophelia then turned to Gray while pointing at Juvia with her thumb. "Is this one your mate? For a human she's pretty cute. It would be a shame if something were to…happen to her…" With her opposite palm now facing the tied down Juvia, a malicious grin crossed her lips. Before Gray could react, a gigantic, widespread beam of curse power shot forth from Ophelia's palm, consuming Juvia within its destructive wake. The water mage let out a scream of agony while she was thrown back through several trees, crashing roughly into one several yards away.

"JUVIA…!" Gray's eyes widened at Juvia's condition.

"J-Juvia…is okay…" She said that, but she was already looking like she'd seen better days just from what one attack!

"You bastard!" Glaring cold daggers at the wraith before him, Gray quickly formed a bow and arrow composed of Devil Slaying ice, drawing the bowstring back. "You want to be like your damned father? Fine then, have it your way! Like father like daughter! You'll both go down the same way! Ice Devil Zeroth's Destruction Bow!" Releasing the bowstring, the destructive arrow of ice flew forward, covering the surrounding area in permafrost during its trip!

"So that's the move that took him down?" Ophelia didn't even bat an eye at the incoming arrow. There was an explosion of ice that occurred on contact…but it wasn't exactly what Gray was intending. Ophelia stopped the arrow cold (no pun intended) with her palm. It was a direct hit in a way as her arm was covered in ice and she hissed in pain, but she didn't budge from her spot! "Mmmmm…that hurt really nice. But it was pretty underwhelming…" Opehlia then clenched her hand into a fist, shattering the arrow with ease. The ice around her arm then began to rapidly melt and she waved it around with a whistle. "Stings."

Gray just stood there, wide eyed that his technique had little effect on Ophelia. "What…"

"Surprised? I'm only a half demon…so your little tricks are only going to be half as effective." Ophelia explained. "Don't get me wrong; it still hurt like hell, but I'm made of tougher stuff than dear old Father. You're going to have to try harder-" And it was then several scythes of water started to beat down on Ophelia from her left. "AH! Hey…what the fuck!?"

Juvia was swinging her arm viciously, sending scythe after scythe of water towards Ophelia! She wasn't going to allow her to lay a hand on her beloved. "You stay away from Gray-sama…!"

"You humans are incredibly annoying…especially you 'love sick' puppy types…" Ophelia grumbled before appearing before Juvia in a flash. Her speed was so great that neither Gray nor Juvia could her move at all! In the next second, Ophelia's hand wrapped tightly around Juvia's neck and she growled. "Why don't you be a good girl and sit down where you belong? I won't ask you again." Opehlia then tossed Juvia aside like some rag doll. When she turned her head Gray was moving in with a fist covered in Devil Slaying magic! Before Gray even had the chance to swing, Opehlia ducked preemptively and slammed her heel into his chest to send him staggering backwards. "Don't you know it's rude to sneak up on a lady?"

Gray grunted before getting his footing back. Ophelia's sassy attitude was really ticking him off and he planned to do something about it right now! Gray sprinted forward, brandishing a blade of ice at the last second to slash at Ophelia! His movements were faster than lightning and he slide to a halt behind her while sheathing the blade he just unleashed. "Ice Devil Zeroth's Blade."

Gray finally managed to land a hit on Ophelia! A diagonal slash ran along her chest, drawing forth blood from the female. "A-Ah….."

"Not so cocky now, are we?" Gray turned to face Ophelia with a smirk…but it turned out she was taking that hit far better than he thought! "What the hell!?"

"Mmmmmmm….It hurts so good…~" Ophelia was practically moaning after that hit!

"What kind of masochistic bullshit…" Gray grunted.

"What?" Ophelia placed her hand on her chest, licking off the blood from her palm with a somewhat satisfied grin. "It's a crime to enjoy pain? It's been a while since I've been made to bleed….it's a strange feeling. It's wonderful, but also infuriating. Now I have to make you bleed. Thorns." With a simple swipe of her hand, sharp thorns materialized from all angles. Gray was unable to defend against the thorns and he was skewered pretty badly, blood spurting from several locations on his body.

"G-Gray-sama…!" Juvia weakly cried out while pushing herself up.

"This was a fun playdate…" Ophelia grinned at the work done on Gray and Juvia. Gray bloodied and could barely stand while Juvia couldn't even stand. "I suppose it's time to wrap this up…" The halfbreed placed her hands on the ground, causing the area to tremble violently. "Frenzy Plant." Gigantic roots began to sprout from the ground, tearing the area asunder as these roots wrapped around Gray and Juvia to constrict their movements and the life out of them slowly.

"J-Juvia…can't breathe…." Juvia grit her teeth, barely managing to wiggle one arm out before shooting an explosion blast of water into the sky, causing a torrential rainfall on the forest.

"Don't you know that plants only thrive in the water? If you're trying to drown mine, it won't work!" Ophelia began to laugh manically.

"Ice Make…." Gray was struggling to stay conscious, but Juvia's last ditch effort was going to work in his favor. "Silver…!" In a flash, everything froze! The entire forest was turned into a frozen wasteland, Ophelia's plant life included! The ice then shattered, leaving Gray and Juvia to fall to the ground. Gray was inhaling, gathering every last bit of his strength to put Ophelia down. "Ice Devil's Rage!" Exhaling, a gigantic beam of frost and ice raced towards the seemingly unprepared Ophelia! The torrent of ice shot on for several meters before it died down…Gray stared forward desperately to see if his attack was a success.

Slow clapping. Ophelia was just chilling by a tree by Gray's left, clapping at his attempt. "A valiant effort…but that's all it was: an effort."

Gray and Juvia's eyes widened at Ophelia was completely unfazed by Gray's attack! "H-How did you….."

"The only things I've inherited from my father are his techniques and his demon blood." Ophelia explained. "My other half is wraith blood. You said like father like daughter, but you were terribly incorrect. It's like mother, like daughter. Time is not a factor to us." As she said that, the gigantic gash on her chest began to heal rapidly through accelerated healing. Ophelia drank in the doomed expression Gray and Juvia both shared on their face. "And now it's time to bring this to an end. Dea Yggdrasill." Upon that call, several large wooden beams appeared in the sky above, all of them pointed at Gray and Juvia. Without a command, these beams rushed towards the pair to kill them.

Luckily for Gray and Juvia, they were not to meet their end yet. Help came from above in the form of Erza, who donned her Heaven's Wheel armor! With a multitude of swords by her side, Titania began to rapidly slash at the wooden beam to reduce it to nothing! As for the others, Natsu flew in with Happy, a wild blaze flaring around his arms. "Secret Art: Hidden Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!" The fire around Natsu expanded and exploded, torching the wooden beams to ash!

"Peh…" Ophelia huffed as her attention focused above. "The cavalry's here…I suppose I played around for too long." Ophelia was about to make her leave…but she got a devious idea that would make things much more interesting in the long run….but in the meantime, she just vanished before the others landed, but not before taking something with her…

"Gray…!" Erza rushed over to Gray, who fell unconscious the moment he could finally relax.

"Is he okay…!?" Natsu asked while looking around for the perpetrator.

"He's barely breathing…we have to find Wendy quickly." Erza lifted Gray up before looking around. "Wasn't Juvia with him…?"

"Juvia is fine! She's going after the foul creature that dared to hurt my Gray-sama! She will be right behind you!" Juvia's voice echoed out in the frozen forest.

"Is that really okay to leave her…?" Happy asked.

"I don't smell her around…" Natsu narrowed his eyes; it was likely that Juvia was already a little too far. But they didn't really have the time to hunt for Juvia and take care of Gray. Acting quickly, Natsu, Happy, and Erza took Gray back to Mangolia as fast as possible…but meanwhile…

Just behind a nearby tree, Ophelia had one hand covering Juvia's mouth while the other restricted her hands. There was a glint of sadism in her eyes as her hand muffled Juvia's cries for help as Ophelia mimicked her voice. Watching the helpless squirm really did something to the halfbreed. "Sssshh…don't worry, Mother and I will take good care of you. Go to sleep for now, little human…" The scales on Ophelia's hand began to spread over to Juvia's skin, which began to sap the life energy out of the water mage. It was a slow and painful process, but Juvia eventually slumped over in Ophelia's hold and fell unconscious. "Mmmmm…so young and fresh. I'm going to enjoy dining off of this one…~"

.

.

Next Time: The Game Begins…


	78. Chapter 78: The Game Begins

"Ugh…." Gray slowly began to wake up. His body was sore and he had bandages all around him. He had to assume that he was back in Fairy Tail's infirmar. The last thing he remembered was Ophelia…

"Hey sport!" Mii clapped her hands together. "Glad you're alive…and awake! You really took a beating."

"You…" Gray groaned. Mii was definitely not the first person he wanted to see when waking up, but at least he knew he was alive…since Mii just seemed like that kind of person who didn't die no matter what was thrown at her. I mean, go back to the Isle; she went through a lot and she's still kicking. Gray attempted to sit up, only to groan and cringe. "Agh…"

"Ah, no…" Mii waved her finger disapprovingly. "You're on strict bedrest from little Dr. Wendy. You're not allowed to go anywhere with injuries like that. Speaking of…hey guys! Ice Prince over here is waking up." Upon her call to the others, Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Cana, Wendy, Cynthia, Mira, and even Zelos walked into the room, all of them glad to see that Gray was safe and sound. "Ew…what are you doing here…?" She asked Zelos, who merely blew a kiss in her direction. That alone was enough to make her shudder in discontent.

"Are you okay, Gray?" Lucy asked. "When you were carried in looking like that, we were all a little worried about you…"

"You shouldn't be worried about me…." And then it hit Gray. There was a certain someone obviously missing from those who gathered in the infirmary. "Wait a second…where's Juvia? She was with me, wasn't she?"

That was a question that got no answer…because nobody knew what happened to Juvia. "She said she was right behind us, but…." Erza began. "Her disappearance is my fault…I should've been more adamant about looking for her, but you were so hurt…"

"It's not your fault, Erza my dear…" Zelos said while waving his head.

"What are YOU doing here?" Gray spoke with utter annoyance and disgust. "Don't you have some females to be flaunting over?"

"Oh, trust me, I'd love to be doing that right now," Zelos responded. "Although when I heard that one of the lovely ladies of Fairy Tail had gone missing, I just had to see which of my hunnies had to have gone missing."

"That, and when I tried to shut the door in his face, he slipped in faster than I could move." Mii's comment was more of a side note.

"I've been a part of this little investigation going on…" Zelos explained. "When I heard about your little encounter that left you so beat up, I have to say….I was surprisingly disappointed." Those words were enough to make the mood in the room shift.

"Zelos…" Mira frowned. "I told you you could say if you didn't say crude things."

Zelos merely offered a charming smile to Mira. "But my dear, this is not so much crude as it is true, is not? The failed protection of a lady is a sin most unforgiving."

"What'd you say!?" Gray sat up and went to lunge at Zelos, but to everyone's surprise, Zelos already had his sword drawn and the tip was pressing against Gray's neck. Had even a second gone by between either of them and Gray's neck would have been punctured. "…!"

"Did I stutter? When I first laid eyes on you, you struck me as a man who could protect that fair maiden whom was enamored with you so furiously. You were to be her gleaming knight…yet you failed, and now she's out there who knows where, all because you were unable to protect her properly. A woman should feel protected by the man she loves…otherwise it is just a waste. You know, if I wanted to, I could've stabbed my sword through your next the instant you moved. How do you expect to protect my darling Juvia with slow reactions like that? Yet another failure on your part."

The serious aura Zelos was giving off was unlike anything anyone in the room sensed before. At the same time, everyone was ready to jump if Zelos even so much as twitched funny. All was quiet until an exasperated sigh came out from someone else. "Geez…can you be any more overdramatic…?"

"…That wasn't Mii." Mii waved her hands frantically.

Wendy turned to stare at Cynthia, only to notice that her partner's stance and expression were completely different! "C-Cynthia…?"

"Nope." Rose shook her head. "I decide to pop in and GOOD GRIEF you guys are all so dramatic!"

"Rose…" Wendy tensed and she took a single step backwards. "Give Cynthia back…!"

"Wait, what's going on…?" Lucy turned to face Rose. All eyes were on the little demon now. "What happened to Cynthia?! You're not trying to start another fight are you!?"

Rose shrugged before pointing her index finger to her temple. "All so worked up over nothing, the lot of you. Cynthia's taking a little nap inside MY head. I was tired of sitting back watching everything go on so I decided to take over. You know what's REALLY annoying? Have to share a body with a goody-two-shoes."

"You didn't answer the question." Erza narrowed her eyes at Rose. "You're not here to fight us again, are you?"

To that, a sly grin stretched along Rose's lips. "And give you something else to worry about? What if I was planning to take you all out while you were asleep? You know, Cynthia can't do much when she's asleep at night and I'm not. Buuuuuut…if I wanted to kill anyone, I would've started with Wendy, and she'd be dead by now. "Although, truth be told…whenever she did try, she was always held back. "I'm not stupid, though. I'm not gonna pick a fight…"

"You better not, you obnoxious brat…" Cana sucked her teeth in annoyance.

"Yeesh…this girl has more problems than I have fingers…" Mii started to count them off before giving up.

"Two in one?" Zelos merely smiled and went down to a knee to be at eye level with Rose. "Split personalities, hmm? I see no problem in this; both sides of this coin are cute. Hello, I am Zelos-" And before Zelos could finish, Rose palmed him in the face and made him fall over with a yelp.

"Yeah…don't touch me…" Rose shrugged then started to walk off, but not before giving Wendy a slight grin. "Come on, Wendy. We should keep looking around with Carla, right? Don't worry, I promise I won't bite you." It was clearly forced, but Rose did manage a genuine smile.

Oooh…Rose was getting under Wendy's skin. There wasn't anything she could do about it except wordlessly agree. "Fine…" With that, Wendy and Rose left along with Carla to continue the search.

"…Are they going to be okay…?" Mira was clearly concerned. "I didn't sense any animosity from Rose…but I still feel uncomfortable with her around…"

"Carla's with them, it'll be fine." Natsu was certain of this assumption. Plus he knew that Cynthia would never let harm come to Wendy in any way. "Still…we have to find out what happened to Juvia. Say, Gray…what did that person who got you look like? Do you remember?"

"Ah…" Gray rubbed his head. A lot of things were happening and had happened so he needed a minute to gather his thoughts. "She had green hair and pink eyes…and she used some type of plant magic."

"…!" Natsu and Erza glanced at one another.

"That's not all…" Gray continued while staring at Natsu. "She said she was the daughter of The Underworld King…remember that demon in Tartarus we took down? I wanted to think she was crazy…but their powers were nearly identical."

"At least I know what we're looking for now…" Natsu nodded. "I'm going back to the forest to see if I can't sniff anything you. You better stay here and don't do anything stupid."

"You're one to talk…" Gray shot back. Although he knew he could leave the search to his guild mates.

"I'll make sure he doesn't move. You know a drink can make all the pain go away right?" Cana took a seat next to Gray, already pushing a drink over to him. "C'mon, it's a good way to unwind!"

"I guess that's our cue to leave. Far be it from us to interrupt two people drinking alone in an infirmary…" Mii started to push Zelos out since it didn't look out he wasn't going to move on his own accord and the others just started to file out on their own. "Although admittedly, I'm a little curious…"

"You can always try it with me, Mii-chan~" Zelos cooed.

"Not in this life." Mii huffed.

.

Gajeel was just outside the infirmary. The only reason he didn't go in is because he didn't trust himself to not go off at Gray for Juvia's disappearance. More importantly, time spent yelling could've been spent in looking for Juvia. Once he got a solid lead on where to go, he departed before anyone else to go find his best friend. "Hang in there, if nobody else is gonna find you, I'll be sure to."

.

Rose casually walked with Wendy and Carla along the streets of Magnolia. Clearly, Rose was not bothered by the tension and walked with her hands behind her head, whistling a tune that was extremely familiar to the one Cynthia's mother used to sing to her when she was younger. "This murder mystery kinda fun isn't it? How things more dire now that one of your precious comrades has been taken!" Rose glanced at Wendy, expecting some kind of a response. But instead it was the silent treatment and a hint of resentment. "Ouch…and you two think I'm the evil one. You're so stiff quiet."

"You think we're just going to casually talk to you after everything that happened?" Carla huffed. "You and Cynthia are not the same person, so forgive us for not being so comfortable around you."

Rose only chuckled at that reaction. It was to be expected but she didn't mind. "As much as I would LOVE to wring my hands around that tiny neck of yours, Wendy…I can't. She won't let me no matter how hard I try. I'm surprised she even kept these episodes hidden for so long…"

"That's reassuring…" There was a mixture of relief and sarcasm in that statement. Wendy wasn't sure how to feel with Cynthia's split personality disorder. "But I still don't trust you."

"And why not? I'm Cynthia too." Rose spat out before actually coughing up some blood. She shuddered for a bit before falling to a knee. "Ugh….."

"C-Cyn…" It was an instinct for Wendy to place her hands on Rose's shoulders, although she was rudely swatted away.

"D-Don't touch me…" Rose growled before having another coughing attack. It took a few moments but she slowly calmed down and groaned. "Damn…it's getting worse…"

"What's getting worse?" Carla asked. "Don't you dare hide anything from us…we're not letting Cynthia suffer because of your ineptitude…"

"You're a sassy cat, you know that…" Rose sighed. There was a slight glow in her eyes before she slumped over. Cynthia then groaned and shook her head slowly. "…What…happened….?"

.

.

"Mother, I'm home~" Ophelia spoke with a spring in her step. She already disposed of Juvia in a cell somewhere and stepped into Desdemona's room.

"Oh, you're late." Already, Desdemona was not impressed. "I hope you actually have something to report this time…otherwise I'll have to have deemed this a waste of time." She then motioned for Ophelia to sit on her lap again. With a timid nod, Ophelia did as she was silently told and sat on her mother's lap. Desdemona began to run her fingers through her daughter's curls. "…As I thought. Absolutely dreadful. Do something about your hair."

"But I like the curls…." Ophelia muttered. Desdemona heard her and promptly pushed her off her lap, using her hand to smooth out the wrinkles. "A-Anyway…I have something that I'd like to report."

"Get on with it…" Desdemona said with only some degree of interest.

"W-Well…that town is going crazy with fear over the murders over the last few days, as expected. And you know that ice fairy that defeated 'Father'? I made quick work of him and his little girlfriend…whom I tossed in the dungeon before coming here. Honestly, I don't understand how he lost "

"You defeated Fullbuster?" This was some interesting bit of news. "Good work, Ophelia. Maybe next time you'll continue to do such things without me telling you to." It wasn't much…but there was some praise given for her daughter's efforts, even if the verbal backhand accompanied it. "You are free to clip the wings of any other fairies you encounter."

Even though it wasn't much, the praise from her mother made the half breed grin. She'd never admit it, but this was the kind of recognition that she lived for. You couldn't tell from their interactions, but Ophelia was definitely a mother's girl. "Heh…"

"…You're still here?" Ah, and there was that dismissive attitude. Desdemona didn't have the time to care about anything else at the moment. "Go on, shoo. Do whatever you'd like and report when you're finished."

"Y-Yes…" Ophelia nodded and promptly left her mother's quarters.

"One piece down…" Desdemona reached over to the chessboard on her left, using the Queen to carelessly knock over a piece.

.

Juvia groaned as she began to awaken. It was hard to tell where she was exactly, everything was still blurry, but all she knew was that it was cold and her body ached. After a few minutes she could see that she was locked in some sort of cell…and of course her hands were bound by magic sealing cuffs. When she stared at her body, there were notable bruises and cuts presumably from the confrontation with Ophelia, and she was stripped down to nothing. "…Where…is Juvia…?" She could hardly muster the strength to move. She was still feeling tired from Ophelia practically draining the literal life out of her. "Gray-sama…? Where are you…?"

The doors to the dungeon swung open. Ophelia tilted her head and grinned as she noticed Juvia was awake. "Oh, you're awake."

"S-Stay away…!" Juvia's eyes were ridden with fear.

"Ah…that's the look of fear I like to see…" Ophelia slowly dragged her tongue along her lower lip, staring at her prey with hungered eyes. "We're going to have a lot of fun, you and I…so get comfortable. I'm not going to let you leave for a while~"

Juvia's eyes widened and she scurried away until her back hit a wall. She realized that there was no way out for her. "…J-Juvia will not…"

"Juvia doesn't have a choice." Ophelia's grin widened. Her fingernails grew into black talons and she impaled Juvia's side. Juvia let out a cry of pain and just hearing that made Opehlia shudder and moan. "Oooh…that's the sound I enjoy hearing…and your expression is so cute too~." The expression she was so enamored with was Juvia barely holding back the tears of pain as her face contorted in agony. Opehlia twisted her nails just to make Juvia cry out even more. This was music to Opehlia's ears: The sound of a victim screaming as loud as they could, begging and pleading for someone to save them…knowing that nobody could hear their desperate cries right now.

.

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Next Time: Family Reunion


	79. Chapter 79: Family Reunion

Several days passed since the initial incident at Magnolia. There was no word on Juvia which made Fairy Tail only worry about her whereabouts. It was nightfall in Magnolia now and any search was called off for the evening. Lucy sighed, falling back on her bed while staring at the ceiling. "I'm really worried about Juvia…vanishing without a trace. I can't begin to imagine how worried Gray and Gajeel are."

Mii sat at Lucy's desk, fiddling with a pen. "I imagine how scary it is for that girl out there…all alone with no one to help you." Mii's tone suggested she was speaking from personal experience.

"We're trying to help her." Lucy sat up and stared at Mii, noticing the somber expression on the red head's face. "…Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Mii blinked before shaking her head. "Yeah, I'm fine. Anyway…worrying about Juvia now won't do us any good. So how about we relax and unwind with a nice hot bath~?"

"You know, you're only just narrowly better than Zelos. Don't ruin it…and stop raising my water bill!" Lucy pouted.

"Oh come on…!" Mii whined. "I haven't even tried touching you yet..! …Ignore that last part."

With an irritated sigh, Lucy pinched the bridge of her nose. "Why do I let you stay here again…?"

"Because you want me to keep quiet about that unsightly mark. You know as well as I do that my mouth is big and is excellent for spilling secrets." Mii pointed to Lucy's arm, chest, and neck. "So can I get a little compensation for keeping quiet on something? My mouth has other uses too you know~"

"…It's scary that even though you've kept your hands to yourself, your words alone make me feel violated." Lucy shuddered while rubbing her arm. "But seriously…! What are we going to do? I can't keep hiding this forever…plus I'm really worried about Juvia? Isn't there anything we can to try and hunt her down?"

Mii huffed at Lucy's subtle method of changing the subject. She crossed one leg over the other and actually gave the situation some serious thought. "For Juvia, all we can do is keep looking. I can't imagine any motive they'd have for keeping her alive, though…maybe for ransom, if that's the type of person they are. But for some reason I doubt that's the case. As for you…you gotta come clean eventually. Since you've made the strange option of entrusting this secret to me, I won't say anything."

"You can be insightful when you want to be…" Lucy offered a smile, but clearly Mii didn't want to hear it. "You'd be much more likable if you took things seriously."

"But that's such a draaaag!" Mii complained. "A girl like me just wants to have fun, yeah?" Her hands then began to move in an eerily groping motion, a sinister twinkle in her eyes as she began to inch forward. "My roommate should stop being such a stiff and have a little fun too…~"

"Ah, no, Mii! You stay away from me with those things!" Lucy waved her hands in front of her rapidly. "No touching!"

.

Back in Wendy and Cynthia's place, Wendy and Carla sat Cynthia down to question her about what happened the other day. Wendy wasn't exactly sure where to start so Carla took control of things. "So…are you going to tell us what's going on? Or are you going to keep hiding things from us?"

The way Carla was speaking made it sound like Cynthia was the bad guy! Wendy had to object. "Carla…!"

"No…it's okay…" Cynthia shook her head while rubbing her arm. "I've been…hiding Rose from you guys…as best I could. It happened shortly after you brought me back…she's still in my head. Sometimes she talks to me and it makes me feel like I'm going crazy…and we're both still fighting for control and it…it hurts." Lifting her sleeve up, she revealed a large scar. This was the result of her body tearing itself apart with both Cynthia and Rose fighting.

Wendy gasped, taking Cynthia's arm and began to look it over. "A-Are you okay…!? What can I do…!?"

"It's fine…" Cynthia offered a weak smile. "It just hurts sometimes…and I feel a little sick. I'm sure she feels it too. But don't worry…"

"How can I not worry…!" Wendy huffed. "You're still suffering because I couldn't protect you. I'll fix this, I promise…!"

"I don't even know how to fix it…" Cynthia laughed resting her head on Wendy's shoulder. "But I'm fine…I promise…"

Carla frowned. "I'm sorry for my tone. I'm sorry, Cynthia."

"Haha…it's okay, Carla. I don't plan on dying again, that much I promise. I also won't let her hurt either of you." Cynthia smiled while keeping close to Wendy. "But for now…I just want to stay like this…"

.

Erza and Mira took another patrol around Magnolia. They were searching for something in town that could lead them to Juvia, while Natsu and Gajeel were probably back in the forest to track her scent. "Still nothing…I do hope she's okay on her own…' Mirajane expressed her worries to Erza. "I know she's strong, but we still don't know what we're dealing with here."

"I know." Erza responded. "We'll find her soon and make sure this person pays dearly for what they've done. I've already asked that Fullbright man from the Council to lend us a hand in the search. He's surprisingly willing to help out…"

"It's nice to know that the Council has people like that…" Mira managed a small giggle. She then stumbled into someone. Taking a step back, she bowed apologetically. "I-I'm sorry…I didn't mean to bump into you…" Looking up, she noticed it was that strange witch from the holiday festivities. "Oh…you again?"

"Oh ho…it is lovely to see you again." The witch bowed. "Do not worry about it, I was too absorbed in the magic flowing in this town."

"You said that last time, too…" Mira offered a small smile.

"Do you know this woman?" Erza questioned.

"Not…exactly. We ran into each other during the holiday in town." Mira explained. "Although I never did get her name…"

"Oh my…how rude of me." The pink haired witch sighed. "You may call me Takeba. Most call me the alluring Wicked Witch. It doesn't matter what you call me."

"We'll stick with Takeba…" Erza said with a soft chuckle. "But what are you doing out here? It's dangerous around this time."

"You needn't concern yourselves with my wellbeing, although it is very appreciated." Takeba was evading the question but it didn't matter too much. "The magic of this town has drawn me to it. It's rather beautiful, even during this time of misfortune. If only I could cast a hex to remove the bad luck from this town."

"A hex…?" Erza was curious, but now wasn't the time for leisurely conversation. "Never mind that…if you see our friend Juvia, please let us know. She's a water mage with blue hair…you really can't miss her. We should continue our search."

"Ah, right…" Mira nodded. "Sorry to cut this conversation short. I'm sure we'll see you around…!" With that, Erza and Mira went off to continue their search.

As the females walked off, Takeba lifted up her witch hat to watch them. "Hm…If they're all looking like they are, I suppose the fair lady will have a field day when the time comes…~"

.

"Ah….ahhhhhhh…." Juvia panted heavily with broken breaths. Ophelia was really going to town on Juvia. The water mage had serious injuries all over her body, not just from the halfbreed's talons, but various other items such as the whip Ophelia was currently holding. There was a somewhat dull look in Juvia's eyes as all she could do was plead at this point. She had been through enough after the first day, but after several… "Please…stop…Juvia can't…."

"Mother always did say I break my new toys so quickly…" Ophelia let out a sigh as Juvia pleaded for her to stop. Really, this had been going on for the last few days, but it was only apparent to Ophelia now. Looking at Juvia's body, she eventually sighed. "I was having so much fun with you too. I'll be right back; I know something that'll fix you right up." Normally that would sound pleasing, but considering Juvia's condition it was only something that would plunge her deeper into this nightmare. Ophelia left the dungeon, walking the empty halls of Fukomakura while thinking to herself about what to do with Juvia. "Humans are just as frail as I remember…strip away their magic and they're just insects waiting to be crushed. It's sad…perhaps I should…."

"Move in to Tartarus with me?" Marde's familiar voice made Ophelia stop in her tracks. With a false smile, the demon king faced his kin.

Ophelia turned, scowling at Marde, although the scowl quickly turned into a smarmy smile. "Well, well, look at the dead cat dragged in. I didn't realize old, worthless books were being reprinted."

"If there's anything that's worthless here…" Marde began with a click of his tongue. "It would be you…but I'm sure you're aware of that already."

Ophelia let out a disgruntled sigh. Such remarks were always ones that riled her up to no end. "Well fuck you too then. At least I can do my job."

"I was wondering what stench was intruding my home…." Desdemona soon appeared in the hallway, garnering both Opehlia and Marde's attention. "And of all people…it had to be you. I don't recall sending you an invitation into my home."

"Oh, but after seeing little Ophelia hard at work, I couldn't help but peek in and see just what was going on here. From what I recall, she's not the type to do something so interesting without being told." Marde glanced at Ophelia and just got an ice cold glare.

"Ah…you do have a point there. This little one is quite the lazy lout…it's a shame her behavior reflects on me sometimes…" Desdemona agreed with Marde.

Meanwhile, Ophelia was just standing there taking offense to well…everything being said. "What!? Excuse me, I…!"

"Hush." Desdemona used her hand to silence Ophelia. "The adults are talking now."

"…!" Unbelievable. The one time both of her parents met up with each other after a long time, not only did they slander her, but she got kicked out of the conversation too! This is why Opehlia resented both of her parents to some degree; Marde more so than Des.

"So what is your real reason for coming here?" Des questioned. "You've no place here, as I'm sure you're aware of."

"As if I would need one in this hole of rejects." Marde quipped. "But alas, my curiosity has gotten the better of me. Lord Zeref has no longer entrusted Master ENDs book to me…but when I heard of what was happening around this country, there was only one thing that came to mind. Only one being I know would enjoy the idea of toying with those insects known as humans. I can only wonder what it is you have in store."

"That doesn't concern you." Des' voice was calm, but it was also dripping with a calm venom with each word she spoke. "You are not welcome here. So why don't you scurry back to your human insect and watch from your lack of a throne."

"I would enjoy having a front row seat to this. Nothing would give me more pleasure than to see your efforts crash and burn just like that mistake over there." Marde offered a smile, but it was false in all meaning of the word. "If you play with your food, you're bound to choke on it."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ophelia waved her hand, intruding on the conversation without caring what either parent of hers had to say. "That human that took you out? Child's play. I can't believe you got your ass handed to you by a little insect! The hilarity and irony of it never fails to make me laugh. I'm just barely over a century and I've done more damage than you have in all your years of existence, Demon King."

Marde kept his smile and placed his hand on Ophelia's head, ruffling her hair slightly much to her annoyance. "I suppose I've failed twice then."

It was no surprise that Ophelia was often sassy and had her tongue ready for a sharp remark. But there was only one thing in the world that could make her go silent: both parents constantly reminding her that her existence was nothing more than a mistake. With an annoyed grumble, Ophelia smacked Marde's hand away and began to stomp off. "…Stupid son of a…" She had some anger she had to work out now…and unfortunately Juvia was going to be the recipient of said anger.

"It appears that I'm done here. I'll be watching your endeavors to see if they're fruitful or not." With that, Marde made his leave.

Des sighed after Marde left. "The real mistake here was my curiosity letting it lead to you. There was another much more deserving…" Was that…bitterness? "At least I know where Ophelia gets her incompetence from…"

.

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Next Time: Pain Game.


	80. Chapter 80: Pain Game

So far, White Eclipse was one of the guild's that was probably the least concerns with the happenings around Magnolia. Considering their mountain position, they also had nothing to worry about. "Yeesh…one thing after another in this country." Cygnus grunted while reading the newspaper. "People just can't stop dying after we fix something…"

"Not like it's our problem." Reve said while waving his hand nonchalantly. "As long as nothing happens up here there's not a thing to worry about."

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Luke nodded in agreement. He did start to rub his head while staring up at the ceiling. "I've been feeling a little weird the last few days though…it's probably nothing, though…"

Roxanne pursed her lips as Luke spoke. Oddly enough, she felt the same way. Something in her head was bothering her over the course of the last few days, but she could not for the life of her determine what it was. "Same…it's pissing me off." The woman let out an aggravated sigh.

"You two might need some medicine." Aira pointed out while raising her index finger. "Actually, now that I think about it…it's shot day!" With that, Aira pulled out a gigantic needle, the tip oozing with fluids.

"…I'm good." Luke said with a sweat drop. "I'm actually feeling a lot better…!"

"Don't be a pansy." Roxanne pushed Luke forward right into the needle. With a grin, Aira pressed the needle down into Luke's arm and his face went pale!

"He took one for the team…" Cygnus said while sneaking off with a few others. No matter what day it was, Shot Day was always the one most feared by anyone in White Eclipse. While it was just another day at the guild, soon enough they would find that even they weren't exempt from the chaos that was about to come…

.

.

Over the last few days, the background noise at Fukomakura was just Juvia screaming from down below in the torture chamber. Those around quickly grew accustomed to the noise because it wasn't the worst thing in the world they'd heard. With someone like Desdemona leading them, Juvia's cries of pain was like soothing music compared to the screams of anguish Des could pull out from the depths of a person's throat…if she let them scream that is. There was one person who was upset with the current turn of events. "GAH!" Kize shouted out in annoyance as Ophelia went town on Juvia. "Why does that annoying shit stain get to have all the fun!? I've been more loyal to My Lady's demands than her! It's not fair!"

"…Don't shout, Kize." Orsino exhaled a puff of smoke from the cigar. "If anyone were to get anything aside from Ophelia, it would be me. The Madam holds me in higher regard than she does you."

Kize was already up in Orsino's face with a scowl. "You wanna BET?! BET. I WIN!" Without warning, the sensory mage viciously swung his head down towards Orsino's skull…only to phase right through the male and shattered part of the floor. "SHIT! That hurt, but it felt GREAT!" He said as blood dripped from his forehead. "AHHH!"

"…Mindless savage." Orsino merely shook his head. Before the two could continue any further with their bickering, Desdemona made herself present before the two of them. Orsino took a bow while Kize dropped to all fours; basking in the radiance of the woman he called his queen.

"MY LADY." Kize shouted needlessly at the top of his lungs. To others it was extremely irritating, but to him it was his way of showing his undying affection and loyalty to Desdemona, and she knew there was plenty to go around concerning him.

"Greetings, Kize, Orsino. I was going to have Ophelia continue her little reign of terror across the country…however it seems she's become too preoccupied and has reverted back to her ways of ignoring me." Desdemona was referring to Ophelia holding up in the torture chamber with Juvia. "I'll let her have her fun with that toy until she breaks it. In the meantime, I would like you to carry on where she left off, Kize."

Kize's ears BURNED as Desdemona called his name. Her acknowledgement alone was enough for him to survive. The man's head immediately lifted up and he stared at his queen with widened eyes. "Yes? What is it you need done!? I'll do anything! Chop off anyone's head and bring it back to you on a silver platter if you wish! Just ask!"

"I want to you move on from that Fairy Tail building and cause havoc elsewhere. Mermaid Heel…Quatro Cerberus, perhaps? I don't really care for where you go; I just want you to do what you do best, Kize. Cause pain to anyone and everyone around you."

"It's almost as though you're speaking my life purpose. Don't worry….they'll all fear me." Kize stood up, giving Desdemona a firm nod before disappearing! Not literally…he just ran so fast there was only a cloud of dust in his shape remained.

"That should provide a stint of entertainment." Desdemona merely offered smile as Kize left. All that mattered was that Kize did everything he needed to do. All of this was for her amusement.

.

.

Mii pushed the doors open to Fairy Tail with a wide smile. "Goooood morning crew! Who's ready for another exciting day!" Lucy followed in after Mii and both noticed how dull the guild's atmosphere was dull. Fullbright was looking a little sheepish while speaking with Makarov. "Yeesh…what's going on here? I thought I was supposed to be the depressed one around here..?"

Lucy then jabbed Mii in the stomach with her elbow. Even though Mii probably couldn't feel it since she didn't feel pain. "Hush. What's going on…?"

"Mii-chan! Lucy-chan!" And there was Zelos, outta nowhere, slinging his arms around both female's shoulders. They both shuddered and nearly melted away from his grasp instantaneously. "Good morning, my lovely angels!" He then started to walk them forward so they could listen in on the conversation. "The guild could use your smiles to brighten things up; it's not looking so good for all the smiles of the other girls in here."

Natsu grumbled as Zelos took Lucy and Mii. Even now, he still couldn't bring himself to like the male for some reason. "That guy just pisses me off for some reason…"

"Agreed…." Laxus huffed. But then his attention went to Fullbright. "Okay, Councilman. What's going on here? Why do you look like you stole the last cookie from the jar and didn't tell anyone?" Really, Fullbright's expression looked just like that.

"I-I would never do such an unjust action!" Fullbright said while clenching his hand into a fist. "I would never take the last cookie!"

"Hurry up!" Cana slurred. Yes, she was already drunk in the morning. What else was new?

"Tell them…" Makarov sighed.

"R-Right." Fullbright nodded before turning to the guild. "Ahem…It is my regret to inform you…that from the orders of a higher up, I will have to suspend the search for your Juvia Lockser."

"WHAT!?" The entire guild stared at Fullbright like he was the bad guy. He was only the messenger, yes, but this was important to everyone.

"What do you mean you have to suspend the search!?" Gray got up in Fullbright's face with a snarl. "You were the one who offered to help in the first place? Are you going back on your word!?"

"Gray, please calm down…" Mira spoke with a frown. "I understand your frustrations, but please…"

"The lady is right, Gray." Zelos said while shaking his head. "Granted, this occurred because of your inability to be Juvia-chan's gleaming knight…but that aside, it will do you no good to yell at the messenger now. He's a man with a job, a job he does quite well; a man who upholds an unyielding sense of justice no matter what the situation…that's a man to admire. And coming from someone from me, someone who doesn't affiliate with men…that's high praise."

"Now isn't the time to be stroking your own ego, Zelos…" Mira chided Zelos, whose attitude made things slightly sourer.

To that, Zelos grinned. "Oh, don't worry Mira-chan. There are more things than my ego that can be stroke…"

"SHUT UP!" Lucy and Mii swung their legs at Zelos' chest. The combination Lucy Kick and Mii's kick knocked the wind out of Zelos and sent him crashing into a table with swirls in his eyes. He was definitely dazed from two female's striking him like that. Mii and Lucy then gave each other a high five.

"Anyway…" Erza coughed. "Are you sure there's nothing you can do? Juvia has been missing for over a week now. We're all extremely worried and have no leads on where she is."

"I am truly sorry…" Fullbright was pouting. "But the problem is that there has only been one missing person's report. I'm needed elsewhere and we don't have the manpower to search for one person…if there were multiple people missing, then that would be a different story."

"It only makes sense…" Levy sighed. "Thank you for your cooperation so far…it's been greatly appreciated."

"Of course!" Fullbright saluted. "If there is anything else that you need, feel free to ask me! For justice!"

"Tch…yer not much use outside of what we want…" Cana muttered.

"…I'm afraid I'm going to have to write you up for public intoxication…" Fullbright then glanced at Cana's outfit…or rather, her usual bra and pants wardrobe. "And public indecency…"

"YOU WANNA DO YOUR JOB NOW?!" Cana shouted.

"And with that, I believe it's time for me to depart!" Fullbright practically vanished with the speed he left with. He meant well…he was just kind of a pushover.

"So now we're back at square on…damn it." Gajeel grunted. "Where do we look now?"

"We just look all over…!" Cynthia piped up. "You guys never gave up on me, so we can't give up on Juvia. She's probably all alone and scared without us…I don't want her to feel that way." Cynthia would've kept speaking but her condition made her cough and stop. Wendy patted her back to help her.

"I agree with Cynthia!" Natsu nodded. "We still have to make that bastard pay for attacking Gray and Juvia!" A fist met with his palm and he grinned. "I say we take the fight to them!"

"Yeah, great idea." Mii said while waving her hand. "Do you know exactly where you're going? Hard to pick a fight with the enemy when you don't even know where they nap." Mii's logic did poke a hole in Natsu's plan…but then again his plan for everything was going to their stronghold and beating them up, so this was nothing new. "Although I can't imagine her still being alive at this point…"

"Don't say things like that." Erza shook her head. "We still have hope. And if they do end up bringing anymore harm to her…I'll write that they decided to mess with one of our own on their gravestone…"

.

.

At Mermaid Heel, the ladies present were all tending to their own task in moving things over to a nearby warehouse. Kagura was busy moving a few boxes here and there, only to halt and put them down. With a disgruntled sigh, she placed a hand on her chest and winced slightly. "Ah…"

"Are you okay?" Melody popped up behind Kagura. "It's not that wound again is it? You almost died at the Isle; you really have to take it easy." The silver haired female chided the ace. Had it been anyone else Kagura probably would've put them down with gravity.

"I know." Kagura sighed. The wound Hubert inflicted on her at the Isle did not prevent her from fighting, but every so often she'd feel it act up again. It was more of an annoyance than anything else to the Mermaid and she'd never really let it stop her from doing anything. But her ladies would always remind her about it for her own good. "I'll be fine. More importantly, it's the rest of you that I'm worried about. I've heard from Erza that Juvia has gone missing during all of those attacks. So stay sharp."

"Pfft…" Melody waved her hand dismissively. Like I'd ever let something happen to my girls! Now let's finish moving this stuff.

"Right." Kagura nodded.

Meanwhile…Kize was peering down below from the warehouse roof. He counted the amount of females in the warehouse before summoning his staff. "Alright ladies…let's play my favorite game: the pain game!" Kize then slammed his staff into the ceiling and that caused a large explosion, nearly destroying the warehouse in its powerful wake. "ARE WE READY TO PLAY!? Because I SURE AM! Let me tell you about the pain game: I NEVER LOSE."

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Next Time: Bringing The Pain


	81. Chapter 81: Bringing The Pain

The warehouse was completely leveled from Kize's surprise attack. Luckily for Mermaid Heel, Melody noticed at the very last second and created a silver dome around her ladies, protecting them from any harm. The dome dispersed and a quick headcount was taken. "Is everyone all right?!"

"We're fine…!" Neth coughed from the smoke. "Thanks Melody, ya really saved our hides right there."

"We're not out of the woods yet…" Kagura said while placing her hand on Archenemy's sheathe, glancing around at their surroundings. "Who's there!?"

"Hi ladies!" Kize jumped down, landing on a large piece of rubble from the building. The insane mage tilted his head, actually staring at all the ladies present. He was still a man and did liked what he saw, but… "You all look great, but nothing compares to my Lady. Except for you, chubby one. Lose some weight, fatty."

Risley took immediate offense to Kize's rude words. "EXCUSE ME!? I AM CHUBBY AND PROUD!" Risley was triggered enough to actually leap forward without thinking, extending her leg to deliver a kick to Kize's face. "I'll show you what this chub can do!"

"OH GOD IT'S ATTACKING." Kize took his spear in both hands and reared it backwards. "FOUR!" With a mighty swing, Kize caught Risley way before she could even touch him and sent her flying! Kize placed his hand just over his eyes as though he were scoping out the distance. "Whew! She went flying far! I put a pretty nice backswing on that, how'd it turn out?" When Kize looked back he noticed Kagura closing in on him from above! "WHOA!" The male jumped back just as the ace thrusted her sword sheathe into the ground, creating a large crater. Kize safely landed and whistled at the damage Kagura dealt. "Whew."

"He's fast." Kagura mumbled while leaping back to gain some distance.

"You know, you really can't just go after someone's head like that without warning. You're not gonna get a date that way." Kize then realized how many women were around and he answered his own internal question. "Oh, unless you like hanging around with all these chicks. Then it's not up to me to judge you."

Kagura was never really one to show her emotions but GOD was Kize annoying the hell out of her. She placed her hand on Archenemy's sheathe once more while her knees began to bend. She was ready to launch at a moment's notice. "I will give you one warning to leave this place. Otherwise we Mermaids will devour you."

"Hmmm…" Kize scratched his head. "I COULD leave…but where's the fun in that? We've started the Pain Game! I've never lost before!" As Kize spoke he placed his hand on his chest where a white magic seal formed. "Let's start!" It was then that Milliana wrapped several of her Nekosoku tubes around Kize's arms to hold him still. "Huh. Kinky."

Kagura immediately pushed forward, thrusting her sheathe into Kize's chest. The force of her Strong From was so powerful it pushed Kize from Milliana's grip and sent him tumbling along the ground before coming to a halt. "Hmph."

"Nice one, Kagura-chan!" Milliana grinned. It didn't take long for both Milliana and Kagura to cringe from pain; the pain of Kagura's own physical might coming back to haunt them! "Ouch…!" Milliana clutched her stomach and fell to her knees while Kagura's stance faltered slightly. She hit hard and she was aware of it.

"Are you two okay?!" Beth rushed over to the both of them. "He didn't hit you, did he?"

"No…" Kagura shook her head. "It felt like…I hit myself?"

"Great, isn't it?" Kize stood back up; groaning softly from Kagura's hit. "You hit pretty hard, lady. Bet that didn't feel too good, did it?"

"Doesn't he have an off switch?" Risley said, annoyed.

Arana then extended her hand, shooting out a web that attached to Kize's mouth, effectively shutting him up. "I made one."

"…!" Even Kize was surprised by this! His attention went to trying to pry the surprisingly sturdy web from off his mouth.

"Bless you." Melody grinned. "Now then…watch me work, ladies!" Melody spread her arms, electricity crackling around her body. Her fist then met with her palm and a silver aura radiated from her both. "Silver Make: Thunder Lance!" Melody reared her arm back as a spear composed of silver manifested within her grasp; silver was highly conductive so lightning radiated from the tip of the weapon. "Say goodnight creep!" Melody put her best foot forward and hurled the spear at Kize, watching as it flew at the male full throttle!

"Mmmmph!" Kize was saying something beneath the web. Perhaps if it wasn't webbed shut the ladies would've heard it. A bright flash of light briefly blinded the Mermaids and then the unthinkable happened. Kize switched places with Milliana! It was then Kize managed to rip off the web at last and exclaimed; "CLEAR WATER!"

"MILLIANA LOOK OUT!"

"Huh…?" Milliana was caught off guard when her position was swapped with Kize's. She didn't have time to react and everything occurred in slow motion from that moment all. The tip of the spear Melody threw pierced Milliana's stomach, blood spurting from the impact. The lightning gathered at the tip of the spear then exploded violently, shaking the area around them. Milliana's body flew before tumbling a few yards, coming to a halt on her side. The female was motionless as the sparks danced around her body.

Melody's eyes were wide. The guilt filled her stomach since that was her attack that just mortally injured her dear comrade. "N-No….I-I didn't…he was…" The tears began welling up and she couldn't bring herself to move a muscle as the others went to check up on her.

"Milliana!" Risley knelt down, gently nudging Milliana to awaken. "Wake up, please. Now isn't the time for a catnap…"

Kize whistled as Milliana was completely unresponsive. "I guess cats don't have nine lives after all…" If there was one thing Kize knew how to do, it was saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. He caught death glares from all the females present due to his poor choice of wording.

"You…." Kagura's body was shaking. She couldn't control herself and she flung herself at Kize while brandishing Archenemy. "I'LL KILL YOU!" In a blind rage, Kagura swung at Kize relentlessly. Her blade clashed with Kize's spear multiple times, sparks flying from the collision of weapons. "YOU BASTARD!"

"WHOA!" Kize was genuinely caught off guard by Kagura's fit of rage. He was just barely able to fend off her strikes, but that change the instant the gravity around him intensified tenfold, bringing him to his knees before he could object! "H-Hey…! The only these knees bend for is my lady-!" Before he could finish speaking Kagura slid past him and clicked the blade back into its sheathe. Kize felt several slashes piece into his very core and of course Kagura felt the same. The pain she inflicted on Kize was great and she faltered because of it.

"Ngh…" Kagura tried to stand tall, but her own pain was too great for her and her knees buckled before she fell to one. "What…the hell…"

"I told you. I don't lose the pain game!" Reminder; just because Kize enjoyed pain didn't mean he didn't have limits. But he was enjoying himself far too much to even think about that! "Does anyone else wanna take a swing at it!?"

"I've had ENOUGH OF YOU!" Beth placed her thumb into her mouth and bit down. The force did draw a little blood, but it didn't matter and she jammed her thumb into the ground. "Green Garden!" Beth's green thumb turned the arena into a lush field prepped with multiple vegetables, all of them rapid firing at Kize relentlessly.

"Ouch! Hey! Stop…!" Kize had to barely shield himself from the onslaught of vegetables. "MOTHER I'M SORRY I HATED VEGETABLES WHEN I WAS YOUNGER BUT THIS ISN'T HELPING! Okay…seriously…ENOUGH." Kize released a powerful beam of raw magic from his staff that completely obliterated the ground and ruined Beth's garden. "That's enough Vitamin A-D for life."

.

Desdemona was watching Kize battle Mermaid Heel with her all seeing eye. There was a hint of a smile on her lips as Kize did work. "I told him to be quick about it…but I suppose he's allowed to have his fun every once and a while. They won't be surviving against him much longer."

.

Des' words were only true. Mermaid Heel was having trouble keeping up with Kize since his tolerance for pain was much higher than theirs. The ladies were on the end of their rope while Kize was still enjoying himself. "Why does nothing we do work…" Arana panted. "We keep hitting him, but he just keeps laughing…"

"Welllll…" Kize began to rub his head. "…This has been fun. But you're not dying as fast as I wanted you all too. Plus…I'm starting to get a little bored. You know, I thought jumping into a horde of angry females would be entertaining, but the media really overplays it…"

"How dare you speak so causally…." Kagura stood back up despite all the pain she was feeling. "You murdered Milliana…"

"Actually, that was your friend there." Kize pointed to Melody, who still had yet to move because she was in shock over what happened. "But…since you miss her so much…" Kize pointed his staff forward, a bright white light shining from the tip. "I will be more than HONORED to reunite you two back in hell! Homicide Rush!" From the tip of Kize's spear, a widespread blast of energy shot forth towards Kagura. This beam was special, for it was the accumulation of all the pain Kize felt along with what all of the ladies at Mermaid Heel felt.

"I won't back down…" Kagura took a step forward and…at the worst possible time, the wound that Melody chided her about acted up. The numbing pain caused her to halt and drop her sword as a hand went to her chest. "N-now…? No…."

"Kagura, look out!" The others screamed in worry.

"Silver Make: Knight!" Melody finally jumped forward, clad in heavy knights armor. She stood in front of Kagura with a determined expression. "Don't worry, I'll keep you safe! It's the least I could do…for what I just did to Milly…" Melody took the blast head on, holding her ground as her increased stature allowed her to easily shield Kagura from it all. The blast lasted for a few seconds and when it finally slowed…Melody's silver armor was in pieces. The female was only in tattered undergarments at the end of it all, still having that grin on her lips even though she didn't move a muscle.

"…Melody…?" Kagura tilted her head. She felt her heart stop as Melody was unresponsive.

"Are you all right…? Good…" Melody then tipped over before hitting the ground, completely motionless after that.

"Melody…!" Kagura scrambled forward to Melody after she fell, but it was already too late.

"Huh…that wasn't exactly what I had in mind…but I'll take it." Kize shrugged. "I've done enough for now, I'll leave you all to cry a river…or eat ice cream…whatever women do when they're upset." With that, Kize took his untimely leave to move onto his next target. His little rampage was only beginning and he was just starting to enjoy it. Dark clouds steadily began to roll in and the forecast was rain. Rain started pour down on the area.

"Melody…Milliana…" Risley stared at the fallen Mermaids with tears starting to fall from her eyes.

"They're…not really dead are they…?" Beth asked while holding onto her arm. Neither of them were moving. She didn't want to believe that this was how things went…that they were too weak to protect two of their own from the cold embrace of death.

"…." Kagura said not a single word. Was she too heartbroken? Too angered? Nobody could tell by looking at her. The rain washed away anything that could even resemble a tear. Standing up, she could only mouth a silent "thank you" to Melody for protecting her…even though it was her job as the Ace to protect her ladies. Fiore was falling on dark times once again…and this storm was going to be completely unrelenting.

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Next Time: Wild Pain


	82. Chapter 82: Wild Pain

Mii stared out of a window in the guild, sighing as the rain began to fall. "Ah…damn it. I didn't know it was supposed to start raining. It's gonna be so cold on the way back to Lucy's place…and wet."

"I told you to pack a jacket." Lucy placed her hands on her hips while huffing at Mii. "I swear...a one strap dress and thigh high boots aren't going to get you very far. That hat doesn't provide any protection either, does it?"

"Oh?" Mii turned her head before pointing at Lucy. "Short skirt, thigh highs, sleeveless shirt underneath that jacket and I doubt you put on a bra today.." Insert her grabby hands here. "…are you sure YOU want to talk to MII about clothing choices? Because I can do this all day."

"…." Lucy would've said something…but Mii had her pegged this time. "We'll do something about that later. AND I DO HAVE ONE ON THANK YOU."

"Oh, about your wardrobe? I'd be happy to help you pick out a lot of outfits. I need something to look at~" Mii winked and Lucy just shuddered. Dealing with Mii was incredibly difficult no matter who you were…especially since she was so forward with her intentions.

"Okay, I think that's enough." Levy wagged her finger. "Remember what we said? No explicitness while the children are around."

"Boo…" Mii crossed her arms and huffed. "Killjoys."

"She's…bold." Cynthia blinked while watching Mii interact with Lucy. "I wonder how Lucy's so okay with this…?"

"I don't think she is…" Wendy said with a nervous laugh.

"That's just a part of Mii-chan's charm." Zelos laughed.

"Why are you still here?" Natsu questioned.

"So you can all bathe in my masculine…" Before Zelos could finish, Erza smacked him over the head.

"The children are listening!" The knight shouted. After hitting Zelos she dusted her hands off and felt something vibrate in her pocket. "Huh? Who's calling me…?" Curious, Erza pulled out her portable lacrima device and displayed the screen, only to see an injured Kagura making the call. "K-Kagura…? What happened? Is everything okay?"

"Erza…" It looked like Kagura was alone. She was really trying her hardest to keep a stone cold expression but it was failing fast. "Mermaid Heel was attacked…"

"Are you okay!?" Erza questioned. This conversation caught everyone's interest and the entire guild fell silent so Erza could have her conversation.

"I'm fine." Kagura responded while struggling to swallow the lump in her throat. "But…we lost two of our own in the process. Melody sacrificed her life to protect me…while Milliana was lost in the battle…"

That piece of information made Erza choke up. Erza's eyes widened as she wasn't exactly sure what it was she just heard. "…I-I'm sorry. For a moment there it sounded as though you said…Milliana died…along with Melody…?"

"Please don't make me repeat myself…" Kagura mumbled while glancing away from the screen.

Erza felt her body shake at this news. She didn't want to believe it but considering Kagura's expression right now…it could only be true. Erza kept her emotions under control, but the shaking was from both anger and sadness. "Who did this?"

"I don't know his name." Kagura responded. "He was a man with an unstable attitude. He wielded a spear and his magic allowed us to feel the same pain he did, and vice versa."

"I see…We'll keep an eye out. Please, go get some rest." With that Erza ended the conversation. She tried to keep herself composed but it was exceedingly difficult.

"Erza…are you okay…?" Mira spoke with a frown. She knew what it felt like to lose somebody important.

"Ara…" Mii decided to open her big mouth. "These people are really something else, aren't they? I'm starting to think their plan just consists of causing pain everywhere to lure everyone into a sense of despair. If so…then the tactics, while annoying, are rather effective."

"What do you know about pain?" Gray narrowed his eyes at Mii. "All you do is gloat about how you can't feel it. I've never once heard you say 'it hurts' or anything of the sort. Now's not the time for your nonsense, Mii." While Gray did have a point, Mii just quirked a brow.

"Oh?" Mii tilted her head. "No, you're right. What DO I know about physical pain? I always choose to ignore it because it's nothing but a hassle. I've said this before, Erza and Mira know." Mii then untied the white corset around her dress. After doing so she revealed the gigantic scar in the middle of her chest. "I've felt pain a few times. I'm sure you've all noticed the scars on my body that haven't faded…you know, they're all from the Isle. Especially this one."

"…!" Natsu recognized that scar. It was from when Mii protected him.

"Don't give me that look." Mii gave a dry laugh while looking at Natsu. "I wasn't protecting you for your sake…it would just leave a bad taste in my mouth if you had died after you saved my hide once before, so we're even now. Is what I would've said in the past. But all these scars don't fade. So yeah, I've felt pain before and it sucks. These guys are inflicting physical pain to the point of death…and I can't really say I know how it feels. It seems I'm not quite fated for death's sweet embrace yet, considering I've slipped away from it various times, even when I asked for it!"

"Mii…" Lucy frowned.

Erza remembered that moment a little too much. Mii was serious back then…but she couldn't even get a read on her now. "…."

Mii tied the corset back on and shrugged. "Juvia's probably still alive too, you know. Judging by the work done thus far, we'd see a body by now if she wasn't. She's clinging onto life knowing you guys will come for her eventually, no matter how bad the physical pain is. But you're all forgetting something…physical pain isn't the only type of pain that exists." Mii shrugged once more before walking towards the doors. "Feel free to assume all you want, but you still haven't even asked the first thing about Mii. I know more about pain than you'd think. I'll see you back at the apartment, Lucy." With that…Mii left the guild and went into the rain.

The guild remained silent after that. It wasn't very often that Mii grew serious about anything and it left a bad taste lingering in the air. "…Did we make her mad…? I've never seen her like that before…" Lisanna stared at the others.

Lucy now understood Mii a little bit more now. While she acted playful and uncaring…those depressing jokes she made about herself were true. She just masked it well with her personality. "…Mii…"

"You've pressed one of her buttons." Zelos clarified. "That girl doesn't have many buttons to push…but it seems you've found one. This situation is stressful, I know. I couldn't bear it if one of my hunnies was killed…however she did raise a point. That aquatic beauty isn't dead yet. We start by doing the things we can do."

"…Looks like we really went off track if it took the two of them to set us straight…" Gray sighed.

"So what the fuck are we supposed to do then!?" Gajeel barked. "These guys are going around killing everyone and we don't even have the slightest idea where to start, and the Council isn't much help to us either." It was then that Gajeel got an idea. "You know what…I know what I'm going to do. Sticking to the lawful nonsense isn't getting us anywhere."

"Wait, where are you going!?" Levy asked.

"I'm going to do this my way. Maybe then I'll get some answers." Gajeel didn't waste any more time in walking out of the guild.

"I don't know what to do either." Mira placed a hand on her cheek. "There's so much happening and we don't know where to begin…I'm a little worried about all of this, honestly."

"We do what we can…as Zelos said." Laxus spoke calmly. Although he would never admit it…agreeing with Zelos felt weird. "We won't get anywhere running in circles like this. We go back and take things one step at a time…"

.

.

The panic of the citizens was the stress for Emmeraude. Everywhere she walked she had someone reminding her about the panic the people were experiencing with all these murders. Normally this was something she'd leave to the Magic Council, but the people were fond of their queen for speaking out on these issues; as such as the queen had to speak publicly to reassure her subjects that everything would turn out. "It's one thing after another with this country…" Emmeraude sighed.

"Are you sure you're up for giving a speech?" Hisui questioned with a curious tilt of her head. "You've been so busy lately. I can handle it for you if you're not feeling up to it."

"Ah, you're so adorable." Emmeraude smiled towards Hisui. "Always offering to help. But don't worry my dear, this will not take long." The Queen then waved her hand, creating a lacrima projection that plastered her face all over Fiore; a reassuring sight to the citizens that adored her so. "Good afternoon my citizens. I know you must all be shaken horribly by the happenings occurring within the state…but worry not. I am making the necessary precautions to ensure that each and every one of you in this country will remain safe. By the end of the week, I promise that you that these attacks will cease and you can continue to live in peace! Never be afraid to turn to the Magic Council for help, I will make sure they provide their full cooperation so we can capture these monsters who threaten our national security!"

.

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Mii made it back to the apartment. But when Emmeraude began her announcement, the familiar voice made her quirk a brow and poke her head out the window. "Emmeraude…? When did she get here…and on the throne?"

.

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Of course, Desdemona heard the announcement as well. But it only brought a small wry smile to her painted lips as she twirled around a glass of wine in her hand. "Monsters, are we? I suppose that's not entirely incorrect. First you'll pray to me…but then you'll only be prey to me."

.

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Jellal sat with Crime Sociere, listening to Emmeraude's announcement. While most people would have believed her words without an ounce of doubt, Crime Sociere did not. Jellal furrowed his brows at Emmeraude spoke. "The Queen, huh…?"

"A strange magical aura has been emanating around the entire country." Midnight spoke with his arms crossed and eyes closed. He was really trying to sleep but it was difficult with Emmeraude's voice grating his ears. "I don't know what it is, but that woman certainly doesn't belong on the throne. But if we were to tell anyone about that they'd probably arrest us on the spot on top of what we're wanted for. They adore that woman."

"Hmph…" Angel scoffed while staring at Emmeraude. "Who does she think she is? Walking into our country like she owns the place?"

"Well…as far as the country is concerned…she does." Meredy pointed out. "Plus…she has been doing a good job…admittedly…"

"Everyone is enamored with her." Cobra spoke from off in the distance. He was serving as the lookout since nothing could escape his ears. "Even though they are stricken with fear from the recent happenings, it has subsided slightly once she began speaking. I know not of the magic she has…but if it is something that can make almost everyone in this country forget about the previous ruler and adore her, it's something indeed."

"I don't like this." Ultear stated. "Too much is going on…these attacks and murders…this woman whose motive is unclear. I don't like the direction things are headed in…"

.

.

Bacchus merely let out a sigh while sitting along in Quatro Cerberus. He heard everything that was going on, including Emmeraude's announcement. While things were very concerning around Fiore, Bacchus had his own problems to deal with. "This ain't wild at all…" Just what was the Drunken Falcon so upset over? Well, you see…Goldmine decided to put a little penalty on Bacchus as a punishment. One could easily assume what this punishment was: no drinks for two weeks along with house arrest during that time to prevent any outside temptation. A short time span to some, but to Bacchus, an eternity. "Could really go for a drink right about now..." He was thinking about it…but alas, he couldn't go through with it because Goldmine would have Blues rat him out. "Damn…"

It was quiet for who knows how long…but that was until Kize kicked down the doors with a crazed grin on his face. He already tasted blood earlier in the day with Mermaid Heel and now he was just itching for more! "Hey there! Mind if I step inside!?"

"What the…?" Bacchus turned as Kize forced his way into the guild. "Who the hell?"

"Great answer!" Kize had his staff ready and lunged at Bacchus with a wild grin on his lips. The staff aimed to plunge into Bacchus' side, but the Drunken Falcon was much quicker than that and easily avoided the staff that crushed the nearby table. Bacchus then retaliated with a palm strike to his side. Kize staggered back and laughed after impact. "HAHAHAHA!"

Bacchus immediately cringed after the palm strike, feeling the same amount of pain within his side. "The hell?"

"We're playing the Pain Game!" Kize exclaimed before rushing forward once again. The madman twirled his staff around before aiming rapid jabs at the S class mage's body. Bacchus did his best to evade, however several of the strikes did end up chipping away at his armor. "I'm 2-0 so far and I only want more!"

Bacchus grit his teeth as he was assaulted out of the blue. He reached out for the nearest object, which happened to be his gourd, and SMASHED it against Kize's head! The impact actually made Kize yelp and stagger backwards with blood dripping down his head. Bacchus held his head and flinched as he felt the exact same impact. "Gah!?"

"Ouch! That was…pretty wild…" Kize laughed as the blood dripped from his head and fell onto the floor. "Doesn't it hurt? This is the pain that I love…"

"You're just a nutjob…" Bacchus assumed his usual stance before taking off. With one hand reared back, he gathered a large abundance of magic within his palm. "Don't worry…I'll put you down! Chop Hanging Palm: Rising Moonlight!" Bacchus swiftly brought his palm upon the back of Kize's skull, crushing the male down into the floor with enough force to cause a crater. Kize remained motionless after the impact and Bacchus let out a growl of pain as his skull was also ringing, but it looked like Kize was down. "Good grief…things are getting wild, and not in the good way. Should probably tie this guy up or something…" Bacchus rubbed his head while turning his back to the male who mysteriously attacked him, looking for something to restrain him with.

Shortly after Bacchus turned his back, Kize groaned silently and lifted his head up. He felt spat out some blood before licking his lips, enjoying the taste of his own. Slowly the man stood back up with his staff in both hands. Once he was on both feet he let out a manically scream and thrusted his spear forward. "HYAH!"

"What the…!?" Bacchus turned just in the nick of time to see Kize attacking. The deadly thrust aimed at his chest instead pierced his side. Bacchus let out a shout of pain as he was thrown into some beer barrels. "Damn…! You're not down yet?!"

"I need more…" Kize heaved heavily with a wild grin. At this point he wasn't even thinking rationally. For some reason he had the mentality of a cornered, bloodthirsty animal: he just had to attack whatever what was in front of him and he wouldn't be satisfied until he said so.

Bacchus panted from the wound in his side. It was pretty deep and you'd think Kize would feel it too…but no, this was a one way train. Glancing around, Bacchus picked up one of the barrels and chugged a little down to get it in his system. Sure he was breaking the rule Goldmine set, but in a life or death situation the rules didn't exactly apply did they? Standing back up, the Falcon hiccupped before taking his stance. "I'll show you how wild I can get then…"

"That's the spirit…" Kize's grin found a way to widen, reflecting the insanity he felt at the moment.

Bacchus was off in a blur. With the alcohol in his system his speed and offense increased drastically! Bacchus raced forward while gathering magic within his palms once again. The first strike was another one of his signature moves! "Chop Hanging Palm: Under Moonlight!" With a rising palm, Bacchus struck Kize's chin to nearly lift him off the ground. Bacchus pursued and aimed a blindingly fast serious of palm strikes that all occurred within a second! Bacchus slid past Kize letting out another shout of pain as he felt everything he just dished out! But hopefully that was enough to finally put Kize down. Heavy pants escaped the man as he turned around, falling to a knee due to the pain.

"…" Kize was still standing, still conscious, still grinning. "Now this was a rush…" The man said while stabbing his staff into the ground. Bacchus' expression was all he needed to see. That was all he wanted out of this entire experience. "Now let's end this battle with a BIG BANG! Suicide Rush!" The entire building of Quatro Cerberus began to rumble violently. Before Bacchus could make a move, the entire guild was enveloped in a harsh pillar of destructive light that rose into the rainy skies, shaking the earth for kilometers on end. When that light faded, there was nothing left of Quatro Cerberus…except Kize limping off to finally return to Fukomakura with a satisfied grin on his face. The body of Bacchus was likely buried underneath the rubble of what used to be Quatro Cerberus.

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Next Time: Chipped Fang.


	83. Chapter 83: Chipped Fang

Sophie was on the White Eclipse balcony, staring up into the sky for Emmeraude's announcement. She was tuned in like no other, staring intently at Emmeraude's face as she spoke. Sophie felt a distant memory triggering as she heard queen speak. It was unsettling because she could see it all as a slight blur that slowly came into focus. "….."

"Uh…Sophie…?" Yuji nudged Sophie's shoulder. It was a little concerning she was standing out in the cold with no jacket. "You okay? You've been staring up at the sky for a while after Her Majesty started speaking. And you know…you're still in a t-shirt. You're gonna catch a cold…can you even get sick…?"

"Emmeraude is…my creator…" Sophie mumbled.

"WHA?!" Yuji's eyes widened. "You sure you don't have a fever or something…? You're saying the queen is your mom?! You don't look anything alike…"

"No…I remember…" Sophie shook her head, turning to walk back inside since it was getting a little chilly. "Emmeraude made me." That was quite a thing for everyone else to overhear. Of course Sophie caught a few looks as a result but it was also one of the few times she was serious.

"You…you're joking, right?" Cygnus said while looking at Sophie.

"…Has she ever told a joke, old man?" Shinji stuck his tongue out. Cygnus would've throttled the boy right there, but the kids always had some sort of immunity to such things from the ladies around, so he was safe for now. "She's definitely an android or something…so if she remembers something it's probably true."

"I didn't know we had royalty living with us…!" Aira clasped her hands together. "And Shinji, stop calling her a robot, that's not nice. Some people have a harder time conveying emotions than others." The wind mage nagged while waving her finger.

"Maybe if we take her back we can get some kind of reward…" Kanade was thinking of all the cash opportunities…only for a second. One look at the curious Sophie and she sighed, defeated. "Or not."

"I'm…worth money?" Sophie asked. Now she had the wrong impression about how money worked.

"No, no…!" Aira waved her hands. "Don't give her the wrong impression…! She's very impressionable…"

"More like her coding is very impressionable…" Shinji mumbled. But that got him a pat on the back from Kanade…which, with her strength, sent him into the floor. "Ow…."

Sophie tilted her head slowly at the interactions. She wasn't sure why everyone was making a fuss about the one thing she could remember about herself. However there was one thing that bothered her…everyone was referring to Emmeraude as "Her Majesty" and "Queen" and out of all the things Sophie remembered about Emmeraude, that was not one of them. She would've spoken up on it…but instead she decided against it. "I'd like to go see her sometime…when it is safe. I wonder if she remembers me…"

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After some time, Kize finally returned to Fukomakura, pleased with the damage he did. Of course some of his blood and dampness from the rain got all over the floors which an unfortunate servant girl had just finished cleaning. "AHH! THAT WAS A RUSH! Oh hey…you know the Lady doesn't like these messy floors. You're SLACKING! GET BACK TO WORK!" And Kize slammed his head into the poor girl who let out a yelp before collapsing onto the ground. Kize then went to report what he did to Desdemona. "MY LADY! I'M HOME!"

"I'm aware." Desdemona said while crossing one leg over the other. "I see you had fun out there. But you're making a mess of the floor."

"I told that maid to clean it up…they don't listen." Kize sighed.

Ophelia then dragged herself into the room, covered in blood. It wasn't hers either. "Ugggggh…Mother, the Fairy is broken…."

"Already?" Des lifted a curious brow. "Hm…I suppose she lasted a little longer than the previous one you had. You haven't killed her already, have you?"

"No…" Ophelia sighed. "Every time I hit her she just cries now, begging me to just kill her. It's pretty pathetic actually. I think her spirit and body are both broken…if you listen carefully I'm sure you can hear the quiet sounds of a shattered soul sobbing. It's actually really annoying so I'll just let her dump the waterworks and probably use the super-heated iron rod later…"

"Well, before you do that. I have another job for you." Des said while looking at her black nails. This of course caused Ophelia to groan in discontent.

"Uggggggh…what is it?" Ophelia questioned while placing her hands on her hips.

"I want you to go to Sabertooth. This time I want you to bring me back two specific mages. I'm sure you can handle such a simple task, yes? You've been surprisingly competent thus far." And there it was; the usual degrading nature of their conversation. Des didn't even look at Ophelia, who just frowned at her mother's choice of words.

"And these two people are….?" Ophelia asked.

"Yukino Aguria, and Orga Nanagear. There is something I'd like to…discuss with the both of them. You can use any means necessary to capture them as long as they are taken alive." Des finally looked at Ophelia after a second with a frown tugging her lips. "…Well, what are you still doing here? Shoo."

"Yeah, SCRAM!" Kize laughed.

"You can drop dead, and you irritate me." Responses to Kize and Des respectively, Ophelia huffed before making her exit.

After Ophelia left, Desdemona called forth someone else. "Orsino." Not even a second after he was called did Orsino appear, bowing respectfully to Des.

"You rang, My Lady?" Orsino asked.

"Yes…I want you to do something for me to. Go out do whatever you wish. I know you've got that urge building within you, and it would be unfair of me to let you sit here as the others have fun. So enjoy yourself to your hearts content."

"You are too kind." Orsino offered a smile before vanishing in the form of black mist.

"Now…" Desdemona sat back and snapped her fingers, commanding one of the servant girls to bring her another wine. "A little more fun…then I'll start putting things into motion. If the humans can't deal with this then they'll be dead before I begin."

.

.

Wendy closed the window to her and Cynthia's humble abode. The rain was still a little strong outside which halted anymore investigative process. Wendy sighed while staring out of the window. "I don't like this situation…Juvia is still missing and I'm worried about her. Mii-san looked really upset earlier too…I think we were wrong to assume…"

Cynthia sat on the couch, glancing over her various scars absentmindedly while listening to Wendy talk. She gave a nod in response. "Mhm…I forget we really don't know anything about her. But at the same time it feels like we've known her forever. When I think about it…we've only really known her for a few weeks, huh?"

"Yeah…" Carla nodded. "But she needs to learn how to act. Her attitude needs a lot of work."

Cynthia merely shrugged her shoulders before staring off into space. Soon after she heard a familiar voice in her head.

 _"_ _Rose."_ It was Marde. Cynthia gripped her head to try and push his voice away, but her red eyes flashed and Rose took over.

"Hm…?" Rose tilted her head.

 _"_ _Come to me. I have an assignment for you."_ That was Marde's order, one that Rose would follow without question.

Rose merely nodded before standing up. She then took a few steps forward, only to be halted by Wendy standing in front of her. "Oh. Hey. How did you…?"

"I can sense when you change." Wendy said while placing her hands on her hips. "Plus your steps are a little heavier than Cynthia's. Just where do you think you're going?"

"Who are you, my mother?" Rose scoffed while nearly shoving Wendy to the side. "I'm going to check something out. Don't follow me either. Just as you can smell me from a mile away, I can smell you."

"…." Wendy frowned after being pushed aside. She was still standing in front of the door, not trusting Rose to not get Cynthia's body injured in some way.

Rose let out a defeated sigh. She could sense Wendy's worries and rolled her eyes. "Ugh. Fine…I promise I won't do any fighting. If you haven't noticed, we share the same body. As much as I would love to hurt her even more, I'm not in the mood to get hurt myself. Can I go now?"

"If there's another scar on her body…" Wendy grumbled while stepping off to the side. Carla was wondering if this was okay but she didn't voice her opinion on the matter.

"I'll be fine. You need to loosen up." Rose shrugged before walking out the door.

"…Are you sure this is okay? Don't you want to follow her…?" Carla questioned after Rose left.

"I want to…but I shouldn't." Wendy sighed while glancing at the floor. Her hands were fiddling with the necklace Cynthia gave her some time ago. "I'll just have to trust that Rose won't get them hurt…I don't want to see Cynthia with anymore scars…"

.

.

Rose trudged her way through the rain with no problem, she found it a little nice. Once she was outside of town and into the woods she found Marde with no problem. When she was near she took a bow out of respect. "It's good to see you again, Marde-sama. You have no idea how long I've been stuck with these idiots…they're truly insufferable."

"I'm sure." Marde said. "I see you still haven't completed your assigned mission. But that doesn't matter anymore. I have another mission for you." Marde then held out his hand. "Take the scent off of my hand then track the owner of it down. I do not want you to engage, but merely watch what she's doing."

"Okay…." Rose felt a little weird about this but she did as she was told. She leaned in to capture the scent on Marde's hand. It was Ophelia's scent. Rose tilted her head since she picked up a faint hint of Marde's scent from Ophelia's. "….Got it." It wasn't her place to ask. Without another word she went off in search of Ophelia.

.

.

In Sabertooth, it was rather quiet. With the news of what was happening going around, it wasn't exactly easy for everyone to stay optimistic. Sting sat in his chair, contemplating a course of action to keep his guild safe while offering assistance to the others. "This is perplexing…" Sting sighed. His brainstorming wasn't exactly the most productive process.

"Don't think too hard now…you don't want to put your brain into overdrive." Rogue teased just to ease Sting's worry. However it didn't seem to work over well this time.

"I'm thinking seriously, Rogue." Sting sighed. "I've heard what's happened to the other guilds and it really doesn't sit well with me. Whoever's doing this need to pay as soon as possible…"

"It's quite frightening…" Dios remarked. "I do hope you all manage to stay safe. I only just got here after all."

"Yes…it's very frightening. I hope nobody else gets hurt." This was the new recruit Sting spoke of; Mana Sake. She was a woman with blue hair and wore sunglasses due to being photophobic. Perhaps the most…noticeable quality of her was her big heart, as she was always kind to anyone. Her heart was as big as her chest…which was bigger than most females around. So yeah, take that into consideration. Anyway!

"Maybe we should bring the other guild masters together and discuss this topic?" Yukino suggested.

"If anyone tries to bring harm Sabertooth, I'll strike them down myself." Minerva commented. That fearful aura she emanated made Yukino shudder and smile nervously. It was nice to know she was really back on their side, however.

"We'll figure something out." Rufus said. "In my memories, we've always found a way to overcome such tragedy. This time will be no different."

Sting smiled at the encouragement his guild was giving him. It was just enough to cheer him up a bit. "Right…we'll make it through this and so will everyone else. I'll see what I can do and…" He paused. A familiar presence caught his senses and he began looking around. "What the…?"

"Sting-sama…? Are you okay?" Yukino asked while tilting her head curiously.

"….I feel it too…" Rogue said while staring at the ceiling. "This presence…we've felt it before…the demon king?" Before an answer could be given, a blast of curse magic ruptured the ceiling and exploded against the guild. Everyone froze…literally.

Time was frozen in the middle of Sabertooth's destruction. Yukino cringed while awaiting impact…only for no impact to occur. She glanced around only to see that rubble paused in midair along with everyone present. "Huh…?"

"Those expressions of terror…" Ophelia said while waltzing forward, walking past Yukino while examining the faces of everyone present. "Maybe I should take a picture. It probably would last longer…"

"W-Who are you!?" Yukino asked while reaching for her keys…only to find that they weren't where they should've been. "Huh?!"

Opehlia held up Yukino's keys with a small sigh. "Looking for these? I literally snatched them off you when I walked past. You should pay more attention to your surroundings…now then…" A bolt of black lightning dropped down before Ophelia. She didn't flinch as Orga appeared, even though he was much larger than she was. "Ah…there you are. Freeze Frame worked then."

"I don't know what's going on here….but you're going to have to answer to me now." Orga said with onyx lightning dancing around his muscular being.

"Ah…there we go." Ophelia glanced back at Yukino and Orga. "Listen…I'm really not in the mood to take you both by force. So let's just make this easy and…" Orga's lightning coated fist met with Ophelia's cheek. Her head violently snapped to the side and stayed there for a few seconds. "…Ugh." She turned her head back around, rubbing her cheek with an annoyed expression. "You humans are always so defiant…."

"What the…?" Orga wasn't even sure if his punch had any effect on Ophelia.

"I expected that to actually hurt a little bit since you're so muscular. I guess that's why Mother wanted you. Let me show you want a punch looks like…" Ophelia coated her fist in raw curse power and swung it towards Orga's chest. There was a cracking sound the very second her fist struck Orga's broad torso and he fell backwards with widened eyes.

"O-Orga-sama…!" Yukino began to rush forward but a sharp thorn pierced her side. Eyes widened as she froze on the spot, blood spurting from her mouth. Ophelia intentionally missed vital spots but it was still enough to bring Yukino down as she collapsed onto her stomach.

"Finally…" Ophelia sighed before lifting both Yukino and Orga over her shoulders and began to pull them away. Once she was clear of the Sabertooth building she resumed time and giggled as the building collapsed on itself from her prior attack.

Rose was watching from afar. Although she really didn't see what happened inside the building…all she saw was Opehlia walk in, walk out with Yukino and Orga, and the building collapse. The little demon swallowed the lump in her throat since to her, such a situation only occurred within a matter of seconds. "This is Marde-sama's offspring…? Yeesh…I'd hate to see who the mother is…"

.

.

Freed was quietly patrolling the Magnolia streets. The rain didn't bother him and he wanted to do what he could for the guild and the people of the town, so he agreed to act as a night watch and report any suspicious activity. "Everyone's on edge…there must be something left behind that can lead us to these culprits. The scent of blood is too strong for our dragon slayers, but if there was something else…"

"You seem confused, good sir…" Orsino commented while taking a puff from his cigar, exhaling some smoke afterwards. "Perhaps you are troubled by the recent happenings around the country?"

"A citizen like you shouldn't be out at night. It's quite dangerous." Freed remarked.

"Indeed…" Orsino placed his cigar on the ground to exhaust the small flame. "It is very dangerous for mortals to be out at this hour with everything happening. You should be at home."

Freed lifted a curious brow at the way Orsino spoke. It was very…off putting. Because of this his hand slowly reached for the hilt of his blade. He wasn't going to make any moves yet, but he was prepared in the event that this mysterious man did try to make an example out of him. "Indeed…now would you mind explaining who you are? You sound as though you carry some important information about this."

"I do…but if I were to tell you, I'd have to kill you." Orsino admitted. "But seeing as how you're already in my sights…I'll be doing that already. So I'll spare you the boring details. My lady has permitted me to let loose a little bit."

"So you are related to this…" Freed crouched a bit while keeping his gaze on Orsino. "Then I hope you don't mind if I take you in for some questioning."

"You can do whatever you like." Orsino responded calmly. "But that's only if you survive. There's naught you can do against the Goddess' Blessing…" Orsino let his malicious intent be known. If Freed failed here…it would spell the end for him. So in other words; failure was not an option.

Freed sprinted forward whilst brandishing his sword. "Dark Ecriture: Pain!" Freed swung his blade diagonally down to cut across Orsino's torso and his thigh…but Freed's sword merely sliced nothing but black mist. Orsino did not move from his spot. Freed's blade just whisked past him. "What?"

"An impressive effort…but that's all it is: a mere effort. Mortals cannot stand up to blessings." Orsino swiped his hand forward, sending misty darkness towards Freed.

"Rune Magic: Nullify that attack!" Freed swung his blade horizontally, creating a wall of runes that blocked Orsino's attack…or at least that's what should have happened. Instead the black mist exploded and Freed was sent stumbling back with wide eyes. "What on earth…?" Once that was finished the rune mage sped forward while lighting his sword in a violet hue once more. "Dark Ecriture: Destruction!" This time he aimed to slash across Orinso's chest, but the same thing occurred: nothing. "What the…?" Freed then received a kick to his chest that knocked him backwards slightly. "Ooof…"

"As I said…" Orsino repeated. "Nothing you do will work against me."

"Is that so…? Then have a taste of a new rune I've been working on…Dark Ecriture: Download." Freed swung his blade forward yet again, this time unleashing purple characters that flew towards Orsino. These characters didn't intend to do any damage anyway as they flew through him and back into the blade. This allowed Freed to get a literal read on what he was facing off against in terms of abilities. "What the…?"

"Oh no…I'm afraid I can't allow you to keep that…" Orsino vanished in black mist before reappearing in Freed's face. The rune mage didn't really have any time to react as his sword was kicked away from him and dropped into the canal. Within the blink of an eye Orsino's hand pierced through Freed's chest. Freed's eyes widened as the pain was instantaneous and his voice refused to come out of his throat.

"W-What the…hell are you…?" Freed barely managed to speak.

Freed collapsed and that's when Orsino stood above him. Well…so you actually see…my dear goddess gifted me with, what demons call a curse, what humans call their magic…but what I can…a blessing. I'm no god, yet merely a servant of one. And our goddess reigns over all." That's when he began to stomp on Freed's chest repeatedly. Freed let out a few cries of pain before blood did come out of his mouth and stained Orsino's suit. Blood….blood? BLOOD. Eyes widened in some sort of sick twisted pleasure. "OH DEAR GOD YES, I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH SUCH CRIMSON STAINED BODIES TODAY~" Sadist side now peaking its climax, Orsino got down to Freed's left, brought both hands up, cupped them together, and began bashing in Freed's face, just allowing the blood to fling around as it pleased while the rest of it washed away into the canal because of the rain. "MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE!" Even as Freed's body stopped twitching, he just kept going. Only a few moments later did he stop suddenly, leaning into the unrecognizable face of what used to be Freed Justine and whispered. "I wanted more, but thanks for the fix. I didn't intend for this to be a one night stand, but I'm tossing you to the side, like the used whore you are now. Ciao~" With that, Orsino stood up and began walking off.

.

.

Next Time: The Pieces Gather


	84. Chapter 84: The Pieces Gather

As Ophelia made her way from Sabertooth, she groaned because having to drag both Yukino and Orga around was really just a pain in the ass. "Ugh…Why are they so far away from the guild. This is a nightmare…" After a few more moments she came across Dios resting against a tree. "Oh great…"

"Where do you think you're going with my new guild mates?" Dios questioned while lifting a brow.

"Oh cut the crap…I know it's you." Ophelia sighed while rolling her eyes.

"I'd be offended if you didn't." Dios said as hell flames wrapped around his body. Dios was no regular human…in fact he wasn't human at all. Dios was actually Daityas just lying low! Daityas let out a small sigh while staring at Ophelia. "I was wondering when dear Auntie was going to make a move. I see she's making you run the errands as usual."

"She keeps me out of the house a lot. Whether it be because she doesn't want to see me, or she just has faith in me to do it…I couldn't say. Well, Cousin, it's been lovely seeing you again, but as you can see I'm just swamped with work." Opehlia said while continuing on her way.

"One more question. What exactly is she planning? It's not often she pokes her head out from the shadows to interfere." Daityas asked. "And whenever she is involved…the scale usually involves this continent. Occasionally the world."

"Ask her yourself." Ophelia didn't look back as she kept walking. The sooner she could get home with the deadweight on her shoulders the better. "I'm leaving."

Daityas merely shrugged as Ophelia left. "Not that I particularly care. But if it involves all of these shitty humans being killed…then I just want a front row seat to watch the world burn."

.

.

Lucy returned to the apartment, groaning because of how much heavier the rain had gotten. "I should've packed an umbrella…" Lucy then heard some familiar snoring sounds coming from the couch. Glancing at the floor, she saw Mii's boots carelessly discarded. "Come on…at least put your shoes away properly…" Lucy walked over to the couch, nudging Mii gently to wake her up. "It's not even that late. Come on, wake up…"

"Ugggh…five more minutes…" Mii grumbled in her sleep while turning over, burying her face into the couch cushion. After a few minutes Mii groaned, turned over and opened her eyes. "Oh hey. Guess you guys are finished at the guild?"

Lucy nodded and took a seat next to Mii. "Mhm. I'm sorry…"

"Ehhhh….?" Mii titled her head as visible question marks started to pop around her head. "Why are you apologizing to me?"

"Because I didn't take into consideration how you felt. You always act so happy and carefree…I didn't want to believe that you were hurting…" Lucy sighed while averting her gaze.

Mii let out a silently groan. "What? …Oh, you mean what happened earlier. I'd already forgotten about it." Shrugging, the female scooted closer to Lucy while wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Listen, Lovely Lady Lucy."

Lucy shuddered. "Don't do that."

"You're not completely off the mark. I'm not the happiest person in the world, but that doesn't really matter as long as I can pull off a smile. If I didn't smile at least once a day, then I'd be a stick in the mud. Boring Mii really isn't the best Mii there is, you see. Someone has to keep you on your toes." She was really trying her hardest to resist the urge to grope Lucy then and there, because she was being serious, and she hated being serious.

"…I just feel bad because I realized that we don't know anything about you." Lucy said while somehow managing to look Mii in the eyes. She could tell Mii was trying to be serious and that had her attention. "You betrayed us to help us…helped us again…and those scars on your body haven't completely faded away. Plus you're helping me keep this little secret away from everyone…" She tugged her scarf away somewhat to stare at the black markings on her body.

"The big one isn't going." Mii remarked. "Being stabbed isn't fun."

"What I'm trying to say is…you've done a lot for us at the end of the day…and I want to get to know you better." Lucy nodded.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…." That was….a really long sigh. Mii backed away and stood up with a stretch. "Least you're finally making an effort. But now's not the best time…I'm tired. But hey, my story is filled with twists turns and sadness! You could write a book on it, ehhhhhh!?"

"I haven't told you that I…" And suddenly Lucy realized that leaving Mii alone in her apartment was a terrible idea. Cheeks flared red from embarrassment. "D-Don't tell me you were reading my stuff!?"

"I got bored waiting for you to come back!" Mii said with a widening grin. "I gotta say, your writing is really entertaining. You have some very astute tastes."

"No stoooop! It's not finished! I-I mean don't read it!" Lucy fled to her room in embarrassment. She was really kicking herself for thinking Mii wouldn't read her stuff.

Mii placed her hands on her hips, sighing as Lucy retreated to her room. "Geez…why are you worrying about me so suddenly? Your time should go into finding Juvia….I really don't understand you people at all and it irritates me…but I suppose that's one thing we've got in common to work on." She was still tired. The search was likely to begin anew tomorrow and she was going to take part in it. For now, she flopped back on the couch and began to snore away any and all worries.

.

.

Yukino slowly began to awaken. When she did she realized that she felt no magic flowing through her body and her hands weren't moving the way she wanted them to. Groaning she looked around as her vision began to return. "What the…? Where…" Wincing, she realized her side was bleeding…actually; there was just a trail of crimson leading up to the door and presumably beyond it. No wonder she felt so light headed. However there was someone in far worse a condition than a simple wound. Yukino didn't even recognize Juvia with all those bruises, cuts, and other marks on her. "J-Juvia-sama…i-is that you…!?"

"…." Juvia didn't respond. She was still breathing but it was difficult to tell if she was conscious or not.

"J-Juvia-sama! Please wake up…"! Yukino nudged Juvia very carefully. Juvia responded to the slightest touch with a hiss of pain, backing away out of instinct due to her experience over the last few days. "A-Are you okay…!? What did they do to you….!?"

"Juvia…wants to go home…with Gray-sama…." Juvia spoke in a monotone tone. She didn't even seem to acknowledge Yukino's presence, but Yukino did notice the dull look in her eyes and it absolutely horrified her.

"J-Juvia-sama…what have they done to you…" Yukino wriggled around, trying to get her hands free but it was useless. She didn't have her keys either since Ophelia stole them from her, and she was worried about the wellbeing of those in Sabertooth. The last thing she remembered was the building collapsing on them. "If only I could…"

Ophelia banged her fist on the door a few times. "Oi, wake up. It's morning." With that fair warning out of the way, the half breed pushed the door open with her hands on her hips. "Are you two getting acquainted? I suppose that'll make things a little more fun later…but then again I don't think I'm allowed to touch you on Mother's orders…"

"Where is Orga-sama?" Yukino glared at Ophelia.

"Voicing demands are we?" Ophelia sighed and walked forward, swinging her boot at Yukino's cheek. Yukino ended up spitting out some blood from the impact and the wraith side. "What's with you humans and failing to understand the situation you're in? But if you must know, he's with my Mother. She wanted to see him…which sounded really odd at first. But I suppose it's been a rather long time since she'd fed on a living being. The servants here are too afraid to step out of line…but that doesn't stop them from being victims of a foul mood."

"I-I don't understand…" Yukino responded.

"Don't you listen?! He's basically as good as dead." Ophelia groaned. "You will be too. Probably." Without having much more to say Opehlia then took her leave, leaving the females to themselves.

.

"Ugh…" Orga slowly came to while rubbing his jaw. "That little brat hit like a truck…"

"I agree…she is indeed a nuisance at times…" Desdemona walked into the cell, catching Orga by surprise. "But she does do as she's told which is good enough for me. My daughter is a special case after all. But I do see you've awakened."

"…The hell're you?" Orga questioned. He realized he wasn't in the best situation since the magic sealing cuffs prevented any of his lightning from coming through.

"You may call me Desdemona. I've spent a long time watching the happenings of this world." Des replied while casually making her way onto Orga's lap. Under normal circumstances he probably wouldn't have minded since Des was very beautiful…but right now, there were multiple red flags waving in the wind. "I've watched it all from the very beginning. The beginning of the world, the rampage of a once pure soul nearly wiping out humanity, the Dragons' plan…Fiore's End, Dealer, Angels, Tartartus…The Isle of the Dragons. It seems this country winds up in mess after mess…"

"W-What's your point…?" Orga questioned. He didn't have a single clue as to what she was referring to prior to Fiore's End.

"I'm sick of it all." Des' tone grew sharper at Orga's question. "Each and every time you humans manage to miraculously find a way out of destruction. Personally, I want it all to end in one fell swoop. I want to see just once what total annihilation looks like…"

"You're…weird…let me go! And where's Yukino? I know that brat got her too!" Orga demanded to know…but he then felt strange. When he looked down at his arms, the strange oddly colored scales on Des' skin began to stretch onto his own! He could feel his life force rapidly fading away and there wasn't anything he could do about it. "W-what the…?"

"It's been such a long time since I've fed off the energy of another. If there's one thing humans are good for, it's food." Des yawned as Orga's face began to turn pale as the life was quite literally being drained out of his being, and she didn't intend on stopping until she drained out every last drop. Take that as you will.

.

Cynthia yawned, leaning her head against Wendy's shoulder. The two were sitting at a table in the guild and Cynthia was just completely exhausted. "Ugh….I'm so tired. Rose kept me up all night with that stupid mission of hers…"

"Where did you go?" Carla asked. "She told us not to follow and we didn't. But I assume you have an idea of where you…er…your body was taken last night?"

"I don't remember…it was all a haze…" Cynthia sighed. "I think we were in a town…and there was a girl with green hair dragging away some people…"

"Green hair…?" Gray's interest perked at the conversation. So far it coincided with everything that had been happening so far. "Cynthia, do you know where she went?"

"I don't remember…" Cynthia sighed once more. "Rose might, but she's having the luxury of sleeping away in my head and…"

Before Cynthia knew it, Gray was kind of in her face. "Cynthia, try to remember! This is important! If you saw that girl we could get a lead on her!"

"Gray, don't yell at her." Mira frowned while serving a guild member a mug of beer. "I know you're worried about Juvia…we all are, but yelling at Cynthia isn't going to help."

"Yeah, Ice Princess. Calm down! We're all trying here." Natsu grumbled.

"…Tch…sorry…" Gray returned to his table for now.

"Speaking of worried…." Bickslow said while staring at the front door. "Freed hasn't come back yet. He said he was going to walk around town last night to see if anything would be up…"

"I'm sure he's fine." Evergreen said while fanning herself. Now that the rain stopped it was very muggy and humid outside. Enough to make the fairy make use of that gigantic fan of hers.

"I don't have a good feeling…" Wendy mumbled. She couldn't explain it, but she didn't feel as though things were exactly right. This situation was really keeping everyone on edge, herself included.

"It's still been a little too long…" Erza stood up from her seat. "I'll go see what's keeping him so long." The scarlet knight then began to walk towards the door, and as soon as she reached it it opened. She was greeted by a grinning Zelos who was a little TOO close to her personal space. "…Eep…!"

"My my, what a lovely way to start the morning. Good morning my Scarlet Beauty~" Zelos winked.

"Oh great…he's here…" Mii rolled her eyes but decided to keep herself quiet.

"What do you want?" Laxus asked. "Can't you see we're in the middle of something important?"

"Well, actually…" Zelos' tone dropped. Erza stepped aside to let him in and he held a sword up in his hand. "This look familiar to you?"

"That's Freed's…." Laxus didn't like where this was going.

"Yeah…I found it washed up in the canal early this morning. I followed the path up and uh…it was a pretty ugly sight." Zelos tossed the sword to Laxus before pulling out his Lacrima device. He took a picture of Freed's body and the site nearly made everyone gag.

"W-What the…" Levy was shocked. "W-Who did this…?"

"Dunno. Saw some Council people lurking around…but it didn't look like they were ready to talk about it. There's some strange data on that sword but it's encrypted…so have fun with that." Zelos put his device away and shrugged.

"Targeting another one of my children…" This did not sit well with Makarov at all. This situation was already angering him, but now it was going to an entirely different level.

Natsu clenched his hand into a tight fist at what he just saw. His veins were beginning to show and his teeth grit in absolute anger. It didn't take a genius to figure out where Freed's attacker came from. "Those bastards are just toying with us….well I won't have that anymore!" Flames erupted from around Natsu's body as everyone's attention turned to him. "They just keep attacking people for fun and taking the lives of not only innocents, but our family members….I've HAD ENOUGH! These bastards have past wanting a fight…they want war. And I'll be more than happy to give it to them."

.

.

Des emerged from the cell she had Orga in, appearing rejuvenated from the experience. "Oda. I believe it's time we stopped playing around now…I want to get this started as quickly as possible. I want to see this world burn from the power of its own inhabitants. The humans may think of this as war…but really, it will be nothing more than a slaughter."

.

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Next Time: Final Preparations.


	85. Chapter 85: Final Preparations

Natsu's declaration of war made everyone in the guild mutter and mumble. The collective noise turned into an incoherent mumble that filled the entire building. Zelos believed himself to be the only one with a level head at the moment as his hands waved back and forth. "War? Whoa, time out, let's think about this for one second. War? How are you going to fight someone you don't even know the rules!? Let's slow down."

"No." Natsu shook his head. "I've had enough of these bastards toying around with us!"

"Shouldn't you leave this decision to the one in charge?" Zelos then pointed to Makarov, who had his arms crossed and eyes closed deep in thought. It seemed he was really the only one who didn't think this was a good idea. "Really? You too old man? Geez…please tell me the ladies have brains in here. I'd hate if anything happened to the sweet hunnies in here! You're all smart, right?"

"I'd rather not get engaged to another war…" Mii began. "But we can't let these people keep toying with all of us. So I'm game!"

"I agree with Mii…" Erza said. "We've been toyed with since the very beginning. I refuse to allow them to keep this up for much longer. They are going to pay with their lives for what they've done to Fairy Tail and the other guilds. This is a promise."

"Strong, fierce, and beautiful." Zelos said with a dreamy sigh. "It's no wonder I keep gravitating towards this place. You ladies are really something, you know that? You sure know how to liven up an afternoon."

"It seems Freed knew something was going to happen. His sword is encrypted with data." Levy put on her reading glasses. "I think I can decipher this…maybe then we can get some information on what's been happening and finally bring the attack to them."

"Always thinking ahead…" Bickslow had a slight grin on his face. Even though Freed had gone down, he didn't do so in vain. "We'll be sure to pay the bastard back that took ya from us, Freed. Don't worry."

"So we reconvene here tomorrow once Levy figures things out?" Gray asked. "That's perfect. It'll give me time to rest before taking out the bastard who hurt our guild mates."

"Cynthia, Wendy. Stay with Levy. Gajeel is still unaccounted for and I'm sure she could use the protection." Laxus felt as though the two dragon slayers would be up to the task.

"H-Hai! Leave it to us, Laxus-san!" Wendy balled her tiny hands into fists and gave Laxus a determined expression.

"We can do it!" Cynthia grinned.

"I feel safe already." Levy smiled at the two girls. Unfortunately Jet and Droy were feeling pretty shafted at the moment…but they knew it was likely for the best anyway. "I'll get back to you guys as soon as I can. But for now…rest up. I think we have another big battle ahead of us…I have a really bad feeling about this…"

"Be safe, my children…" Makarov mumbled before coughing quietly into his arm. Age was catching up to him slowly…

.

.

"A-Ah…" Yukino was crying. There were tears only falling from one eye. Why was this? Because Des herself decided to have a little fun with her. That included sitting on her lap as she was chained up, grinding against her as her tongue roamed around her left eye. It all happened so quickly that Yukino only heard the disgusting "POP" as her eye was ripped out. "AHHHH!"

Des groaned while swirling Yukino's eye around in her mouth before well…you can probably assume the rest of what happened after that. Everyone was receiving their own special hell as long as Des was involved. Once she finished with Yukino she left the dungeon and made her way above ground with a satisfied expression. "How delicious."

"Still toying with these humans?" Marde questioned. Again, he made his way into her home uninvited. But Des didn't seem to mind this time. She just continued walking. "They do last longer than you did in my bed, hm?"

"OOOOOOH!" Seems that Kize and Orsino were listening in on the conversation. Not that Des particularly minded. She had more important things to take care of than listening to Marde speak.

"I'd appreciate it if you left soon. I have some finishing touches to implement." Des spoke while coming to a halt.

"Oh, don't mind me." Marde replied. "I'm just here to watch you choke on the food you enjoy playing with.

"How ironic you wish to see the humans that beat you beat me. Must you be so petty?" Des shook her head before snapping her fingers. "Ophelia. I have one more request from you. The same goes for you too, Kize and Orsino. We're to begin shortly, but I'm missing a few more pieces before then. You'll get them for me, won't you?"

"Your wish is my command my Queen!" Kize exclaimed while bowing down.

"I will be certain to carry out my task swiftly; much faster than Kize would be able to." Orsino responded calmly, and the way he worded it made Kize upset.

"YOU TRYNA FUCKIN FIGHT!?" Kize yelled.

Ophelia just palmed her face while shaking her head. "Shut up…"

.

.

Back at Lucy's place, Mii crashed on the couch once again while letting out a sigh. "Ooooh, we're gonna fight again soon! I really wanna stick it to someone!"

"You're getting very comfortable on that couch…" Lucy remarked with a shake of her head. "But yeah…it's getting to that point. I really hope Juvia is still okay…I just wish we could've helped Freed. But if he left us a clue…then we have to act on it."

"Now you're making feel obligated…" Mii huffed.

Lucy started to take her long sleeve shirt off while talking to Mii. "Now Mii, just…" That's when her window opened and Natsu and Happy came in. Lucy hadn't received a visit from them in a while and she shrieked from the surprise while backing out into the main room. "G-GAH!? N-Natsu!?"

"Yo!" Natsu waved with a grin. "Don't mind me. Just going to stay here for the night."

"…What are you doing here, exactly?" Mii was lying on the couch upside down, peering at Natsu.

"…I sleep here most of the time." Natsu replied. "Why are YOU here?"

"I sleep here all the time now." Mii shrugged. "But from what I've been told, you share the bed with Lucy often?"

"STOP THAT RIGHT NOW." Lucy waved her hands in front of her face, already aware of where Mii was going to take that train of thought. "A-Anyway….we were just having some…uh…girl talk…that you too can't be a part of!"

"Girl talk?" Happy blinked.

Mii realized that Lucy was panicking because at this rate Natsu was going to notice the black marking on her body. She went to stand up but the head rush was a little too much and she just ended up falling over. "Agh…dizzy…"

"But more importantly…" Natsu continued on, ignoring Mii's difficulties in the background. "You're ready to fight, aren't you? The enemy this time is different from Tartarus…"

"Of course I'm ready to fight." Lucy nodded while pumping a fist into the air. "They've hurt people we care about. There's no way I can forgive them for what they've done."

"So we're going to take them down together, yeah!?" Natsu grinned while holding his hand up for a high five.

Lucy was about to respond with a high five of her own…but she got another headache at that time. That voice came back and she retracted her hand. "Y-Yeah…"

"Eh…?" Natsu realized something was off and drew his hand back. "You okay, Lucy?"

"I'm fine!" Lucy replied with a sharp tone, almost as though Natsu had been a little too nosy. "Anyway…you can't stay here while Mii's here. Plus she's already giving me a bit of a headache."

"Well that's mean…" Mii huffed. She hadn't even done anything! …Yet.

"Right…" Natsu nodded and acted as though he were going to leave via the window in Lucy's room, but in reality he began whispering something to Happy.

"Aye…" Happy nodded and waited for the perfect moment to strike.

"Geez…that was close…" Lucy sighed. She turned around and that was the moment her guard was down. Happy flew forward to pull her sleeve aside thus revealing the black mark. "ACK! NO…!"

"Yikes…" Mii's eyes widened at Happy's quick movements.

"Ah ha…" Natsu was about to sound proud that he figured something out, but it was much worse than he thought. Even Lucy seemed surprised as the mark ran down to her hip now. "What the…?"

"Whoa…that's worse than before…" Mii remarked.

"I thought you took care of that? What the hell?" Natsu questioned. "Are you okay, Lucy? Should we do something about this?"

"I'm fine." Lucy shot. "Don't worry about it. I don't need your help for this."

"But…." Happy was going to say how bad it looked, but Lucy really wasn't having it.

"I said I'M FINE!" As Lucy's voice rose, her eyes briefly flashed red. Natsu remembered this feeling he got from her back on the Isle. A very faint black aura wavered around her body, noticeable to everyone aside from herself.

"…" Mii chewed her lower lip, debating if she should stay quiet or not, because you don't tell a female who's already upset to calm down. But then she decided to leave this lover's quarrel alone and go raid Lucy's fridge. "Let's see…"

Lucy took a deep breath, calming down herself as the aura slowly began to fade away. "I'm sorry, but you should leave now, Natsu. I'm not in a good mood."

"…Fine." Natsu wasn't going to press this issue any further. He knew that something was wrong, but there was nothing he could do at the moment. "Let's go Happy."

"Aye…" Happy nodded and began to follow Natsu out the window. Lucy shut her window and her room door, secluding herself for the rest of the day due to her bad mood.

It was at this time that time itself froze. Ophelia snuck into Lucy's apartment and looked around. "Huh…What a shabby place." The half breed began a walking around the building before her glance landed on Natsu. "Huh…so that's the human that Zeref and father were so obsessed over? I could snap his neck right now and end that…but that's not who I'm here for." She then turned to Lucy, taking a look at the black marks. "Huh. How unsightly. She's got good skin though…what a shame." Ophelia then brought her hands to Lucy's head and…SNAP. She twisted Lucy's neck until it broke. Judging by everyone's positions in the apartment…they weren't going to notice until later in the evening or even tomorrow. Pleased with a simple task well done, Ophelia left. There was one thing she didn't notice as time resumed: Lucy's dull eyes shone a dark cerise shade for only just a brief moment.

.

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Orsino made his way into Radioactive Decay, taking the guild by surprise. The members were laid across the floor unconscious. He could have killed them if he so wished, but those weren't his orders. His orders were to retrieve a pink haired female by the name of Audrey. That girl was slung over his shoulder, just slightly less damaged than the rest of them. "Such troublesome beings you humans are…perhaps this purge is for the best." Orsino's gaze then shifted to the unconscious Avani where he got a sinister idea. He knelt down, phasing his free hand into her stomach. The sensation was enough to wake her up.

"W-What are you…!?" Avani questioned and tried to move, but her body was stuck.

"I'm just…preventing the creation of any further humans. They don't deserve to live in a desolate world." Orsino then clenched his hand tight and well…while Avani herself didn't feel and physical pain, that life inside her was snuffed out before it even had the chance to bloom.

Avani was so mortified her voice didn't even come out of her gaping mouth. Her body trembled instead. "….."

"Those without approval don't live in the world that's about to come…" Orsino's heel then slammed into Avani's temple to knock her out. "I'll be taking this harbinger of destruction my lady asked for, though. Thank you for your continued patronage." Without another word, Orsino made his depature.

.

.

Des had almost all the preparations ready. Once Kize and Orisino returned from their specific missions she would be ready to begin. Just what did this plan entail exactly? Well, Des had a number of mages unconscious at her disposal: Satoshi, Kanade, Luke, Roxanne and even Leon. The pieces she had were practically in place. "It won't be much longer now. Once they return I'll be able to begin. Once again this world will burn a shade of red. I won't allow that woman to hold a bigger position in history than I, even if for a few moments." Just what was she talking about? Only those who were around over 400 years ago would know. It was nothing related to that of the dragons, that much was certain. Either way, Des was putting the final touches on her long awaited project. It wasn't often she got to have fun for herself, but when she allowed herself to cut loose even slightly…everyone would see soon enough…

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Next Time: Declaration.


	86. Chapter 86: Declaration

"Ngh…" Cynthia slowly began to wake up. Her head was throbbing and she could barely remember a single thing. When her vision returned she saw that she was in an unfamiliar location. "What the heck…? Where am I….?"

 _"_ _You idiot!"_ Rose shouted from Cynthia's head.

"Hey easy!" Cynthia grumbled. "My head hurts and you're not making it hurt any less!"

 _"_ _You're still an idiot. You got caught."_ Rose huffed while forcefully turning Cynthia's head around.

"How…? I don't remember anything…" Cynthia rubbed her head with a groan.

 _"_ _It was that crazy guy. It matched the description Kagura gave a few days ago."_ Rose clarified. _"You, Wendy, Panther, Carla, and Levy were confronted by him in Levy's house and he only wanted you. Otherwise he'd hurt the other two, and like the soft wimp you are you conceded way too quickly."_

"…Sounds like something I'd do…" Cynthia laughed nervously. "But wait…that means they can track me down right!? I can smell Juvia nearby too! And…Yukino? What's going on here…?

 _"_ _Do what you want."_ Rose's tone sounded as though she were giving a nonchalant shrug. _"Wait…no, don't do that. I don't know what they want with you, but it affects me too. This is my body too and I don't need you mugging it up anymore!"_

"This was my body first…!" Cynthia lifted her eyes up to her forehead. "Don't make me come in there!"

 _"_ _Don't make me come out there!"_ Rose shouted through Cynthia's voice. After a few moments of a continuous back and forth between the two halves, Desdemona walked into the room. _"Oh shit, quiet!"_

Cynthia gulped as she laid eyes on Desdemona. The aura she got from the woman sent a minor chill down her spine. "H-Hello there…"

"Is that a bruise on your forehead? I told Kize to handle you with care." Des shook her head while letting out a small sigh. "I'm so sorry dear. I trust you are unharmed otherwise Cynthia? Or should I say Rose?"

Cynthia's eyes widened as Des easily saw through her and her other self. Even Rose was pretty stunned at this. _"…Okay, this woman is giving ME a bad vibe. I can't tell if she wants to keep us safe or kill us slowly."_

"I have no intentions of harming either of you." Des offered that sweet motherly smile of hers.

 _"_ _SHE HEARD ME!?"_ Rose gasped, which cased Des to chuckle softly.

"What adorable children. Of course I heard you. Your voice is quite loud." Des only continued to send that chill down Cynthia's spine.

"U-Uhm…I can smell my friends here…" Cynthia began nervously. The more she thought about it the more scents she was able to pick up; Leon, Luke… "W-What are they doing here?"

"If you're referring to Juvia and Yukino, they are simply guests." Des waved her hand dismissively. "As for the others, they're going to serve the same purpose as you."

"H-Huh…?" Cynthia didn't like the sound of this.

"Tell me dear…you're familiar with Exerion, right? Well…that's the name they 'officially' called it, but it's really just Etherion." Des continued on while holding out a sample of Etherion. "Does this look familiar to you?"

Seeing that blue rock made Cynthia swallow hard out of fear. "I-I…uhm…"

"According to my records on you…it appears that your body burns through Etherion extremely slow. Is this because of your past history with your father?" Des slowly brought the rock closer while Cynthia attempted to back away.

"H-How do you know about that…who are you…?!" Cynthia was starting to panic. She was so frightened by Des that she didn't even think to try and throw a punch; something deep in her core told her that it was a futile effort. Even Rose, who would've resorted to violence in this situation, was shaken and wouldn't try such a thing.

.

.

Mii pushed the doors open to Fairy Tail, panting softly since she had to take a sprint to get there. "How late is it?"

"Ah, Mii-chan." Zelos waved. "You're later than usual."

"That's not the problem here!" Mii then pointed at Natsu. "Have you seen Lucy!?"

"Huh…?" Natsu tilted his head. "No…she told Happy and I to leave, remember? So we did. You were there. You're weird…" Natsu scratched his head while staring at Happy, who just gave a shrug.

"Is something the matter?" Erza asked.

"Yeah, she's missing." Mii said calmly. The serious vibe she was putting down didn't sit well with her, but her message got across nonetheless.

"What do you mean she's missing?" Natsu tilted his head. "You were there with her? Didn't she leave her room after she kicked Happy and I out?" If the answer Natsu got wasn't yet, there were about to be some very serious problems rising.

"She never came out of her room. I assume she just wanted to sleep things off…but when I went to wake her up…she was just gone." Mii huffed. "Now…maybe I'm overacting and she just needed some fresh air…but…"

Before Mii could finish, Wendy, Levy, Lily, and Carla rushed into the guild. "A-Ah…I knew it!" Levy stomped her foot on the ground.

"What's wrong now?" Quite honestly, Gray was getting tired of all these bad happenings.

"That guy who attacked Mermaid Heel got the drop on us…" Lily said bitterly. "When we woke up, Cynthia wasn't there."

"You gota be kiddin…" Gray sucked his teeth in annoyance. "That's it…I've had enough of these bastards! Levy, you got through the encryption right!?"

"Y-Yeah…!" Levy nodded.

"And I can smell Cynthia!" Wendy responded. "So we should hurry and…!" Before Wendy could finish a gigantic pillar of vermillion flame erupted several miles away. Wendy's eyes widened at those flames since she could identify them in a heartbeat. "O-Oh no…that…!"

.

.

Zalen adjusted his glasses while looking around the White Eclipse building. "Huh…that's odd. Anyone seen Luke or Roxy around here lately?"

"They probably went on a job or something…." Cygnus said with a dismissive wave.

"I would've heard about that…" Micaiah remarked with a small frown. "He's been skipping out on our training sessions lately with this disappearance." She would've gone on, but that pillar of crimson flame off in the distance really did a good job in capturing everyone's attention. "W-Whoa…a fireworks show…?"

"…That's not a firework." Sidney mumbled. He already knew what those flames represented. It was now that the bad omen he felt the entire time was coming to pass.

.

.

The Etherion forcefully injected in Cynthia's body was making her go mad. Her body was already tearing itself apart due to Rose, so this situation wasn't helping her at all. Cynthia's body was forcefully put into Dragon Force to try and cope with the output of the flames, but it wasn't helping. "I-It hurts…please stop this…I…I don't want to go back to that…!" By that she meant Fiore's End. Her body burned Etherion very slowly and with her massive power supply unhinged she was having trouble controlling herself. "W-Wendy! Help me…!"

"So…her power is as they say." Des smiled softly. She knew Cynthia was perfect for her silent, yet powerful declaration. "Oda, she goes to Bosco. Allow her to cause as much havoc as possible."

"Yes." The assassin nodded before using his magic to teleport Cynthia to Bosco. Cynthia was much stronger than she was prior to the first Fiore's End incident, so the damage she was capable of causing was that much more threatening.

"You got Cynthia too!? You monster!" Leon shouted while pushing forward to try and attack Oda, but it was then that Orsino inserted Etherion into his being. Leon stopped immediately as the substance caused a surge of power within his own body. A roar came from the male and acid exploded from around its body, completely melting and liquefying the ground.

"Joya." Des waved her hand. With that command Orsino took the liberty of teleporting Leon Shi to Seven, where his massive power was going to be a cause for incredible devastation.

"You bastards…!" Kanade clenched her hands into fists. "If you inject that shit into my body I'll be sure to punch the hell out of you for it!" She then took a swing at Ophelia, but even with her massive physical strength, Ophelia stopped it with one hand. Even the half-breed couldn't completely hold her ground and she did slide back a little bit.

"You're a beefy one. I think you'd do great Iceberg." Ophelia used her free hand to inject the Etherion into Kanade. The purplenette's eyes widened as the substance vastly increased her magic power beyond her own potential. Before Kanade began swinging, she was promptly sent to Iceberg where only destruction awaited.

"These winds…they speak ominously…" Satoshi grumbled, only to be stabbed in the back with Etherion by Kize.

"SHUT UP OLD MAN! HAHA!" Kize laughed as Satoshi also had some struggle keeping the Etherion within his body in check.

"The Pergrande Kingdom is a good choice for someone of your caliber. I'm sure their king would love to flex his might against you with his own weapon of mass destruction." Des gave a wave of her hand, issuing yet another command to her new toy. Satoshi sprouted wings from his back as he began to take into his dragon form, flying off into the distance. "That leaves…Luke, Roxanne…and Audrey, doesn't it?"

"What shall we do with them? They're still unconscious." Oda questioned.

"They will awaken to their own power soon enough. Then we will merely allow them to run amok as they see fit. They won't get some warning this time…" Des had a sinister smile on her her plan was finally put into motion. She put a lot of time and effort into this plot, while the general populace would only see this as some strange, random attack.

.

.

"What on earth…?" Emmeraude could feel the vibrations of the large powers gathered being unleashed all the way from the capital. It was quite the shocking feeling and looking out the window only gave a foreboding feeling. "What could be happening? I've never felt a surge such as this before…"

"What are we going to do!?" Hisui was worried and it showed. "Do we contact the Magic Council and ask for their assistance?"

"That's the most sensible option yes. It doesn't look like the people are in immediate danger but I will not allow them to be harmed." Emmeraude then glanced at Arcadios. "Mobilized the Palace Guard in the meantime, are we clear?"

Arcadios was perhaps one the few who had his doubts about Emmeraude. But if he were to speak aloud about such suspicions there'd be no doubt he'd be arrested for treason. This is why he usually obeyed her demands and now was no exception. "Yes, my Queen." Arcadios nodded and went off to find as many troops as he could.

"Just when I was preparing my own little scheme…why do all of these quiet threats wish to make themselves known before I act? It's quite bothersome…" Emmeraude let out a heavy sigh before beginning to walk off. There was something she needed to look into during this time.

"…" Hisui remained silent. She recognized the crimson flames from Cynthia. She knew that girl was going through a lot at the moment and she was only praying that she was safe…she was also praying for the safety of everyone else. "Fairy Tail…what are you going to do? Please save us again…"

.

.

"So…a plot has begun to destroy Ishgar, huh?" Ashnard sat comfortably in his throne as the report was given to him. "It always stems from Fiore…such a bothersome country."

"Sir, what should we do!? This seems extremely dangerous! There's a large reading coming directly for us!" The solider reported, quaking in fear.

Ashnard shifted his weight in the chair. "A large reading? Ready Heracles. Patty is on standby. If this is Fiore's way of declaring war, then I'll be more than happy to oblige with my own show of force. I don't care what they send at us, we will shoot it down, am I clear on this?"

"Y-Yes my lord!" The solider stood up and bowed, rounding up the people needed to get Heracles on the move again.

Ashnard sighed while relaxing in his seat. It was then that Nercon came around and smiled. "My King, such bothersome matters that country always drags our wellbeing into. We should really do something about them. I've been reading up on their females and there are a number of ripe ones…"

"In due time, my dear…" Ashnard chuckled. "For now, I want them to sit in peace…well…that's after this incident. If they wish to show their might then I will show ours as well. I wonder how Prince Waltz intends on handling the situation in Joya. I've heard a rather dangerous mage has been sent to his country. But I suppose he'll be fine…Seven is not a country to underestimate after all." As Ashnard spoke, Heracles' movements began to shake the very country of Pergrande. "They mobilized quickly. Just as I expected from my military."

.

.

Des licked her lips while putting some finishing touches on Orga's body. She strung his corpse up while covering his face in lipstick. "There! Now you'll look all nice and pretty for when your friends finally arrive." Desdemona was clearly enjoying herself already. Her declaration was made and now all she had to do was wait for the impending ruin. "So…Ishgar. How will you respond to this? Will you down in the sea of crimson? Will you burn into ash? Or will you turn into a desolate wasteland, painted with the blood and remains of your citizens? Will it spread to Alvarez and the rest of the world? I want to see it so badly…the world burning at my feet. There are Kings and there are Gods…but I stand above all of them."

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Next Time: Ruin.


	87. Chapter 87: Ruin

There was only panic as Cynthia stomped through Bosco. She was trying her best to control herself but it was becoming increasingly difficult with each passing second. The old scars on her body started to open up once again due to the stress and blood spurted from them. The pain just made her angry, and her anger fueled her emotions and her power as a result. Cynthia inhaled before shooting off a massive beam of darkened cerise flames from her mouth. These flames completely razed the ground while shooting off into the distance, causing damage to everything in its wake. "A-AHHHH!"

 _"_ _She's gone completely berserk…"_ Rose was unable to even try and take control of Cynthia. Ironically, when Cynthia was out of control there was no way for Rose to do anything. Not to mention she wasn't sure if she could even control the power. It was so bad that her mind was starting to go fuzzy.

Cynthia just continued to blindly trek forward. Each step she took razed the ground around her, incinerating everything within a few yard radius! From a nearby cliff, Cosmic Star watched as Cynthia caused destruction in Bosco. "W-What the heck?!" Daryan exclaimed. "What's wrong with the kid? She's not normally like this…right?"

"No…something is very, very wrong…" Gaia placed a hand on her chest. "Someone has forced her powers to go berserk. We have to stop her."

"Let me do it." Alex said while stepping forward. "I was originally made to stop Cynthia in case she went berserk…Wendy's not here right now and as Cynthia's older sister it's my duty to watch out for her."

"We should let her do it." Shadowlore said with a nod. "What should we do?"

"Wait for an opening." Alex said as black trans mutated scales began forming along her body, forming obsidian armor around her body. Alex held her arm out, allowing it to shift into a blade. "I know Sis is stronger than she was when we fought in the Grand Magic games…but I'm stronger too. I'm an official Earth Dragon Slayer thanks to you, Gaia."

Gaia did smile at those words. "The sentiment is nice, dear…but we've got work to do. Stop your sister before she hurts anyone."

"We'll be prepared to back you up." Magnus nodded.

"Right." Alex nodded before leaping down the cliff towards Cynthia. Her cheeks inflated and she wasted no time in attacking. "Earth Dragon's Roar!" The redhead parted her lips, releasing a torrent of sharp stone towards Cynthia. The rocks struck against the out of control dragon slayer and she stumbled back. "…Cynthia…" Alex said upon landing. "I don't want to hurt you, but I know you probably can't hear this right now. I don't know what happened but I'm going to snap you out of it!"

"…" Cynthia turned her head to Alex. Her frenzy made it difficult to discern friend from foe. With the Etherion burning through her body slowly the only thing she could do was attack anything in front of her. Cynthia lunged forward with blazing cerise flames around her arm. Cynthia swung her arm forward at Alex, whose free arm transformed in a thick black shield. The fire around Cynthia's fist exploded and the impact shattered the ground around the two siblings.

"Tch…!" Even though Alex's 'armor' was specifically made to mitigate damage from Cynthia's flames she could still feel the power her younger sister had. The exploding flames ruptured the ground and Alex slid backwards a few feet. Her arm was sizzling from impact but she was protected from a majority of the damage Cynthia dished out. "This would be a problem otherwise…good thing it's just fire…"

"AAH!" Cynthia gripped her head as her darkened red flames slowly began to expand. The Etherion within her bloodstream was taking even more of a toll on her small body. Causing destruction was merely an outlet. Cynthia stomped on the ground, creating multiple, incredibly large stalagmites that rose from the ground sporadically. If Alex wasn't careful they were no doubt skewer her like a kabob.

"Oh RIGHT you have other elements now too…" Alex forgot that tidbit. As the stalagmites rose she began to dash forward, using her bladed arm to cut anything down that threatened to deal bodily harm. As she neared Cynthia her bladed arm shifted to something of a gigantic fist, which she swung directly at the chest of her younger sister. Cynthia crossed her arms at the last second, although Alex's strength was nothing to sneeze at as she slid back several yards from impact.

"ROAR!" Cynthia shouted while throwing her head forward, immediately unleashing a dual roar of omega flames and sky dragon slaying. The wind fed the intense flames, enlarging the funnel of red flames even more for a deadly vortex!

"Oh come on…." Alex braced for impact and inhaled. "Earth Dragon's Roar!" That was really the best Alex could muster. She didn't have the dual modes Cynthia had access to. The shrapnel of earth collided with each other and exploded, destroying the landscape instantly. Alex covered her eyes as Cynthia just continued to rampage. She could see the blood spurting from her sister's open wounds, which only worried her more. "Her body will never last in a state like that…ugh, Wendy, where are you…?"

.

.

Lucy was wandering around Fiore in a daze. A black/red aura wavered around her body and she brought her hands to her arms, slowly trudging forward. This was the first time her body wasn't moving the way she wanted it to. To be more accurate, she wasn't even in control of her body at the moment. "A-Ah….." Everyone was a haze. She didn't even remember passing out or waking up; when she came to she was just trudging forward. It felt as though there were an axe lodged in the back of her skull. Her body was in unimaginable pain and she wanted it to end. "N-Ngh…what's…happening…?" Lucy then fell to the ground, struggling to pick herself back up.

 _"_ _Death…"_

"W-Who are you…? What do you want with me…? Shouldn't I…be dead?" Lucy asked, but she didn't get an answer; just an incoherent screech that made her cry out in pain.

 _"_ _You must…live…live!"_ The voice repeated, although Lucy could barely make anything out with the screeching in her head.

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In the skies of Pergrande, the out of control Satoshi in his full Wind Dragon Aspect form flew about, letting out a powerful vortex of wind with each and every roar he released. The destruction to various towns was unfortunately unavoidable; however it did not faze Ashnard. He considered this as a declaration of war from Fiore and he was more than willing to send his own message. "Sending a Wizard Saint to attack us? All men, standby for battle! If those Fioran scum wish to send a message of war, allow us to show them why Pergrande is the strongest country in Earthland!"

"Yes, sir!" Nearly the entire army spoke at the exact same time.

Nercon sighed while leaning on the castle railing, staring up at the rampaging Dragon Aspect above. "The nerve of Fiore. They cannot keep the home security of their own country secure...they constantly have put Earthland in danger…and now they basically declare all-out war? Honestly, what is that royal family doing?"

"You needn't get so upset…" Rubicante remarked with his back turned to Nercon. "If Fiore wishes for its own self-destruction so soon, then it is only just that we, the strongest in Earthland, grant them their wish."

"You are right…" Nercon still sighed. "Business is still as good as ever. But I've needed to spice up the selection of females. I think stopping by Fiore will help with that. I've seen a good selection of their females…breaking them in will prove useful. That's why I stationed her there after all. But enough about that….Patty are we ready to fire?"

At that question, the mighty behemoth known as Heracles appeared once again. Patty was manning the walking fortress as usual with a wide grin on her face. "Aye! Calibrations complete! Am I to shoot another dragon out of the sky!?"

"Precisely. Fire at will and hold nothing back. If the dragon survives we'll drop its mutilated corpse right on the capital." Nercon commanded.

"There won't be a corpse when I'm finished!" Patty said with a sadistic grin. Pulling a level down, the main cannon began to shine and a low robotic whirr sound echoed through the capital of Pergrande. A large accumulation of magic gathered within the massive cannon and with a wide smile, she ushered one command: "FIRE!" Heracles released a gigantic beam of raw magic towards Satoshi. The dragon aspect retaliated to this with a powerful blast of wind from his mouth, however it was swallowed by Heracles' overwhelming might and Satoshi was consumed by the beam that tore the clouds above asunder. There was a fading roar that echoed in the distance and a large, charred dragon corpse fell to the ground with a large thud. "Oooh! Crispy dragon!"

"To think they'd send one of their Wizard Saints at us…" Ashnard scoffed. He made his way to Satoshi's charred corpse and examined it. "Traces of Etherion in the body, hm? Using that to attack other countries? How bold…I like it. I could take page from Fiore's tactics like this. But it's a shame things are going to hell…"

"Shall I keep going?" Patty asked. She was really feeling it now and just wanted to use her darling Heracles more.

"No…things are fine for now." Ashnard said. "I don't expect things to end in Fiore's favor. Unless they're capable of pulling out another miracle that can reverse this dire situation…but that's the magic Fiore is infamous for within Earthland. I'll be quite curious to see what they're capable of pulling out this time."

.

.

As for Joya, they had the misfortune of dealing with one of Fiore's stronger mages: Leon Shi. Not just regular Leon, but one who was hopped up on Etherion as well. Each step the enraged Dragon Slayer took melted the very ground around him. His eyes shone a bright emerald hue and there was likely very little that was going to get in his way. "…."

From the palace throne, Count Waltz rested his face against his fist and sighed heavily. "I assume that mage comes from Fiore, yes?"

Polka nodded to Waltz and gave a bow. "Y-Yes sir. From the reports, it seems he is a powerful mage…"

"A powerful mage? Well…I can't allow any harm to come to my loyal subjects. You are to get rid of up." Waltz demanded. Although such a command made Polka freeze up.

"M-Me, sir…? B-But I'm not…" Polka stammered. She wasn't trying to back talk the Prince intentionally.

"You believe in your condition you aren't able to put up a fight?" Waltz laughed at such a thought. "We both know your strength is among one of the highest in Earthland. I'm not simply praising you, this is merely fact. If one inferior mage on drugs is enough to make you hesitate, that reflects poorly on Joya's strength. The people need their strongest mage to defend them, don't you agree?"

"…" Polka paused. Her condition entailed her being sick, and overuse of her magic worsened her condition. It was nothing fatal, but could be so if she pushed herself too much. Even so, Polka was a devoted countrywoman. Her people were indeed in danger and she promised herself that she would protect them. "Very well…"

"Aw, little miss favorite is going to step up for once?" Said Rondo from the throne room entrance, arms crossed in front of her. "This should be a show. Anyways, Your Highness, those soldiers are getting completely mauled out there. Something should probably be done soon."

"I understand." Polka bowed her head to Waltz and Rondo before walking to the balcony of the castle. She could tell where Leon was due to the land that was melting away off in the distance. The meek female took a deep breath before lifting her hand into the sky, gathering magic on her fingertip. "Shooting Star!" The magic Polka gathered turned into a bright orb of light. She then hurled this sphere with precise accuracy towards Leon who was miles away.

"…?" Leon only noticed the twinkling light growing closer to him at the last second. His arm extended instinctively to grab the star, only for it to explode violently. The radius covered several miles due to Polka not holding anything back, but it was going to take more than that to put Leon down.

"I…I don't think it had much effect." Polka remarked; just as she did so, Leon automatically retaliated by releasing a powerful beam of acid and poison towards Polka's location, which happened to be the castle. "Oh…!" Polka pulled out what appeared to be a regular looking parasol. When she opened it up and held it out a large barrier formed. It took a bit of magic to protect the entire castle from Leon's might, but Polka seemed to be able to do so with only little difficulty. But she couldn't keep up such a defense forever and was grateful for when Leon's attack ended. "My goodness…he's so strong…it's almost frightening…"

"Strength like that is dangerous. Erase him." Waltz commanded.

Polka hesitated on that command. She didn't like the idea of taking someone's life…but Leon's presence was far too threatening for the wellbeing of Joya's citizens. "Whatever it takes to protect Joya…" Polka raised her hand up to the sky once again. There was a star twinkling above even in broad daylight. "Morning Star!" That shining star in the sky shone brightly before dropping down a massive, destructive beam of light directly onto Leon. Even the forsaken slayer in his state couldn't see this coming due to how quickly it occurred. Once the star made contact the impact created a widespread dome of light that began to spread out from the initial point of contact. Polka watched the destruction she caused with a frown on her thin lips. It wasn't long before she started coughing profusely. "…."

"As expected of Joya's strongest." Waltz praised with a smug grin.

.

.

Desdeoma snickered at the destruction being caused all across Earthland. It was very much to her liking and precisely what she was intending. Luke, Roxanne, and Audrey had all been let loose within Fiore on her accord and now it was only a matter of time until they produced the chaotic results she was anticipating. She even hung Orga's corpse outside just as she said she would so anyone coming would see her. In fact she did this precisely because she knew people were en route to Fukomakura. "It seems we've got some guests arriving…" She was speaking to all members of the guild, even those lesser ones who were there to obey her every order. "Please give our guests the time of their lives, am I clear?"

"Crystal, Mother…" Ophelia responded with a widening grin.

.

Just outside of Fukomakura were several familiar figures; those who had the most to gain from challenging the guild that decided to cause so much havoc. Thanks to Freed and Levy's efforts the location of the guild was able to be tracked down. Natsu, Happy, Gray, Erza, Laxus, and even Mii were ready for this. Storming this with such a small force wasn't going to be easy, however this was what was agreed upon while the others went to try and figure out what happened with Cynthia. "This is the place, huh?" Laxus said while cracking his knuckles, lightning beginning to spark around his being as his coat wavered in the ominous breeze.

"No mistake." Natsu replied with a nod. He could pick up Juvia's scent from within the building that was just in front of them. "It's time to pay these bastards back…100x over. They wanted war…and now they're getting it."

.

.

Next Time: Ruin, Part 2.


	88. Chapter 88: Ruin, Part 2

Carla and Wendy flew in the skies above Fiore. It was clear that Cynthia was nowhere in Fiore. "Why do people always target Cynthia…?" Wendy mumbled while looking around for any source of those flames she grew to know so well. "It's not like she asked for all that power and yet everyone always abuses her for it."

"You can calm her down." Carla reassured Wendy with a firm nod. "You have that power you know…and it's not just her power I'm concerned about."

"You mean her scars?" Wendy glanced back at Carla. "That's what I'm worried about too…she's so reckless. I've been worried about her since the battle with King when she took that roar…even I don't know why she's able to stand and fight so easily with so much physical trauma done…and in that condition it may tear her body apart…I can't let that happen!"

"It'll be okay Wendy. We've gotten through worse." Carla offered encouragement the only way she could.

After a few moments of fruitless searching, a pillar of crimson flame erupted from the distance. Wendy's eyes widened for a brief moment before pointing in said direction. "Carla! She's over there!"

"I know!" Carla didn't waste any time flying as fast as she could towards the location of the red flames. After a few moments they arrived in Bosco and it wasn't long after that they saw Cynthia battling Alex below. "Is that Alex? She must be trying to hold Cynthia off…"

And yet Alex was not having the easiest time with this. If Cynthia still only used fire then things would have been a completely different story, but with the addition of earth and sky, things were exceedingly difficult for the Prototype. "G-Geez…what did you eat for breakfast this morning, a steel wall?" Alex exhaled, trying to take some time to catch her breath. "Who did this to you, Sis…?"

"Cynthia!" Wendy cried out from above.

"Huh? Wendy!?" Alex stared up in the sky where Carla and Wendy were. "She got here fast…!"

Cynthia instinctively responded to Wendy's voice and turned around, staring up in the sky. "W-Wendy…?" Her head tilted curiously as she seemed to stop her outrageous actions for just a moment. "H-Help MEEE!" Blue sparks flared around Cynthia's body as the Etherion continued to burn in her system. All sanity she regained slipped away as she did everything hit once more, resulting in a rising eruption of flame.

"Cynthia!" Wendy placed her hands over her mouth. The first thing she noticed were the open wounds Cynthia's body had from the physical toll her body was experience. Why did her worst fears always come true when it came to the most important person in her life? "We have to go down there!"

"And just what do you intend to do dear?" Gaia questioned as appearing near Wendy. "Those flames are very dangerous to get near. I don't think I could get close without sustaining some damage…her flames are quite unique after all."

"I'm going to eat them." Wendy said with a determined expression.

"H-Hold on, Wendy…" Carla was apprehensive about this plan. "While you are the only one who's been able to eat Cynthia's flames…do you think you can ingest all of that? It seems dangerous to even try."

"I have to do something! I can't sit here and watch this!" Wendy exclaimed. She parted her lips, beginning to inhale what flames she could. She didn't last very long and filled up, coughing profusely as a result. "A-Agh…there's too much…"

"Just leave it to us…!" Alex said with a firm nod. "I'll knock some sense into her. She's my sister, so I owe it to her to knock her out!"

"I…." Wendy really didn't want to have to fight Cynthia again, not after how things went in the past. She had flashbacks from the Fiore's End incident. She was going to trust Alex with this task because she couldn't bring herself to do it again. "Please…"

"Of course." Alex nodded while turning back to the out of control Cynthia. "Can't fail now that Cynthia's mate is counting on me…"

.

.

"Why are we following you in such a crucial point in time?" Lisanna asked Zelos. She, Elfman, and Mirajane followed behind Zelos as they traveled through a small forest.

"Because we're looking for Lucy-chan!" Zelos said with a slight wave.

"Do you know where she is…?" Mirajane asked while placing a hand on her cheek.

"I have babe detection." Zelos replied, although his response made the Strauss family sigh heavily. "Don't underestimate my abilities now. You should trust in ol' Zelos! Have I led you astray before!"

"We haven't known you for very long…" Elfman said.

"Exactly! So I can't disappoint you." Zelos said with a grin. "Trust me; I'll uphold my title as a Man, just for the ladies."

Elfman rubbed the back of his neck. "Something about that rubs me the wrong way…but if you're going to be a MAN then I guess I can't complain."

With Elfman's approval, Zelos' smug grin grew wider. "You'll see what I'm made of soon enough…wait!" The magic swordsman held his arm out, stopping the family in their tracks. "I sense a babe….but Mira and Lisanna are already here…" He made sure to mumble that so Elfman wouldn't crush him into the ground.

The one who Zelos detected was Audrey. The female exuded a toxic aura that killed all the life in the area. The trees were instantly withering away and the grass turned to nothing. Upon spotting this Mira instantly entered her Satan Soul form to gain immunity to the poisonous aura the female emanated. "That girl is poison~" Zelos hummed despite this really not being the time. "But daaaaaamn…." The red head examined Mria in her Satan Soul; he was a fan of what he saw.

"Elfman, Lisanna, get back," Mira warned while taking a step forward. "Zelos, please don't get in the way. This girl's poison is dangerous to humans. To a demon, it's nothing more than a snack."

"Oooh…how feisty…" Zelos purred at Mira's attitude. "But Mira-chan, please don't underestimate my handsome glory." Zelos drew his sword from his hip. "I won't allow such a pretty lady to be abused by someone else's machinations. It falls upon I, the great Zelos, to free this woman from the chains of her confinement!"

"…I think I just got a headache." Lisanna whispered to Elfman. But of course the younger Strauss siblings were ready to jump in if they had to.

Zelos stayed true to his word. With a simple slash of his sword a blade of air shot forward, crashing into Audrey who ended up sliding backwards. The pinkette was now aware of their presence, but in her frenzy she was unable to do anything but cry out in pain as her aura continued to expand. "Try this one for size! Eruption!" The magic swordsman lifted a hand into the air; the ground underneath Audrey began to crack and split open, releasing a geyser of pure flame that lifted the frenzied female into the air. "Now, Rock Rain!" A brown magic seal formed just above Audrey, dropping a torrential rain of large boulders that crushed the female back into the earth and under the rocks.

"…That wasn't very gentlemanly…" Lisanna pointed out, but she was still shocked to see Zelos put in some impressive work.

"It pains me to hurt a lady…" Zelos said with an ironic smirk on his lips. "But a lady can only truly be desirable when she is herself. When a beautiful lady is no longer herself for someone else's sake…they are no longer beautiful anymore. A rose with wilted petals…"

"That was…oddly poetic…" Lisanna blinked several times. If it wasn't Zelos who said that, she probably would've started swooning herself…she was trying really hard not to.

The moment of rest didn't last long. The rocks were sent flying when Audrey's power exploded. She lunged at Zelos, who wasn't paying attention, with a fist coated in toxins. Luckily for Zelos Mira caught Audrey's fist, sliding back across the ground several feet. "Zelos…please pay attention."

"Awww! Mira-chan! How lovely!" Zelos swooned with hearts in his eyes. Meanwhile, the others just groaned.

.

.

Natsu wasn't going to waste any time. He was ready to storm the front doors, however Erza held him back for just a second as the front doors of Fukomakura opened up with an exceptionally large number of mages pouring out. All of them were those who would follow Desdemona's orders no matter what. She had quite the following and for good reason. "I'm not surprised at the resistance…but those are a lot of numbers."

"Don't tell me you're worried!" Mii said while patting Erza on the shoulder. "These are small fries!"

"…Why are you here again?" Gray asked.

"Because I need to avenge Lucy!" Mii said with a smile. Her attitude really wasn't helping things. "I mean…she's not dead, but…."

"Don't hold us back." Laxus said while cracking his knuckles.

"I would never!" Mii said while clasping her hands together. Even with the world at stake she really didn't show any ounce of worry. She truly didn't take anything seriously.

"I don't care how many of them there are…" Natsu said with flames erupting around his body. "I'll take them all down!" As Natsu spoke he peered past the numerous amount of Fukomakura mages…he and Gray could both see Ophelia standing at the front doors with a knowing smile on her face. The half-breed smirked before walking back inside. That alone was enough to get a rise from Natsu and Gray. "Especially her…! Get out of our way!" Natsu recklessly sprinted forward as flames flared around his fists. Without a second thought he began swinging his fiery fists forward at anyone who stood in his way. "MOVE ASIDE!"

Gray followed suit. Ophelia was within arm's reach and he wasn't going to allow anyone to impede his progress. The ice maker slammed his fist into his palm, a chilling wide exuding from his being. "Ice Make: Cold Excalibur!" Gray spread his arms apart, ice materializing into the shape of the sacred blade. With a swift swing, several geyser of ice rose up from the ground, freezing over multiple foot soldiers that didn't even have the chance to fight back.

"Hey! They're starting without Mii!" Mii huffed.

"Mii, watch our backs." Erza said while requipping into her Flight Armor, holding the Lightning Lance and Water sword within her grip. With movements faster than the normal eye could see, Titania sped forward, spreading water along the ground before dragging the tip of the lance behind her. This caused a powerful shockwaves of lightning to explode in a chain.

"…" Laxus didn't say a word. He'd just tell Mii to stay out of the way, which was a more blunt way of putting what Erza said. Lifting his hand into the air, he dropped down a massive bolt of lightning down on a group of Desdemona's servants, blowing them all in separate directions before he began walking forward himself. Laxus wasn't exactly in the mood for any sort of small talk with all the happenings going around.

"A-Are they keeping me out of the action…?" Mii blinked several times before letting out an aggravated sigh. The female crossed her arms before shrugging. "Fair enough…guess they don't trust me that much yet…but she wanted me to watch their backs…so maybe…?"

.

.

Mest was also partaking in the search for Lucy. If she was missing there was a possibility she was wrapped up within the chaos happening not only in Fiore, but across Earthland as well. Based on how quickly Mii reported to them there was no chance that she could have been very far. Even with Mest's speed, hunting down Lucy proved to be more of a problem than he originally thought. "She suddenly goes missing without a word? Surely there has to be tracks to follow. She has been acting a little strange lately…I wonder if her disappearance has anything to do with this. Although I'd much rather be looking after Wendy…" His…train of thought was derailed by a massive explosion somewhere off in the distance. "W-What the?!" Mest hurried in the direction the cloud of smoke came from, stopping at the base of cliff. The drop wasn't something that could be left to chance, but down below were two figures brawling it out: Sophie and Lucy, who donned her Taurus Stardress.

Once again, Sophie hunted down Lucy for the sole purpose of engaging her in combat. Why did no one keep an eye on her on White Eclipse? It was pretty hard to do that when they were already missing a few members. Plus…Sophie was on a mission. It was a mission she still didn't quite fully understand but one she had to complete no matter what it took. "I've finally found you again. I won't let you escape this time."

"You brat…why won't you just leave me alone?!" Lucy questioned while gripping her arm in agony. The black markings were pulsating violently in reaction to Sophie's presence. "Fiore…Earthland…everyone is in danger…and you still…hunt me down…? I don't understand…"

"I can't let you escape…" Sophie sprinted forward while rearing her fist back. "Reaper's Toll!" Lucy recalled his move from the last time they fought and how it shattered her rib. Lucy shifted her body to the side, avoiding Sophie's powerful strike. In the same motion she swung her leg at Sophie's face. Sophie's Snap Pivot activated as she dodged at the last second, vanishing as a blur only to appear behind Lucy with her arms extended. "Beast!" A roaring lion released a battle cry of energy that crushed the nearby ground.

The force of the energy released flung Lucy off her feet and she tumbled along the rocky ground for a few seconds before catching herself. Lucy grimaced in pain before taking her whip out, whipping several areas in front of her; due to the increase in strength thanks to Taurus' Stardress, multiple shockwaves tore the earth asunder while racing towards Sophie. Sophie had no defense for this and was thrown off her feet, landing on her stomach rather harshly. "This fighting…is pointless…" The fact that Lucy could speak coherently was amazing for her considering her condition. Her head ached and that voice kept speaking to her.

 _"_ _KILL! KILL!"_ The voice repeated. It got more intense with Sophie being around, giving Lucy even more of a headache on top of hardly being able to control her own movements.

"A-Agh…!" Lucy gripped her head as that blackish-red aura continued to waver around her body. "Leave me alone…I need to help….my friends…!"

"…." Sophie didn't flinch as Lucy desperately cried out for help. Instead, a pink light wrapped around the length of her arms as her gauntlets came forth. "You demon…I will destroy you…" A pink aura emanated from Sophie's body, pushing it past its limits to her Accel Mode: 50%. She was completely serious about eradicating the person standing before her. The reason wasn't clear to her…but she knew in the depths of her very being that this was something she had to do no matter what the cost. Even as continent faced ruin around them, this right here was her sole mission…

.

.

Next Time: Settling The Score.


	89. Chapter 89: Settling The Score

No matter how many people were crushed and smacked out of the way, more of them just seemed to replace their numbers. Natsu growled in annoyance as they were barely making any progress in actually storming the front doors of Fukomakura. "Agh! I said get out of our way!" Flames began to trail behind Natsu's arms as he sped forward, slashing through anyone next to him with his Fire Dragon's Wing Slash. When he turned to see how many people he knocked down, he was only met with a larger number of mages appearing. "What the hell!?" He shouted in frustration.

"It's like there's no end to these numbers. How many people are in that building?" Erza asked while a golden light wrapped around her body. She was now donning her Purgatory armor and the gigantic mace sword that came with it. Not one for wanting to waste any more time she began swinging at everything in her way. The power of the Purgatory Armor was still unmatched and succeeded in blowing away several of these unnamed mages. There was something very strange about this…the people being sent out were either hardly putting up a fight, or they were just weak even with large numbers. Something about this didn't seem right to Erza either way, but she couldn't put her finger on what stuck out to her.

"It doesn't matter how many of them there are." Laxus said while clenching his hand into a fist. "They made the mistake of messing with Fairy Tail…and I'll personally crush each and every single one of them." Laxus brought his fist down to the ground, creating an electrical shockwave that pulsated out for yards. Anything that was not deemed a friend was completely blown away by Laxus' raw strength. Standing back up, the lightning dragon cracked his knuckles as even more mages poured from the front doors. "They'll run out eventually. I'll make sure of it."

Gray paused only for just a moment and glanced at Erza. They had the same idea about this. "…Something's not right. We keep pushing forward but I don't think we've made any progress…wait! Don't tell me…are they just trying to make us tired?! Those bastards! They won't even face us in a fight themselves! Cowards!"

"You know, it's actually a valid tactic in war." Mii interjected, although her tone wasn't the most desirable thing to hear at this point in time. "They'll probably have no problems fighting if we make it through all this…but at the same time the exhaustion will surely catch up. We don't even know how many people are in there. We're outnumbered."

"I don't care how many of them there are! They've taken too many lives…" Natsu's bared his fangs at the large horde of people before them. "I'll make them pay!" The Salamander began inhaling, cheeks and stomach inflating in the process. "GET OUT OF OUR WAY! Fire Dragon's ROAR!" Natsu lurched his head forward, unleashing a massive funnel of flame from his mouth to scorch anything that stood in his way! What he wasn't expecting to happen was Kize to leap from the guild with his staff in hand. Before anyone could see what happened, Gray switched places with Kize and was now standing in front of the very roar Natsu sent! "Huh!?"

"What the-!?" Gray hardly had any time to react and crossed his arms as his body emitted a frost to freeze over some of the roar. Once the roar was finished he ended up staring at Kize back. "Who the hell!?"

"HAHA!" Kize laughed at both Natsu and Gray. "Feel the burn am I right!? So, how are you enjoying your visit!? We've been trying to show you some hospitality, but you keep beating everyone up! You're all such terrible guests!"

"This man…" Erza studied Kize's face carefully. It perfectly matched the description Kagura gave her. "You're the one who killed Milliana, aren't you?"

"Oh, you mean the cat girl?" Kize quirked a brow while glancing at Erza. "Yeah! I was so surprised! You know how they say cats have nine lives!? Well…I wasn't expecting her to just fall over like that. Guess they're normal creatures after all….what a bummer…"

Erza could feel her rage rising as Kize spoke; how little he thought of the lives he took. Without even thinking Erza pushed off and lifted her blade into the air. "HOW DARE YOU!?"

"OH! You wanna fight too?" Kize brought up his lance to block Erza's downward slash. Erza had more might than expected as Kize's knees bent while barely defending himself from Erza's relentless onslaught. "Whoa! You are REALLY angry! Is it that time of the month for you? I would totally understand…I heard that time period is a bitch to deal with, right?!"

"RAAAH!" Erza swung her blade down once more, cleaving across Kize's side while sliding past him at the same time. It didn't even take a second for Erza to wince right after, feeling her own power used against her. "Ugh…what on earth?" That's right. Kagura did also warn her of what Kize was capable of.

"When you decided to fight me, you were basically telling me you wanted to sign up for the Pain Game!" Kize stabbed his lance into the ground, grinning as a red magic seal formed underneath him. "You're all contestants! Suicide Rush!" A powerful burst of energy exploded from Kize's spear. The explosion caught Natsu, Gray, Happy, Erza, and even Laxus, forcing them all some distance away. "Whew!"

"Pain…Game?" Mii tilted her head. She was staying out of the fray as asked. Anyone who did come her way just got KO'ed by her lazy punches because of her absurdly high physical strength. "Huh…"

"GO KIZE!" The various mages shouted.

"I know, I know I'm amazing. Hold the applause." Kize bowed. While Erza and the others tried to recover, they were soon met with the tips of various weapons right in their faces. "Now…if you want to move, that's fine. You'll just be stabbed…skewered…impaled…another synonym for stabbed…"

"…I guess they need some help." Mii took a step forward and a blade ran through her side from someone in front of her. She blinked before punching them in the face, sending the poor soul into the ground before pulling the sword out of her. "Come on! I just washed this dress and it's already stained with my blood again!? You people have no tact, I swear…" She then dropped the sword and sighed heavily.

"…Huh?" …That caught Kize's attention. Normally people shout after being stabbed…but she didn't show any sense of pain at all. "Anyway!" Before Kize could utter another syllable, the field of gravity began to intensify. "H-Huh…? Weird…this is some déjà vu…"

Kagura jumped down from above, stabbing her blade into the ground. An intense wave of gravity exploded from her position, knocking nearly everyone that was not a friend over. She drew Archenemy from the ground, pointing it towards Kize with the death glare. "I've finally found you."

"WHOA!" Kize hopped up to his feet. "I almost completely forgot about you. You're still alive?! Awesome!"

"Kagura!?" Erza stood up. She was surprised to see the Mermaid Ace, but was not unwelcoming to her arrival. "What are you doing here…?"

"There is no way I would allow the man who took the lives of two of my Mermaids to roam around free." Kagura explained.

"You know what they say: the more the merrier!" Kize had no objections to Kagura's arrival. "Come, come! We can all play the Pain Game! It'll be like Russian Roulette!"

"What?" Erza blinked. "No…I won't be deceived by his craziness. We have to break through." Erza pointed her blade to Kize. "You're a nuisance and standing in our way. We have many reasons to cut you down right here and now."

"…You guys haven't even noticed yet, have you…?" Mii questioned. For some reason she was the only person who wasn't bothered by the open stab wound in her side. "There's no time to waste." Right after Mii spoke a blast of white light exploded just in front of her, wiping out several of the mages in the process. "Whoa! Watch the light show!"

Sting, Rogue, and Minerva dropped down back to back, both Twin Dragons cracking their knuckles. "I was right. Yukino's in that building over there." Sting said while looking past everyone and at the Fukomakura guild building. He was aware of their presence and he didn't feel the need to ask for their help either; they were all here for the same thing. "I only ask that you don't get in our way."

"We were here first!" Natsu exclaimed.

"You idiot…now isn't the time to be fighting with people who share the same goals." Laxus scoffed. "We all have a score to settle with this place. I won't be satisfied until they're all smeared across the ground like the pieces of shit they are."

"Yikes…he's scary." Mii pointed at Laxus with wide eyes.

"I feel the same way as Laxus-san…" Rogue had a black aura wavering around his body. "I don't know what they've done to Yukino and Orga, but they are going to regret attacking Sabertooth."

"Precisely." Minerva lifted two hands into the air, orbs of Territory forming within the palms of her hands. "They are going to face the relentless bite of a wounded Tiger. I show no mercy to those who dare intrude upon my territory and take what is mine."

"Anyone else wanna join in on the fun?" Kize asked. "I got all day actually. This is really the only thing I got planned…so you mind keeping me busy? If I succeed the lady will step on me…"

"This man is strange…" Rogue said while lifting a brow.

"I'm STRANGE?!" Kize's voice rose. "What kind of man DOESN'T want to get stepped on by the woman of his dreams?! You don't know what those heels can do!"

"…I'm annoyed already." Minerva swiped her hand once. This caused a series of nonelemental explosions to take place around the surrounding area of Fukomakura. Kize let out a yelp of surprise; however he was relatively unbothered by the explosions! And as before, there seemed to be even more mages around than before. "…There weren't this many around when we arrived, were there?"

"Did they grow in numbers?" Kagura questioned. It seemed like the more they fought, the more people appeared from thin air to oppose them. "We don't have the time to face all of them. Erza, with me!" Kagura set her eyes on Kize, planning to avenge Melody and Milliana. Without another word she and Erza began a mad dash towards the insane mage. Kagura brandished Archenemy without a second thought, swinging the blade downward while Erza aimed a horizontal slash at the male.

"Whoa!" Kize brought up his lance diagonally to block the strikes from both females. The power of two fierce women coming at him was evident as he slid backwards several yards before coming to a halt. "We're making this a threesome? That's cool…but neither of you really have anything that my Lady doesn't."

"ENOUGH!" Erza was getting tired of Kize's attitude. A bright golden light wrapped around her body as she entered her Giant's Armor, swinging the massive fist towards Kize's midsection. It was a direct hit and Kize was thrown off his feet, flying backwards before landing on his feet somehow. Erza cringed soon after, feeling as though her own chest caved in from her own punch. "Tch…!"

"Be careful how you strike him!" Kagura warned once again. "He can turn all that pain into a devastating technique. A technique so strong it would've killed me had Melody not stood in the way…"

"Ah, so you remember!" Kize grinned. "…I actually forgot about that."

"UGH!" Mii stomped her foot and groaned. "You guys are so easy to distract! Don't you get what's going on here?"

"Huh…?" Everyone blinked and glanced at Mii.

"It's soooo obvious! All of these mages you've been fighting…half of them aren't even technically real: just some really powerful illusions. Why do you think they keep showing up? Granted they'll probably still kill you…"

"What are you getting at…?" Sting questioned.

"What I'm saying is…the crazy guy is obviously just stalling." Mii pointed at Kize. "The fact he's been keeping a group as large as this busy really doesn't look good for you guys. So a few people should stay here while the others actually get inside that building, yeah? Otherwise you'll just get exhausted before the real fighting starts. So I'll take care of this crazy guy. If pain is his major weapon…then he doesn't stand a chance against me."

"Very well…" Erza nodded. "Natsu, Happy, Gray, Kagura…Sting, go on ahead. The rest of us will join you and handle things here."

"Aye!" Happy said while pumping a paw into the air.

"As long as we crush them I'm content." Laxus said.

"Right!" Natsu gave Erza a thumbs up and began sprinting towards the front doors with Gray, Kagura, Sting, and Happy. While they stormed the front, those left behind took the liberty of dealing with those cursed mages and illusions.

"NO! I can't let you escape!" Kize shouted desperately. "I can't let Orsino take the credit for the kills! If that happens my Lady would NEVER STEP ON ME! I NEED IT!" Kize turned, however a bullet grazed his cheek and struck the ground just in front of him. Turning, he saw Mii with her arm extended and Purple Pot extended.

Mii twirled her pistol around before huffing out the smoke emitting from the barrel. "Sorry, creep. I'll be your contestant this time for what you call…the Pain Game, was it?" Mii flashed Kize an innocent smile. "I'd really like to play! Would you mind giving little ol' Mii a shot?"

"Huh. Are you crazy?" Said the crazy one. "People usually don't ask to play…but if you wanna die, that's fine with me!" Kize turned his focus to Mii. He hated the idea of Orsino getting praise from Des…but he could never turn down someone who WILLINGLY wanted to be a part of the Pain Game. Usually everyone cursed at him, which he really didn't mind. "You should know…I'm undefeated when it comes to this game."

"Is that so?" Mii quirked a brow while keeping that smile on her lips. "Well…I can't wait to dethrone the champ!"

.

.

"HYAH!" Cynthia swung a fiery fist right at Alex's face. Alex reacted by bringing up her arms, allowing the black fire-retardant scales to form around them to decrease the impact of the blow. All she really did was avoid getting burned since Cynthia's strength was absolutely insane in her condition.

Alex slid back several yards before groaning in discomfort. "Tch…this is getting ridiculous…how long is it going to take for that substance to burn out!? Daryan help me out!"

"I thought you'd never ask!" Daryan grinned while activating one of his dual modes: Iron Skeleton. Iron scales formed along his body and he leapt high into the air while clapping his hands together. When he pulled his hands apart a several foot bone clad in iron formed and he swung it down at Cynthia, who avoided with a leap backwards. "You're not going anywhere! Iron Graveyard!" Upon that incantation, sharp iron bones began rising from the ground with the intent to stab into Cynthia. However…Cynthia instinctively sprouted her wings and took to the air to avoid the onslaught. "Oh right…I forgot she could fly now."

"What a troublesome child…" Lore shook his head.

"Allow me…" Magnus took a step forward while extending his hand. A golden light manifested within his grip, soon turning into a large blade brimming with the power of electricity. "Great Thunderblade!" Magnus brought his arm down, swinging this enormous blade down on Cynthia. The impact was a large electrical explosion that spread out for quite the distance. Magnus was a powerhouse; he just didn't take to fighting very often and stood on the sidelines.

"D-Did you have to hit so hard…!?" Wendy asked while shielding her eyes from the light.

"Your worry is understandable…" Magnus said while adjusting his gloves. "However do not fret…I believe we both know she'd escape from such a blow unharmed under normal circumstances. My true goal was to inhibit her movements with electricity." Magnus explained. As the dust settled it did look like his idea worked. Cynthia growled as sparks of lightning danced around her while she remained mostly unfazed from Magnus' strike.

"Now step on her!" Lore cheered for Gaia to act.

"I most certainly will not!" Gaia scoffed. She didn't need Alex or Wendy coming at her for such an action. "But honestly…it is truly unfortunate for us and her that Etherion takes so long to burn through her body. Her strength is exceptional…to think people would use it for destruction like this."

"She's so strong…" Wendy said. "Sometimes I worry…when things like this happen…that the power will break her." She was silently judging herself for being unable to bring herself to fight. She couldn't bare that experience again even though she wanted to save Cynthia the most. She was lost in thought while staring at Cynthia until an emerald explosion occurred in the distance. "Huh…?"

"What was that…?" Hiruka asked while flying into the air. "Whoa…! There's another one!"

"Another one?" Alex blinked…only to notice the incoming wave of acid rushing her and Cynthia's way. "H-HUH!?"

Alex made sure to jump out of the way, however Cynthia sensed such a thing and fired off her own roar. Fire and acid collided for a near catastrophic explosion, turning the surrounding area into a wasteland. From the distance, a heavily damaged Leon Shi began walking forward. From Joya all the way to the border of Bosco and Seven; he was sent quite a ways after Polka's Morning Star attack. "…"

"L-Leon too?" Carla didn't like the looks of this. "I didn't know they got to him too!"

Acid Ace landed on a cliff base nearby, scoping out the situation along with Queen Tia. "Damn he's a sturdy one when he wants to be!" When he turned, he noticed the situation with Cynthia going on. "They got her too?"

"Just what's been going on in Fiore?" Tia questioned. "No wonder the other countries look down on it…everything always stems from here. …But our friends are in danger too, so we have to help them, right…?"

"You're getting the hang of this whole being nice thing!" Ace said with a grin. "I knew you had it in you."

"…You're sleeping on the couch for a week after this is over." Tia didn't even bat an eyelash.

Leon and Cynthia stared directly at one another, seemingly forgetting about everything else in the area. A clash between powers such as these…was not going to be pretty. "We should clear the area." Magnus advised. "Or at least watch from a safer position. This may look back…however it might be a blessing in disguise."

"How is this a blessing!?" Alex's concern for her sister made her voice rise.

"When two unstoppable forces clash, they are likely to exhaust all of their energy trying to overpower once another." Magnus explained. "They are going to try and kill each other, this is a fact. However…if they burn through most of their magic in the process it may be possible that they'll return to normal before anything fatal happens."

"…" Wendy rubbed her arm before glancing back at Carla, who gave her a slight nod. "Cynthia…please be okay…"

Cynthia pushed forward as a gigantic crimson blaze wrapped around her fist, lunging towards Leon with what looked like murderous intent. Leon did the same with acid swirling around his fist; the two met and their fists collided, resulting in a near catastrophic explosion that forced everyone nearby to cover their eyes from the wind kicked up. Neither slayer was in their right mind at the moment. Perhaps this clash was the only way for them to revert back to normal…but would they run out of energy before the destruction was over?

.

.

Desdemona took a glance out the window, noticing the crowd that gathered outside to try and storm the guild. She was well aware of those who were outside and those about to make their way in; however that was hardly any of her concern. "Ophelia dear. It's about that time. Why don't you, Orsino, and Oda head to the foyer and greet our guests, hm? They've made it all the way up here…the least we could do is so them so hospitality, no?"

To that, Ophelia gave a wave of her hand. "Oh, but of course Mother. I've enjoyed toying with those insects for too long. I believe now is the perfect time to crush them under my heel and show them how utterly powerless they are."

"If you're capable of killing at least two of them, maybe I'll be forced to take back all those things I said about you being incompetent. I have some expectations for you after all." Des said very nonchalantly while glancing at her nails. "Go on."

"Tch…always have to word it like you're looking down on me…" Ophelia growled while clenching her hand into a fist before walking off. "Don't you worry, Mother. I'll show you that I'm more than capable…I'll get you to acknowledge me for once…I'm not just some useless brat…I'm better than that trash that calls itself my Father…everyone will see…" As Ophelia spoke, a strange aura wavered around her body. "I will kill them all."

.

.

Next Time: Pain Game: Mii Style.

P.S: For those who saw Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry today, I'm very jealous, I don't get to see it for another month. I need that movie in my life and I hope everyone enjoyed it!


	90. Chapter 90: Pain Game: Mii Style

Mii twirled Purple Pot around her finger while staring at Kize. "So, when are we going to play? You may have all day, but I'm really on a tight schedule here, you know?"

"I like the cut of your jib. If that's what the saying is anyway." Kize had not a clue what he was talking about. Either way, who was he to keep someone from wanting pain?! With a yell Kize lunged forward, thrusting his spear forward rapidly in attempt to stab Mii.

"You're an eager one, aren't you?" Mii teased while shifting her body around Kize's stabs. She took notice of how he was trying to stab her open wound from earlier, but she decided to keep him busy for the time being. Mii swung her leg at Kize's chest, perhaps overdoing it a little bit since her physical strength was absolutely ridiculous.

"Ooof!" Kize staggered backwards while grunting in pain. It almost felt like his chest was going to cave in after that kick alone. "Whoa…that hurt a lot. How are you feeling after that!?"

"I'm sure that probably hurt." Mii said with a nonchalant shrug. Her non serious attitude got under Kize's skin. He didn't know what made Mii special compared to most, but he wasn't about to lose in the Pain Game. "Come on, if you don't step it up I'm going to get bored…" Mii pointed Purple Pot forward once again and clicked the trigger, releasing several large emerald bullets towards Kize in rapid succession.

"I'm just warming up!" Kize grinned before twirling his lance in a counterclockwise rotation. The rotation was strong enough to send some of the bullets where, allowing them to topple trees from the force they ricocheted at. Once Kize finished there he pushed forward once again, smiling madly while swinging his weapon at Mii once more. Mii's movements were graceful, making her a very hard target to hit. Mii then took a leap into the air; however Kize was not going to let her slip away so easily. Kize used his lance to pole vault into the sky, gaining more air than Mii did. Kize finally landed a hit as he brutally swung his weapon down upon her skull, sending the female crashing down into the ground.

Mii hit the ground hard on her back, landing with a soft grunt from the force of impact. When she glanced up she saw that Kize was diving down full throttle with the tip of his lance pointed down. He was definitely aiming to pierce right through her, but she wasn't about to have that. Mii lifted up one leg, smiling innocently as the heel released a gigantic bullet. Not even Kize saw this coming and he was blasted out of the sky by the bullet and landed on his back with a gigantic bruise on his now exposed chest. "Hehe, I still got it."

Rogue just finished wiping out several mages before turning over his shoulder to glance at Mii. There was a minor sweat drop on his forehead as he saw she shot a bullet from her heel. "…What part of that woman isn't a weapon?"

"I asked the same thing myself once…" Erza responded before changing into her Flame Empress Armor, armed with the flame sword. Titania swung the sword around, creating a whip of flame that knocked back mages and illusion alike. It was difficult to tell the difference between the two, however that is precisely why all of her efforts went to wiping out every single enemy that stood in her way.

.

Desdemona lifted a somewhat curious brow as Mii fought with Kize. She had an eye for talent and specialty, which was the precise reason about her selection of those to cause havoc across Earthland. Mii was of a different breed, quite literally. "Oh? I didn't think that child would be here. Fate surely has spun an interesting thread…"

.

Natsu swung his fiery fist forward, blowing open the doors of Fukomakura. "ALL RIGHT! WE'RE HERE!" Natsu declared to those who were in the guild. His nose picked up Juvia's scent almost immediately. She was definitely in the building somewhere.

Sting's glance glanced up to the nearby wall. His eyes laid upon Orga's corpse strung up and touched up with makeup as a mockery to it. Sting felt a vein in his forehead at such a sight. Now he was really sick and tired of what these people had done. "These bastards…I'll make them pay! I swear it…"

Ophelia calmly began walking down the stairs, leaning over the railing while smiling down at the group before her. "Oh, so you're all here. You know…we didn't exactly invite you over. But it's fine! Mother asked us to display some hospitality to our guests so that's the least we could do, right? We have some other guests waiting downstairs in the dungeon and I'm sure they'd be elated to see you." The half-breed's gaze then went to Natsu and Gray. "That water woman is a broken shell at this point…all she does it whimper and make sobbing sounds now. As for the one from Sabertooth…she's minus an eye. But don't worry! That just means she's crying less." Those words alone were enough to set Natsu and Gray off. They'd had enough of Ophelia.

"YOU BASTARD!" Natsu and Gray both shouted simultaneously while leaping for the half-breed.

"Haha…you humans are such garbage; getting emotional so quickly over nothing." Ophelia snapped her fingers. This caused a large demonic flower to sprout from the floor, the bulb opening and unleashing a gigantic beam of raw curse power that consumed Natsu and Gray with its sheer power, slamming them into a wall on the opposite end of the foyer.

"Natsu! Gray…!" Happy exclaimed in worry.

"WHITE DRAGON'S…!" Sting was up next, flying towards Ophelia in a bit of a blind rage due to her comment about Yukino. Sting reared his fist back as White Dragon slaying began to illuminate around his fist. Before he could actually reach Ophelia a beam of darkness struck his chest, shooting him back down. Sting managed to catch the landing and looked up, spotting Orsino. "You…"

"So Kize was incapable of holding them all back after all. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised…" Orsino said while adjusting his tie. "That's fine. This just means that the Mistress will be giving me the reward promised instead…oh, how I can't wait to indulge in that."

"I hate this place." Ophelia groaned.

"These are the ones responsible as well…?" Kagura planned to cut both Ophelia and Orsino down in one slash. She took a step forward but her instincts told her to strike behind her. Pivoting on her heel, she swung her blade up just in time to block Oda's sword. The assassin flipped back before charging at her again, aiming a series of slashes at the Mermaid's body that she countered. The two entered a stalemate as sparks flew from the collision of steel meeting steel. "Another one…?!"

"You're fast." Oda remarked. "Normally it would only have taken a few movements to dispose of you.

With the others preoccupied, Ophelia leapt down from the railing and smiled at the somewhat stunned Natsu and Gray. "I've actually been waiting a really long time for this…the duo that defeated my father: Marde Geer, the Demon King of Tartarus. I'll enjoy tearing you both apart…especially you again, Gray. I do hope you'll show me something more impressive this time." Before Ophelia could take another step forward an iron lance from above caught her attention. The sharp lance was caught between her hand, its edges piercing her skin and drawing forth black blood, not that she minded. "Who the hell?"

"Giehehe…" That familiar laugh came from above. Gajeel was standing on the ceiling upside down due to the small metal spikes extending from his boots. "You're forgetting one, you little green shit stain." Gajeel dropped down, that grin turning into a frown.

"Gajeel?" Natsu rubbed his head before standing back up. He wasn't going to let Ophelia get the drop on them again like that. "Took you long enough, asshole."

Gray stood back up, wasting no time in activating his Devil Slayer magic. The black tattoo spread from his arm to across his chest and face, a chilling frost emanating from his body. "Listen here, you obnoxious brat. You're going to pay for what you've done to Juvia and everyone else. On my pride as a mage of Fairy Tail: you're going down. I don't lose to the same opponent twice."

"Is that a fact…?" Ophelia tilted her head curiously, an eager smile soon forming on her lips. "Very well. I hope you three can come at me with more than enough force to topple my father…because I'm not a lofty pushover like him."

.

.

Kize jabbed the blunt end of his lance into Mii's gut. Mii stumbled backwards several steps due to the force of impact, nearly losing her footing because of it. "Ah geez…you're just making my dress all dirty. It's already an extra shade of crimson thank you very much."

"Flinch! Do something!" Kize grumbled. This was the first time he encountered someone that absolutely did not flinch to anything he delivered, or what they delivered upon themselves upon themselves because of his magic. "Scream! Shout! Cry! Panic!"

"Nah." Mii waved her hand dismissively. Sure her body was covered in scrapes and bruises but as usual it was nothing she couldn't handle. Plus she was enjoying the emotional satisfaction of driving Kize insane. "I'm different from the others." Mii dropped Purple Pot, allowing it to fade away into golden fuzz. In its place, Mii's trust shotgun Dragon Hadlar took its place. The shotgun was nearly twice her size, but she was able to wield it with one hand and have perfect aim. "This one is my favorite. Pretty big, yeah? It's got a number of abilities…like this one!" Mii pulled Dragon Hadlar apart into two separate shotguns, beginning to fire both at Kize. "Extensions!" Each shotgun unleashed a flurry of bullets, covering an exceptionally wide radius. These bullets were purely magical but definitely packed a punch, especially with the large numbers they came in.

"Gah…!" Kize crossed his arms, having very little choice but to take the bullets as they continuously pelted his body. While he did enjoy the pain, there was also some slight irritation within his being due to not being able to make Mii experience the same joys of pain he did. "Okay! Now I've had enough of even you! You're going to feel the pain of the others that came before you!" Kize had that grin on his lips again. He uncrossed his arms, allowing his body to take the full force of the pain coming his way; all while focusing his magic into the tip of his lance. "Homicidal Rush!" He was busting out the same move that killed Melody and would have killed Kagura. "Not even you're gonna be left standing after this one! I hope you're ready! It's time for the FINAL ROUND OF THE PAIN GAME!" With that crazed expression Kize held his lance forward, releasing a gigantic beam of pure destruction towards Mii! This beam was composed of the pain of all of Kize's victims; Bacchus, Melody, Milliana, and even himself over the course of this crisis! The beam of pain completely shattered any and all incoming bullets Mii shot as it soared towards the female.

"Oh, that looks bad…" Mii blinked several times as the beam of pain rushed and consumed her. The roaring echo of the beam caused everyone outside to turn, having to leap away from it at the last second to avoid being consumed within. Not only was the beam large, but it left a large scar in the terrain.

"Is she all right…?" Rogue asked with his eyes wide from the destruction Kize caused.

"…I can't imagine anyone taking an attack like that and still standing." Minerva commented. "However…that female has proven to be exceptionally annoying to get rid of….

Kize panted heavily, still grinning as the dust began to settle. He couldn't wait to see Mii drop like everyone else he encountered thus far. However…that was not going to be the result this time. Mii was still standing, covered in bruises cuts, and there was blood dripping from various open wounds, but she didn't mind. Her dress was torn to shreds and barely held together. "Whew…" Mii exhaled softly as a few pants escaped her while glancing back at the trail of ruin behind her. "That could've been bad…"

"W-WHAT!?" Kize exclaimed. "I don't understand!? You should have just…fell over! Why are you still standing!? How?! No one should be able to take that amount of pain and still be standing!"

"Oh…did I forget to mention…?" Mii said while flashing an innocent smile in Kize's direction. "I don't feel pain."

"Huh…?" For those who were unfamiliar with Mii to that extent, this came as a surprise.

"Is there something wrong with you!?" Kize asked.

"There are many things wrong with me." Mii said with a casual shrug. "I don't do pain. It's not like I'm invincible or anything…I'd still die if you stabbed me through the heart or slit my throat. I am human in that regard…however…as long as I'm not completely run try of magic or stamina, I'm fine. Being exhausted allows me to feel pain. I can't focus on not trying to feel pain if I'm brain dead. Even then…just because I choose not to deal with pain doesn't mean I can't handle it either. The perks of being an angel." Mii explained.

"A conscious effort to not feel pain…" Even Erza didn't know how it worked until now.

"There are a bunch of other specifics and technicalities about it too…but I'm sure you can see why I decided to play the pain game, right?" Mii said while swaying from side to side.

"T-That's cheating…!" At least Kize thought it was. He didn't really establish any rules for this unforeseen technicality.

"Nope! This is just the Pain Game: Mii Style!" Mii's grin widened. She wasn't taking this seriously at all; she was just having fun toying with Kize. "And I've completely figured you out too. Your magic is extremely troublesome to the average mage. They hit you; they end up hitting themselves with equal force. You can hit them but the same thing doesn't occur to you, not to mention all the pain stored up is channeled for that one attack right? Based on the information given about you…I was able to pinpoint your magic's one flaw. You can't give damage without taking it. Furthermore…you can't create an exact injury despite the pain it may cause you. I could break your arm and you'd be screwed…I wouldn't feel it."

"T-Tch…W-What the…?" Kize was…hesitant!? This wasn't right! He was the one who was supposed to have the advantage, not the other way around! "AGH! Then I'll just eat your heart and slice your fucking head off and we'll call it a day! AAHHHH!" Kize roared while lunging at Mii in a blind rage. Kize was unable to get very far before the barrel of the conjoined Dragon Hadlar was pressed right against his forehead. Mii was only a few feet away and continued to have that smile on her face.

"Sorry to break it to you…but my heart doesn't do commitment like that. And a certain annoying red head told me I shouldn't die until I'm done living…I haven't reached that point yet." Mii responded with a dry laugh. "God, I hate them so much. But I digress…the winner of the Pain Game is…Mii." Mii clicked the trigger and a massive explosion occurred. The explosion was the bullet itself and it carried Kize backwards several yards, leaving nothing but a trail of destruction in its wake as a section of the surrounding area was completely obliterated. Kize lie on the ground completely motionless, eyes white as steam emitted from his forehead. Mii leaned in to blow the smoke off from her weapon's barrel and giggled. "That was fun."

"…" Erza had to take a moment to take in what just happened. Mii looked like a bloodied mess yet she was still standing and even laughing at a situation that killed a normal mage. "Are you…okay?"

"Totally fine." Mii said with a casual shrug. "More importantly, you've still got some people to clean up. We're not done here, chop chop!"

.

.

Next Time: Full Blooded Monster.


	91. Chapter 91: Full Blooded Monster

The landscape was nothing but a ruin as Cynthia and Leon did battle. The others could only watch in hope that they'd both burn out soon and hopefully pass out. These two powerhouses duking it out without any regard for their own, or anyone else's safety proved to be something to fear. Cynthia cloaked her entire body in a veil of fierce crimson flame before lunging forward, slamming her skull right into Leon's chest. The impact lifted Leon off his feet and he flew backwards until crashing into the ground, tumbling violently before instinctively catching himself on his feet. Leon fired off a beam of pure destruction in the form of acid at Cynthia, who countered with a roar of her own. The collision of fire and acid resulted in a large scale explosion that made the very earth tremble.

"Ahhh!" Wendy covered her eyes while trying not to be blown away by the force of the explosions this battle caused.

"Man, these two are monsters…" Daryan said while scratching the back of his head. "You sure we can't just knock them out while they're distracted?"

"If you want to get yourself killed, that's all on you." Gaia scoffed. "I, for one, am not jumping in the middle of those two." The dragon said while waving her hand. "Even though I've built up my resistance to Dragon Slaying, I don't want to hurt those two too badly."

"I hope they exhaust soon though…" Alex held onto her arm, nervously biting her lower lip. As the eldest between her and Cynthia, she was always worried for her sister.

Leon stampeded through the smoke caused by the explosion, slamming his acid infused fist into Cynthia's stomach, where an emerald explosion occurred immediately after. Cynthia's response was a growl of pain as the material around her shirt corroded and there was an acid burn on her stomach. The Omega Fire Dragon immediately fired back by lifting her hands over her head, conjuring a gigantic fire ball within her conjoined hands. The Radiant Blaze flew forward, colliding against Leon's body for a fiery eruption that threw Leon back once again.

"It doesn't look like it'll end…" Tia said worriedly. "What do we do…?"

Ace scanned both Cynthia and Leon for the Etherion within their bodies. After a moment he gave a slight nod. "No…it should be okay…"

Leon took another step forward, aiming a fist at Cynthia's face. This one was a hit and Cynthia's head snapped violently to the side. Cynthia responded with a shout and created a fiery stalagmite to pierce right through Leon's chest! Due to Leon's acidic aura he wasn't too terribly harmed, but that wasn't the important part here! His large acidic aura started to die down quickly. Luckily for everyone involved Etherion was a substance that burned quickly through the forsaken slayer. Leon had to take a moment to regain his bearings. "H-Huh…what happened…?"

"Hey, it looks like he's back to normal…!" Hiruka pointed.

"Did the Etherion really burn away that quickly?" Magnus questioned. "If so, then it is likely to leave his body drained."

"But Cynthia hasn't calmed down yet…!" Wendy pointed out.

Without thinking, Leon wrapped his arms around Cynthia to keep her in a bear hug. He was bigger than her in size so the task was easy, however holding onto a trashing dragon slayer was proving to be a difficult task. Her demon curse flared up and Leon started to burn from making contact with her, but he tried to hold her still regardless despite his exhaustion. "Come on, Cynthia! Are you really going to let yourself be used again!? I know it probably hurts, but you have to hold on to who you are! Think about your family!"

"Rgh…ah….!" Cynthia continued to growl, however it seemed Leon's words were getting through to her.

"Cynthia! It's okay! I'm right here!" Wendy cupped her hands around her mouth to project her voice to Cynthia. "You'll be okay! You can calm down, I promise things will be okay!"

"Yeah! Listen to her! Isn't she the one you want to be with right now? And besides, this rampage isn't like you! Your flames were always the prettiest, so snap out of it!" Leon said with a soft, friendly smile.

Cynthia's struggle slowly came to an end. Thanks to Leon's encouragement and Wendy's voice. She managed to subdue the rush the Etherion within her body caused and the red glow to her eyes receded along with the flames around her body. "Uhhh…"

"Cynthia!" Wendy wasted no time rushing over to Cynthia. Leon had let go and fell over, and Wendy made it just in time to catch Cynthia in her arms once again, nearly tearing up. "A-Are you okay!? I'm so happy you're safe…!"

"You caught me again…" Cynthia laughed weakly while resting most of her weight against Wendy. "…I'm okay…just…really tired. I need a nap…"

"You can sleep all you want when we get back…" Wendy said with a small smile.

"Crisis averted." Ace said with a grin.

"Yeah, just here. We still got way too many problems to deal with…" Tia placed a hand on her hip, pinching the bridge of her nose with the other. "Who knows what else is going around in this problem country…"

.

.

"Fire Dragon's…" Natsu inhaled before throwing his head forward, releasing a massive beam of flame from his mouth, completely destroying anything in its way as it raced towards Ophelia. "ROAR!"

"Heh…" Ophelia lifted her finger up, creating a giant plant root that completely shielded her from the fiery roar. "Come on, is that it? I'm sure you can do better than that!" She taunted the dragon slayer; however Natsu was already in the air with his hands raised above his head.

"Dazzling Blaze of the Fire Dragon!" A large sphere of flame was generated between both hands. Natsu then dunked this sphere of flame down on Ophelia. While the half-breed did leap in the air to avoid it, the fiery explosion that ensued destroyed a large section of the foyer alone. Natsu's tendency for collateral damage didn't exactly help the others who were fighting.

"Watch where you're aiming those things!" Kagura scolded the fire dragon while fending off Oda's sword with her own. She could hardly afford any distractions. If she let up even an inch against this assassin she'd be cut down.

"Seriously, Natsu-san!" Sting grunted.

"Whatever!" Natsu ignored their warnings; he was only focused on taking down Ophelia once and for all, anything else could wait and come after.

Ophelia landed on some railing above, arms folded across one another as she looked down on Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel. "Come on…you're going to bore me at this rate."

"Talk all you want." Gray said while forming a bow and arrow composed of Devil Slaying ice within his grip. "You're going down. Ice Devil's Zeroth's Destruction Bow!" Gray then released the frozen bowstring, allowing the decisive arrow to fly forth towards Ophelia!

"This again?" Ophelia rolled her eyes. "I told you before, I'm not my father." Ophelia held out one hand, gripping the arrow just before it struck her! The tip was right in her face and she began to squeeze down to shatter the arrow. Little did she expect the tip of the arrow to explode in her face; the devil slaying attribute did hurt due to her half demon blood, so a yelp of pain was delivered and she began staggering to keep her balance. "A-Agh!"

"Now we've got you!" Gajeel grinned while pushing his arm forward, allowing it to transform into an iron pole. This pole slammed into Opehlia's gut, pushing her backwards into the nearest wall. "Salamander!"

"On it!" Natsu wasted no time in hopping on Gajeel's extended arm, allowing a wildfire to blaze uncontrollably about his arms. The fire dragon leapt forward while twisting his body in a counterclockwise rotation, keeping his black eyes right on Ophelia. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!" Natsu sharply spun his body to create a fierce veil of flames that completely consumed anything and everything in its path. This massive wave of flame caught Ophelia within its blazing wake, utterly destroying most of the Fukomakura building in the process.

"How rude…" Orsino adjusted his tie while glancing at the damage Natsu caused. "We offer hospitality, yet you come and destroy our home? No wonder our Lady wishes to see the world burn…"

"We don't give a damn about your hospitality!" Sting exclaimed as he entered his White Drive. The sudden increase in speed and strength allowed him to close the gap between himself and Orsino within a moment's notice, where a White Dragon's Punch was aimed at the male's face. Orinso blocked the strike with his forearm, wincing after due to the properties of Sting's magic.

"…Your magic…" Orsino took a step backwards while narrowing his eyes. "How troublesome…it appears it can strike through my darkness.

"The light of the White Dragon will purify all things…" Sting said while drawing his arm back, gathering more white dragon slaying around his fist. "White Dragon's Drill Punch!" It was time for another punch; however this one was much more devastating than the last. Sting put all his weight into a single swing which struck against Orsino's chest. The corkscrew spin added a piercing effect that sent the male skidding backwards across the floor. Sting wasn't finished yet. His hands cupped to his sides and a sphere of white light formed in the empty space between his palms. "White Dragon's Holy Ray!" Thrusting his arms forward the White Dragon unleashed several rays of light that aimed to close in on Orsino from all angles.

"Such light does not exist." Orisino responded while creating multiple spheres of darkness to counter Sting's light. These orbs collided against the rays for vicious explosions that shook the foundation of the building. Orsino conjured more orbs than Sting did rays, so eventually Sting had to deal with multiple orbs of darkness exploding around his body and sent him flying backwards. "The only light that exists is that which my Lady provides."

Sting sat up after the explosions, using the back of his hand to wipe away the blood dripping from his mouth. "I don't give a damn about that. You're going to pay for what you've done…do you hear me!?"

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The commotion from above could easily be heard in the dungeon where Yukino and Juvia were kept. Yukino's hair happened to cover her missing eye and she glanced up at the ceiling. The rumbling and violent shaking spurred a sense of hope within her. She could barely make out Sting's voice. "…S-Sting-sama..? J-Juvia-sama…I think help has arrived…!" But of course Juvia didn't even give a response. This made Yukino worry…yes Juvia was still alive and breathing, but the term 'alive' could be used very loosely here.

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The smoke settled slowly as the three fairies anxiously waited to see how Ophelia fared after their combination of attacks. There really was no time to wait; Ophelia's use of time control allowed her to appear behind Gray with a rose rapier in her hand. When time resumed Gray just narrowly avoided being stabbed through the chest, however the blade did slide across his chest and draw blood. "Tch…!" Gray staggered back with blood leaking from the now open wound.

Ophelia dragged the blade across her tongue, tasting Gray's blood for herself. "You can tell a lot about a person by how their blood tastes…or so I hear. Yours is very sour…I can tell you've had a very depressing life. But don't worry, it'll be over soon."

"I'm not going anywhere!" Gray placed his palms on the ground. "Ice Make: Geyser!" This caused multiple spiked glaciers infused with Devil Slaying to rise from the ground in various locations, aiming to strike Ophelia with at least one of them. Ophelia was swift, evading the glaciers before they even rose from the ground. The half-breed closed the gap between the two quickly, placing her boot against Gray's chest before forcefully kicking him into a wall. "GAH!"

"Gray!" Natsu glared at Ophelia before rushing her down, fire blazing around both arms once again. "Raaaaaaah!"

"Thorns." Ophelia lifted her index and middle finger up, creating multiple thorns to spawn from nowhere in attempt to stab and skewer Natsu. Natsu was already familiar with the move from when he faced off against Marde. Natsu twisted his body accordingly to evade the thorns…but that was all a part of Ophelia's plan. She knew Natsu was going to dodge and by the time he did, her palm was already flat against his chest. "Such a fool." From Ophelia's palm, a raw beam of curse power shot forth. This massive blast consumed Natsu who let out a cry of pain as he was blown backwards and through a wall, landing on his stomach. "Next!"

Speaking of, Gajeel moved in with his arm turned into his Iron Dragon's Sword. The jagged, razor sharp edges of the blade rotated to create a chainsaw-like effect. Gajeel swung his iron sword down at Opehlia, who countered with her own sword. Ophelia held her ground much more effectively than Gajeel intended. "Damn! You annoying piece of…"

"Language!" Ophelia smirked while leaning to the side. She conjured up a plethora of roses behind her, all of them charged with curse power. These bulbs began to rapid fire on Gajeel, causing him to pull back and cover his body with iron scales in an effort to reduce the damage. "I'm taking care of all of them! Orsino! Oda! If you want to get caught in this that's all on you!" Ophelia slammed her hands into the ground and it began to shift a little bit. "Frenzy Plant!" From the ground, enlarged roots began sprouting up in large numbers. Ophelia's little warning was the closest thing she got to actually caring about friendly fire.

Kagura took another swung at Oda, but he vanished into thin air! "What the? What's going on?" Kagura glanced around as the large roots began to sprout from the ground. The Mermaid Ace used her Gravity Change to make herself lighter and tried to jump away, however she ended up being caught between several rising vines, unable to move. "Agh…!"

Sting, Gray, Happy, Natsu, and Gajeel also met the same fate as they were caught between the massive roots that tried to squeeze the life out of them! "Can't…move…" Natsu growled. His flames were snuffed out and he was unable to do much else but struggle.

"It's tight…" Happy groaned as he had a hard time trying to breathe.

"I'm not…gonna go down like this!" Gray exclaimed. "Ice Make: Silver!" This spell instantaneously froze all of the roots around everyone. The vines shattered into harmless ice and everyone fell to the floor…and began sinking into it. Out of the frying pan and into the oven as it were. The liquefied ground proved troublesome as everyone's arms and legs were caught in it. "What now!?"

"Algeria." Ophelia said while waving her hand. "Soon you'll just sink and become a part of the guild…permanently. I thought you humans were going to put up a little more of a fight than that…but I suppose I was mistaken to actually have some faith in your abilities. I don't understand how you've come this far being so sloppy…"

"You…" Natsu tried to move, but it was of no avail. He was completely stuck and sinking deeper with each passing second. "Damn it!"

"I see the young wishes to take all the credit…" Orsino puffed on a cigar. It looked like the fighting no longer concerned him with how powerless the humans were.

Ophelia leaned in, smiling condescendingly towards those stuck in the pool of liquid ground. "Now you can all just die. Just like that stupid water mage…or that dumb blonde."

"What…?" Natsu lifted his eyes up to Ophelia. He did reach out for her leg, but Ophelia just narrowly moved it out of reach to taunt him. When that didn't work he released another Roar in her direction, but thanks to her time manipulation she was able to make it seem as though she got hit, when in reality she was just playing with her food now.

"You never noticed?" Ophelia started to laugh. "I snuck right into her house and snapped her neck like a twig! You were right there too! Oh Natsu, help me! Help me!" Ophelia put on her best Lucy impression, simply enjoying toying with Natsu's emotions.

"Stop making fun of us…" Natsu grumbled as his head lowered, hair creating a shade over his eyes.

"Why should I!? You're all so stupid! No wonder you never stood a chance against us. So naïve…so dumb…all you do is rely on your friends…" Ophelia kept that high and mighty tone of hers which only further got under Natsu's skin.

"I said…STOP MAKING FUN OF US!" Natsu had enough. Between all of Ophelia's actions prior and right now, he could no longer take this girl mocking everything he stood for in front of him. Natsu slowly managed to pull himself out from the liquefying ground much to everyone's surprise, including Ophelia who just stood in wide eyed shock. "YOU WILL DISSAPPEAR!" Natsu's fiery aura ignited once again, lightning surging within this time. Natsu's fist slammed right into Ophelia's nose without a moment's notice, a harsh wave of fire and lightning shooting forward after. This wave of dual elements continued on for miles, incinerating everything within its wake due to the sheer power Natsu put into the blow. This was more than enough to knock Ophelia backwards along with canceling the spell that put everyone's lives in jeopardy.

"Oh dear." Even Orsino was taken aback by Natsu's show of strength. "Perhaps this won't be so boring after all."

As the smoke cleared Ophelia pushed away some rubble from her body. Now, normally she'd welcome such pain and challenge…but her nose didn't feel quite right. It was numb and black blood oozed from her nostrils. Natsu broke her nose. Those pink eyes of hers twitched in irritation for a second before her tiny hands balled up into tight fist. "AHHHHH! NOW I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU ALL!"

"NOT ON YOUR LIFE!" Natsu began to inhale once again, gathering both fire and lightning within his mouth for what was to be a tremendously powerful attack. "Roar…of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" Natsu lurched forward and parted his mouth, unleashing a massive funnel of both fire and electricity towards Ophelia.

"Dea Yggdrasill!" Ophelia swung her arms forward as a large magic seal formed before her. This seal released a gigantic wooden beam that clashed with Natsu's dual roar. Due to the short distance between the two attacks they met and exploded against one another prematurely. The force of the explosion made everyone cover their eyes from the fierce wind kicked up.

"You break her nose and she turns into a total child…" Sting remarked as the very ground shook violently.

"That's our opening." Kagura pointed out. "A child with no control of their temperament makes more mistakes than a misguided adult."

Ophelia panted heavily out of pure anger. How dare a human raise their hand at her like that!? "I'm going…to slaughter you…and smear your corpse across your guild floor and enjoy the terror in their eyes…"

"You won't get the chance." Gray remarked.

"You are YOU to talk down to ME!?" Ophelia snarled. "I'll kill ALL OF YOU!"

Ophelia did not take notice of that gaping hole in the building behind her; the group outside just finished taking care of all the lower mages and illusions. More importantly, thanks to Natsu's tendency for collateral damage they had a clear shot at Opehlia's back. Erza was donned in her Giant's Armor, taking aim for Ophelia's back with a spear in hand. They only had one shot at this because if Ophelia took notice or evaded they'd have no chance at taking her down. Mii adjusted Erza's aim before patting her on the back to say she was good to go. Erza nodded and took off, soaring towards Ophelia as silently as she could. When Erza was close enough she used all of her might to throw that spear as fast as she could. "It's now or never…!" Ophelia wasn't an opponent they could simply just…knock out. She had to go by any means necessary. She took many lives and simply could not be forgiven. It was either her or them.

That spear nearly broke the sound barrier; a deafening BOOM echoing through the area as it soared towards the half-breed. "Huh…?" Ophelia did notice, but only at the last second. When she turned the spear pieced right through her chest and heart. Her pink eyes went wide for a second as the traumatic shock set in. Black blood leaked from her lips as she just stood in place, completely motionless.

Mii whistled at such a shot. "Whew…that was impressive!"

"Serves her right." Laxus said.

"Oh my…" Orsino exhaled some smoke. "It seems the girl takes after her father after all…such a shame…"

The group from outside hurried inside, cautious of Ophelia before deciding she was definitely down for the count. "Sorry we're late…!" Mii waved.

"Right on time…" Sting said while giving Rogue a thumbs up. Now they turned their attention to Oda and Orsino, who were casually watching from the sidelines. "Now we just have to get rid of these two…and I heard there's a Lady at the head of all of this…"

"Three more then…" Gray said while glaring at the two mages lying in wait. "Hold on…we're almost there."

"I suppose you're all eager to meet the same fate as that green haired man?" Orsino asked oh so casually. His tone made Laxus tense up and immediately drop a bolt of lightning on Orsino, who remained relatively unfazed. "Cute…"

"I'm going to enjoy beating the shit outta you…" Laxus stated bluntly.

"Heehee…" That small giggle made everyone stop and look around.

"Now isn't the time to be laughing, Mii!" Erza scolded Mii out of instinct.

"I didn't do it!" Mii said while waving her hands in front of her face.

"AHAHAHA!" Ophelia started moving again. She placed her hands on the handle of the spear that impaled her and pulled it out without even flinching. "You're all so fucking stupid!"

"You gotta be kidding me…" Gajeel growled.

"She's still kicking after that?!" Rogue gasped.

"I don't see how that's humanly possible…" Minerva remarked. "All living things need their hearts…and I'm positive you broke hers."

"Humanly possible my ass…" Ophelia tossed the spear elsewhere. "You humans are really disgusting, you know that? Why does everything have to be by your standards? In case you haven't noticed, I'm NOT HUMAN! I don't give a shit what's possible or impossible to you! I'm a wraith…and wraiths do not need their organs in order to truly function…it's more of a formality than anything else."

"Do wraiths die?" Minerva questioned.

"There are only two of us; Mother and I. Mother has been around much longer than you could possibly fathom…" Ophelia explained. She had her laugh…but when it came to the topic of her mother, she grew serious. "Mother always looks down on me…that bastard who is my Father does the same thing! They both look at me with this look of disgust in their eyes! I was a mistake and I know that! But I work hard to try and prove to Mother that I can be what she wants me to be…She wants me to be like her, but she gives me a look that says I can never be what she is! I don't know what she wants from me! So I'll just do anything I can to make her acknowledge me! Even if that means wiping all of humanity off the map myself!"

"She's about to blow…" Mii remarked.

"…." Ophelia's eyes widened and her head just dropped. The scales on her arms and legs began to cover her entire body, her pinks eyes flashed for a moment before becoming pitch black. Her entire form began to change and everyone was on high alert.

"W-What's going on…" Kagura knew no one could provide an answer, but that didn't stop her from asking the question anyway.

Ophelia's emerald hair turned into a near transparent light blue shade, her eyes were nothing but an abyss of pitch black darkness, wings sprouted from her back as her hands and feet grew talons of some sort. Her skin was a pale blue color and she let out a roar, along with some intangible words that no one could make sense of.

"W-What the…" Gray's eyes were wide at this transformation. "What the hell is this?!"

"Oh dear…" Des made her appearance known to the others for the first time. Oda and Orsino bowed to Des while she kept watch from a part of the guild that wasn't ruined. "…It seems I may have pushed my dear a little too far…"

"You…!" Natsu could only assume that Des was the one in charge. The moment she turned he stopped completely. Remember that feeling he had when Gildarts unleashed his true power back at Tenorujima? Natsu had that exact feeling when Des turned to him, along with that cold, dead feeling. "T-The hell…?"

"It appears my daughter has merged both her demon and wraith blood into one…" Des explained. "This isn't what I meant to happen, but she's been pushed to such an extreme. She is part Etherious so it's only natural that she'd have a form, along with the true power my blood provides her. I'm almost proud to see that she could reach such a level without my guidance, but I can't allow her to spoil all the fun for now. So…you mages take jobs yes? Then I will strike a bargain with you. If you manage to knock some sense into my daughter, I'll wipe the slate clean. It'll be like none of this ever even happened…and I'm sure you all want to see your friends again, don't you? I like to think of myself as a compromising person."

"Don't toy with us!" Gray shouted.

"Then I suppose you can just die…" Des didn't really care either way. "It's already too late. Earthland is in ruin…this is the only way to save it and restore the lives of your lost friends. Or are you going to turn your back on them? I didn't realize humans could be so selfish and entitled….and I'm a woman of my word too."

"It's true…the Lady would keep her end of the bargain." Orsino said calmly. "You've no reason to deny her offer. Unless it's for your self-righteous pride…then you truly do not deserve her blessing."

Erza and Kagura took a glance at each other before nodding. If anything…they were the two who took Des' words seriously. While they were trying to pull the situation out from the root, who knew what kind of damages happened all across Earthland because of this. "Very well…" Erza finally said. "We haven't lost the battle yet…but we will fight until the very end to do what is right. And you even think of trying to pull something funny, we will cut you down."

"…I expected such a response. Too prideful to say you accept my offer. It doesn't matter very much to me. If you lose, you all die and the world burns…I could repeat this process as many times as I wanted with you all anyway." Des gave a shrug and her lips curved into what could be considered a vague smile. "Go on now, have fun with my daughter. She doesn't plan very nice."

Everyone then turned their attention to Ophelia, who was perhaps the furthest thing from human they had ever seen. Half demon, half wraith…a full blooded monster.

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Next Time: Dance With a Devil.


	92. Chapter 92: Dance With a Devil

Fiore definitely had it the worst of Earthland thus far. There were many damages across the country due to Cynthia and Leon's brawl. Not only that; Luke and Roxanne were also out of their minds thanks to the beginning of Des' game. The Royal Guard was having an immense amount of trouble trying to quell the remaining mages. Lucy and Sophie were still fighting for reasons that were unknown to the both of them. The other countries were aware of where the situation originated from and it was easy to imagine how unhappy they were that once again, Fiore was the root cause of another problem that endangered everyone on the continent. Everything rested on the ability to strike a deal with Des…otherwise Earthland would surely become engulfed in the flames of ruin that she caused…

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"I don't like the idea of striking a deal with the one who caused this…" Erza muttered. But at the moment they really didn't have the momentum in this situation. Ophelia was already problematic enough…and she was only Des' daughter, so it was only natural to assume that Des had the ability to transform as well…and with that natural aura she was giving off, Erza didn't want to admit it…but even all together they likely didn't stand a chance.

"Hmmm…" Des kept her attention on Erza…more specifically, her hair. "You know, Erza my dear…you remind me of someone I used to know. She had red hair just like you, although it was a brighter shade. Such a sweet and pragmatic young girl…cast into the jaws of despair caused by humanity's contradictory heart. And I despite her very existence…"

"Enough! I'm not standing around anymore to listen to you talk about nothing!" Natsu focused his gaze on Ophelia before lunging forward with fire and lightning surging around his fist. "Iron Fist of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" Natsu swung his fist forward…only for his entire arm to faze right through Ophelia's body. "Huh…?" Natsu ended up stumbling forward due to the momentum he put into the swung. Before he had the chance to recover Ophelia slammed her heel into his back, sending the Salamander tumbling across the ground a few yards.

Gajeel took to the air as darkness began to gather around his body and his eyes turned a dark violet shade. Gajeel entered his Iron Shadow mode, drawing his arm back as he formed his Iron Shadow Dragon's Sword. "Take this!" Gajeel exclaimed while swinging the large blade down at Ophelia. To his surprise the blade didn't even touch Ophelia; it just sliced through her form and struck the ground. "You gotta be shittin' me…" Ophelia then placed her hand on Gajeel's chest, releasing a gigantic beam of raw curse power that consumed the iron dragon, sending him flying away.

"Gajeel!" Erza exclaimed in worry. "Do physical attacks not work on her in this state? Very well…" Erza sped forward as the golden light bathed her body once more. She was donned in her Morning Star armor with the twin swords equipped and crackling with energy. "Photon Slicer!" Erza pointed both blades forward, the energy gathered releasing into the form of a bright sphere of light that consumed and exploded all in its path. The force of the explosion did send Ophelia into the air; however she just started to fly to regain her bearings.

"I don't think so…" Kagura focused her Gravity Change on Ophelia, using the intense force of gravity to weigh the monster back down to the ground. If physical attacks weren't going to be effective in this battle, the very least she could do was provide some support to make the fight easier for everyone else.

Laxus…Laxus really just wanted to beat the shit out of Orsino for what he did to Freed. However…as much as he wanted to do that, he realized that Ophelia was the true threat at the moment. She didn't look like something that could be put aside because she made it very clear moments ago that she was not going to be ignored. So, Laxus did put in effort in this fray. Lightning surged around Laxus' body and began to focus in the form of a large electrical orb above him. This orb then flew towards the grounded Ophelia and exploded in a violent flash of lightning.

"Let's goooo!" Mii said while magically pulling out a pair of pompoms. "Kick her ass!" Oddly enough, her cheering began to invigorate the others.

"What the heck are you doing…?" Gray questioned.

"I told you before I have Cheer Magic, duh. If you think I'm getting involved in this physically you've got another thing coming." Mii winked. "I've already had my fun beating up that other guy outside. This one alllll you guys! So kick some ass! Otherwise my cheering will totally a waste…"

"I do feel stronger, admittedly…" Sting said while kicking things into overdrive. His white aura exploded as white scales formed along his face and arms; the activation of his Dragon Force. "Let me put this boost to good use! White Dragon's Holy Breath!" Sting began inhaling and Rogue was right alongside him, entering Dragon Force of his own accord.

"Shadow Dragon's…Darkness Breath!" Rogue exclaimed along with Sting. The two destructive oral attacks merged together, as expected of the Twin Dragons, into a large violet beam of energy that soared towards Ophelia.

"You…d-don't understand…" Ophelia said while spreading her arms apart. Just as the unison raid struck her being she closed her hands, condensing the Unison Raid into nothing within her being. "I will consume everything…"

"Gah, her too!?" Rogue grunted, having that very vivid sense of déjà vu with Ophelia's words and actions.

Things were not going to play out like they did with Marde, however. Instead of making a mockery of the humans before her, Ophelia released the Unison Raid she consumed at more than twice the power! Due to Mii's Cheer boost…the damage of that was not going to be pretty. Luckily Minerva acted fast and created a shield of territory in front of everyone, but that only lasted so long before the barrier shattered and knocked everyone off their feet. "Oof…this is why I hate children." Minerva grumbled while standing on her feet.

"Yikes…that one looked like it hurt." Mii tilted her head. She felt Des gaze on her back so she turned curiously. "…Can I help you with something? I mean…if you want me to show you a good time, this isn't really the best opportunity…unless you wanna call this whole thing off?"

"Hm. Does your father know what you're doing?" Des inquired.

"Father? Psssh…wait, you know him? Huh…small world." Mii shrugged.

"I'm getting really tired of this girl…" Gray said while standing back up. He ran forward while crafting the signature Devil Slaying Sword within his hand. "Ice Devil Zeroth's Blade!" Gray swung the mighty Devil Slaying blade at Ophelia, but she caught it with one hand before it could truly strike her. Mii's attack boost was nothing to sneeze at, but she was making everyone look like a joke even with the increase in strength. "You've gotta be kidding…"

Ophelia leaned over and took a bite out of the blade, chewing the ice within her mouth before swallowing it. Who ever heard of a demon eating Devil Slaying? With a disgust expression she let out a cry that caused monstrous roses to rise from the ground. These tall roses opened up their bulbs and began unleashing rapid fire beams of curse power upon everyone; the sheer power of each bulb causing massive damage to everyone. "DIE DIE DIE!"

"Natsu!" Happy flew through the bombardment of the roses to grab Natsu and lift him into the air. Once in the air Natsu was able to act accordingly.

Natsu pushed off from Happy while raising his hands above his head. One hand gathered lightning while the other gathered flame. Merge them together and what do you get? A large sphere of fire and lightning that doubled Natsu's size! "Dazzling Blaze of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" Natsu swung this dual elemental sphere down, resulting in a fierce pyre that incinerated the roses to bail everyone out. Natsu was unable to land since Ophelia shot him down herself with a beam of curse power. The Salamander landed on his side, groaning from Ophelia's strength.

"Yikes…" Mii tilted her head. "This isn't looking very good…maybe I should just cheer harder!" As lovely as that would've been, a root sprouted from the ground and pierced through Mii's chest and pushed her into a wall. Her eyes were wide only because she was caught off guard and ended up coughing up some blood. "Ah…well…this is quite the pickle…I can't move…"

"Are you okay!?" Erza expressed her concern.

"I'm fine…!" Mii waved her hand around. "Not the first time I've been stabbed you know! …And it missed my heart so I'm still alive, I think. It doesn't hurt!"

"You idiot…" Erza grumbled. "More importantly…what are we going to do about this?"

"She's not budging at all…" Kagura said. "Maybe if we find some way to cut off her head she's stop moving for good this time. To be honest, I'm very over this child already…"

Ophelia seemed to gain some sense of self control back. She wasn't letting out garbled screams at this point. "You think y-you're the ones over this?" She walked forward slowly, putting everyone on guard. "I…I…I've had enough of all of you…" Ophelia dropped to the ground and placed her open palm flat against the surface of the earth. The entire atmosphere began to shift to something completely filled with dread and darkness. "I'm going to erase it all…"

"…Ophelia." Des tilted her head.

"OOOOH! SHE GONNA DO IT!" Kize was limping, holding himself steady by leaning against a piece of rubble. He had no idea what Ophelia was about to do…but she was about to do it.

"I can feel it in my blood, you know…? This technique was meant to erase that Black Wizard from this world…but I don't care about that. I don't care about Zeref…I don't care about anything. I just want to erase it all…to show Mother what I can truly do…that I can be just like her." A black, paralytic mist began seeping from Ophelia's body to seal the movements of everyone and envelop them. Dark spirits began to emerge, taking the form of an obsidian beam that shot towards the sky.

"S-She can do this too!?" Gray knew where this was going. He'd already had to tank this particular spell once before…but he wasn't sure if he'd be able to do it this time. Last time it was just him and Natsu, but there were many more people to worry about, and the intensity of this attack was much greater than what Marde was capable of producing back then.

"I can't even move…!" Minerva was unable to even conjure the smallest orb of Territory to produce some kind of effect. Her body was completely frozen stiff by the power of Memento Mori.

"The ultimate curse…meant to erase everything from this world. You all will become nothing trapped within the annals of history! Eternal Memento Mori!" The sea of dark spirits began surrounding everyone before expanding greatly. No one could do a thing about it beside just endure the inevitable erasure. Ophelia used her Time Control magic to accelerate the rate of which the Memento Mori spread, soon spreading from the location from Fukomakura to all across Fiore, spreading even further into Earthland as a result!

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From his location elsewhere, Marde was well aware of the incoming Memento Mori. All he could really do was let out a sigh as a result. "That cursed child…"

.

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At the border of Seven and Bosco, everyone there noticed the incoming sea of darkness. "That doesn't look very good..." Yakuza said while swallowing the nervous lump in his throat.

"What's happening this time!?" Alex stomped her foot on the ground angrily, standing in front of Wendy who held onto Cynthia protectively. She was so over this situation, but she didn't know this was likely going to be the last time she could complain about something...

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The violent shaking of the ground made Lucy and Sophie come to a halt once again. They weren't sure what was happening but their bodies were out of their complete control. The only thing they saw before everything went black was a sea of dark spirits rapidly closing in on their location.

.

.

Within the sea of spirits, Desdemona could only let out a heavy sigh herself. "Such a troublesome child you are, my dearest O. I didn't intend for things to end up like this…but you've managed to surprise me. You are not ready for this power that your Wraith and Demon blood provide you…but one day in the future you will surely end up like me. A Queen that stands above Gods and Mortals…" Des lifted her hand up to snap her fingers; a bright white light shone from within the sea darkness, engulfing the entirety of Earthland within its wake. "You've all provided such gracious entertainment. I've had my fun for now…~"

.

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Next Time: Reset.


	93. Chapter 93: Reset

Lucy shot awake in a very cold sweat. She winced, feeling the black markings along her arm throb within her very core. She couldn't explain what was going on…almost like she awoke from some sort of nightmare. He head felt fuzzy and she took a glance outside her window. It was daytime. "Huh…? What the…?" Standing up, she peaked out into her living room only to see Mii fast asleep on the couch, snoring even. "Mii!" Lucy rushed over to Mii and shook her awake.

"Huh!? What?!" Mii flailed about, falling off the couch due to Lucy's constant shaking. "What's wrong…!? Are we out of food?! Did Natsu raid the place again!?"

"Huh? What…no…" Lucy blinked several times at Mii's freak out.

"Then why did you wake me up…." Mii whined while tiredly rubbing her eyes. "You said I could sleep in today…"

"When did I say that?" Lucy tilted her head. Her memory was definitely failing her right now. Actually, she couldn't even remember what today was supposed to be. "…What's today?"

Mii could only give Lucy a look. You know the look that said 'I can't believe you woke me up for this'. "It's like…March I think…? The Grand Magic Games start next month…you guys keep making a huge deal about it…can I go back to bed…?"

"O-Oh, yeah…sorry for bothering you…" Lucy said with an awkward smile. Mii nodded and crawled back onto the couch before passing out almost instantly. "Was it all just a dream…?" Lucy tried to rack her brain for an answer but she was unable to come up with anything.

 _"_ _That was all pretty crazy though….I thought we were all dead….what a cumbersome place I've decided to stay at…"_ These were Mii's final thoughts before she drifted off to the sea of unconsciousness once again.

.

.

Things were oddly serene and peaceful. Aside from the weather nobody really had any complaints about how things were going. It was a bright and sunny day in Fiore and all of Earthland. All was well in Sabertooth as well. Yukino just finished up a batch of her specialty, fluff cookies, handing them over to everyone present. "I-I hope you all enjoy them. They are freshly baked!"

"Don't mind if I do!" Sting said, happily reaching for one before shoveling it in his mouth. "Mmmph! These are amashing!" Sting spoke with his mouth full which caused Yukino to laugh nervously.

"I'm glad you enjoy them, Sting-sama." Yukino smiled sheepishly. She also brought the back of her hand to her eye, rubbing it gently. "…Hm…"

"Are you feeling well?" Mana asked. "Tired?"

"N-No, it's nothing like that." Yukino said while waving her hand. "My eye just feels a little strange. I'm sure it's nothing."

"Perhaps you should get some rest." Rufus remarked while sipping some tea.

"You have been working hard around here…" Orga remarked while using an arm to lift a singular weight.

"Fro think so too!" Fro said, lifting his paw into the air with that big smile on his face.

"Yes, maybe that's what it is. I have been up late recently. I appreciate everyone's concern." Yukino gave a bow to the others. "I wonder where Dios-sama went…I wanted to share these with him as well."

"Who cares…" Minerva said with a nonchalant shrug. She didn't particularly care for the whereabouts of every single member of Sabertooth given the select few. You know, just enough to count on one hand.

"I think he said there was something he wanted to check on…" Rogue commented while munching on a cookie Yukino baked. "He's more of a loner than people make me out to be. But I'm sure he'll return shortly."

.

.

Cynthia rolled over, snoring softly. She was sleeping in for once and Wendy really didn't want to wake her up. "She's been working hard lately…" Carla remarked while watching Cynthia sleep. "Do you think she'll be able to participate in the Games in her condition, though?"

"I don't know…" Wendy sighed while rubbing her arm. "I don't want her to strain herself even more, though…" After a few minutes of talking, Cynthia sat up and yawned. "Oh…! Did we wake you! I'm sorry…!"

"Huh…?" It was Rose in control this time. She blinked a few times, genuinely surprised at her whereabouts in Cynthia and Wendy's home. "What the…?"

"Rose…?" Wendy furrowed her brows, frowning at Cynthia's literal other half.

"You…?" Rose blinked while staring at Wendy. After a few second she took a glance at her body, completely confused as to what happened and where she was. "Weren't things going to shit…? Didn't people die…?"

There were visible question marks above both Wendy and Carla as Rose spoke, neither of them understanding what the demon was talking about. "Did you hit your head?" Carla placed her hands on her hips, scoffing at Rose. "Absolutely nothing bad has happened since the New Year…aside from Zelos sticking around the guild."

"What?" Rose blinked. "Y…You're kidding me right…? That could've have been a dream…even though you were all there…" The female sighed and flopped back down on the bed, grumbling. "I don't understand…there's no way that all could've been a dream…"

"Can Cynthia come back now?" Wendy asked. "I don't like it when you're here."

"It's always a pleasure to see you too." Rose scoffed before closing her eyes and going back to sleep. Eventually Cynthia would wake up, but for now it seems the both of them needed rest for some strange reason. Wendy and Carla just looked at each other worriedly before looking back at Cynthia.

.

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Calium was busy wrapping up some paperwork in his office. He was often cooped up within his study for days on end with the sheer amount of work he had to do. Every so often he would poke his head out to see how his kids were doing; otherwise he didn't show his head much. However with the excitement of the Grand Magic Games around the corner he was anticipating the strategy his kids would implement to bring the gold trophy home this year. He could hear the discussions downstairs and he shook his head slightly with a smile. "Those kids…" That smile soon turned into a frown as he recalled earlier events. Not everyone was unaware of the Reset that occurred….they just didn't know who caused it. Calium was one of these people. "…It seems someone had their fun while everyone remains unaware of it…" While it bothered him that there was someone out there with such power to cause some kind of incident and merely erase it from history…there was not much he could do about it alone in the end. All he could do was sit quietly.

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Fairy Tail was just as busy as always in its own building. Absolutely nothing was amiss…well, that's what could be said, but most people in the guild considered Zelos to be a inconvenience more than anything else. Zelos didn't mind…or he was just oblivious to the fact that at the moment no on really had a reason to like him. "Come on, raise those mugs higher!" He said to Cana and Makarov. When they were intoxicated they found Zelos a riot.

"Unbelievable…" Erza said while bringing a hand to her face. "You too, Master?"

"Just…let them have this…" Gray said while shaking his head. There wasn't much that could be done and this was the one time Zelos wasn't getting yelled at. "It's less annoying to deal with him that way."

"I suppose you have a point…" Erza said with a defeated sigh. How Zelos managed to worm his way into the guild's everyday activities already was something else to say the least. Erza glanced around before noticing Natsu sitting cross legged in a chair, rocking his head back and forth. "Natsu? Are you all right?"

"Hmmmmmmm…" Natsu grumbled while trying to think. "Something's not right…" He said while glancing around intently. Whatever was bothering him truly had him confused. "Didn't something happen earlier?"

"No? Don't be stupid." Gray scoffed.

"You are you calling stupid, dumbass?!" Natsu got up from his seat and he and Gray were already at it once again. They didn't get too far because Erza pulled them apart.

"That's enough you two!" Erza shouted before pushing them together in a friendly position. "I'm really tired of your constant bickering. If you two don't start getting along from this moment on, there will be punishment." The tone Titania took with the two mages struck fear into their very souls.

"W-We'll be good!" Natsu said with a nervous smile.

"Y-Yeah! Best of friends!" Gray nodded along with Natsu. The interaction only made Happy snicker, while Juvia sat in the background silently fuming at the situation. Her irrational level of jealous was barely held back. At least her self-control was getting better…

"All's well that ends well." Zelos chuckled. His vague comment caught Erza's attention. "Huh? Something wrong, Erza-chan? Everything's well, isn't it?"

"Yes, but…when you say it I can't help but feel like something is strange." Erza admitted.

"Ah, am I really such a bad guy to you?" Zelos took a swig of his beer before hopping from his seat. "You just need to take things easy. I have a motto I got to whenever things go down: Whatever will be, will be."

"Quite an easygoing motto you have there…" Erza sighed. She wasn't one to take things so easy though.

"You're stiffer than a rock. How about I work some magic with my hands and relax you-" And before Zelos could finish Erza had already tossed him into the wall.

"What a fool…." Freed remarked while shaking his head.

"You're paying for the damages!" Makarov told Zelos before going back to his beer.

.

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Ashnard sat on his throne as usual. The events of what transpired were vaguely fresh in his mind. All he could remember was Heracles taking down yet another Dragon. When he discussed it with Waltz, they were able to draw a very vague conclusion of the events. It didn't matter now, though. Ashnard released a heavy sigh, grinning like the Mad King he was. "Soon..."

.

.

There was a bunch of normal active everywhere across Fiore and even Earthland. There were no ruins or signs of destruction. In Mermaid Heel, all of the ladies were active and alive like nothing even happened. Melody was a little apprehensive feeling as though she took part in a lucid dream that ended in her death and the death of Milianna. Kagura did feel something off but she didn't let it bother her too much; there was nothing to complain about as long as her girls were alive and well. Everything was well at Quatro Cerberus as well; Bacchus was still on a bit of punishment due to his actions but he was alive. Everything was normal, as though nothing even happened. Realizing the cause behind it Daityas took a visit to Fukomakura, sitting down at a table with Des over some tea.

"What brings you here?" Des asked curiously with a bit of what could be considered a warm smile. "Are you among those who have kept your time?"

"Of course." Daityas responded with a sly grin. "There are various means by which one can keep their time…it's not all surprising, Auntie dear. My only question is…why didn't you leave it like that? It didn't take much effort to crush those humans you despite so abhorrently."

"Believe me; I would've loved to…" Des released a melancholy sigh. "But things didn't pan out the way I wanted them too. Besides, that red headed child appeared and I just recalled some words that I was told a while ago. It wouldn't be fun to deprive her of what fate has in store…as an angel, they cannot escape their fate. Hers is tied deeply to what happens in the future."

"Another chance to watch the humans squirm and try to escape death? You can sign me up for that." Daityas laughed quietly. "But that spell at the end…"

"That was Ophelia." Des explained while nudging her head at a very confused Ophelia.

Of course Ophelia remembered everything that happened. She lost her temper the moment Natsu had broken her nose, but everything after that was a bit of a blur. She awakened to some strange power that she was unaware of…and she wasn't even sure how she could awaken it again or if she would even be able to control it. "…." The half-breed stared at her scales, furrowing her brows in complete and utter confusion.

"My dearest O, your dear cousin, awakened to her true potential…it appeared as though I pushed her a little too hard. But it is what I want for my darling little girl, despite her upbringing…" Des remarked. She would never tell Ophelia this or even say it aloud, but the only reason she was treated like a step child was due to who the father was. Otherwise, Ophelia was Des' precious child. She did love her like any mother would love their child…but she was bitter about who the father of the child was. This was one night of curiosity that she ironically could not turn the clock back to. "Regardless…I've had my fun toying with the humans for the time being. For now…it will be time to watch as they destroy themselves. Humans cannot avoid ruin…they can only scrape by. However what is to come…it may be even worse than what I cooked up. I was going easy on all of them…"

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Next Time: Forgiveness.

Writer's Note: And with that, this arc is finally over! I did this arc because I wanted to do something less predictable than the previous Tartarus arc. The fates of certain characters were not done because I hated them or the manga, but there had to be some unlucky people don't you all agree? I just wanted a bit of a darker turn to surprise everyone, and it worked. This arc was a test, also canon. I love nearly everyone and the manga, even though it's almost over. But now we can actually focus on the next incoming arc: The Grand Magic Games! There are only two arcs left in this season, but it's going to be a long ride until this is over. Thank you all for reading and I hope you continue to enjoy!


	94. Chapter 94: Forgiveness

It was a calm night in Magnolia. The only sounds were those of crickets chirping in the areas nearby. Zelos was lying down on the roof of Kardia Cathedral, staring up at the night sky. "Ah…each star is only a fragment of the limitless beauty out there." The mysterious male chuckled to himself before he felt something vibrate in his pocket. "Hm…" Zelos dug in his pocket before pulling a lacrima phone out and held it to his ear. "Helllo! This is the wonderful Zelos speaking! How can I help you today? Oh! It's you! Yes yes, everything is proceeding as intended. Nothing has really changed…and Mii-chan has been keeping an eye her." There was a pause and Zelos nodded a few times. "Yes…no notable changes as of late. It appears that it may still be sleeping…I'm not entirely sure what to do when it does. Just keep an eye on her? Okay, as you wish!" After that the call ended and Zelos sighed while staring back up at the sky. "What should I do…? Damn…can I really do this?" It seems the male had some issues of his own to deal with as well. Just who was he and what was he doing here…?

.

Lucy had a long, exhausting mission with Team Natsu. Luckily they didn't have to deal with Zelos or Mii poking around this time. So when she was returning home, needless to say she was very tired. When she opened the door the sight before her in the living room…wasn't exactly one she expected it to be. "Huh!?" Mii had her clothes scattered about the living room as they were covered in paint. Mii herself donned a robe and had a palette and brush in her hands as she started painting something. "Mii, what are you doing?"

"Oh hey, you're back." Mii turned her head, revealing the splotches of paint across her face. "Guess they took the news of the black mark well?" Mii used the brush in her hand to point at Lucy's exposed arm.

"Huh…? O-Oh yeah…" Lucy nodded and rubbed her arm. "Of course they were worried, but I told them nothing bad was happening to me, so it's okay. More importantly….what are you doing wearing my robe!?"

"Oh, this?" Mii glanced down. "Sorry about that…I was panting and things kinda got everywhere on my clothes as you can see. It turns out…we're actually the same size for a lot of things. Minus bras…and well, I think your thighs are thicker than mine, which is fine. You can still squeeze my head between them."

"Why are you like this?" Lucy brought to fingers to her forehead and sighed heavily. At least Mii was keeping her hands to herself…but her words really weren't much better. Changing the topic, the celestial mage took a glance at the canvas Mii had in the corner of the room. "What are you painting..? I didn't take you for an artist." On the canvas was a decent coloring of Mii and an outline of a few other people.

"Nothing special." Mii replied with a shrug. "I asked Reedus for some tips…and you'll see the finished product eventually! …And yes I'll clean this up."

To that, Lucy grinned and tapped Mii on the shoulder. "Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed."

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It was a bright and early morning at Fairy Tail. The entire guild gathered around with various topics of gossip and discussion. Cynthia had her nose in a book, furrowing her brows as she was reading intently. Cynthia usually wasn't one for reading so whatever was in her possession really had her attention. "Hrmm…"

"She's reading…?" Natsu tilted his head.

"She's already going to be smarter than you." Gray smirked. But he remembered Erza's comment from earlier and before she could even completely turn around they were all buddy buddy!

"I thought so." Erza scoffed.

"I'm worried about her." Wendy sighed to Lucy. "She's been reading a lot…more so than usual. I think she's looking for something…but she's gone through a number of books over the last few days."

"Hmmm…" Lucy paused before deciding to take the simplest approach, since it looked like nobody else wanted to ask. "Cynthia…what are you reading?"

Cynthia didn't respond immediately. She wanted to finish the page before letting out a sigh, leaning back in her seat while turning her head to Lucy. "Nothing useful….I don't know why everyone's been dancing around the subject…I'm looking for a way to get rid of Rose."

"I see…" Erza understood what Cynthia was going for. "A way to get rid of another personality…but I don't know if that's possible. Your case isn't exactly common…"

"It's gotten really bad…she'll say things through my mouth…" Cynthia frowned. "Like, hey, you're all dumbasses! …" After that, Cynthia immediately covered her mouth with her hands. "T-That was Rose…!"

"We know." Erza said while placing a hand on Cynthia's shoulder. "We'll help you the best we can."

Mii took a passing glance at the book Cynthia had. "Huh…you know…this material looks a little familiar…I think I've seen this stuff before…?"

"It's an old book…" Levy remarked from the sides. "She asked to borrow it and I said it was fine. It's just one of the few I haven't gotten around to reading yet. What's it about?"

"Ooooh! I remember this!" Zelos swooped in, swiping the book before Mii could grab it. Mii was a little annoyed but eventually shrugged it off. "This is a book on the Mirror of Truth, with the honorable mention to Verona Partheon."

"Huh…The Mirror of Truth…? Did she make that? Can that help me…!?" Cynthia peered at Zelos since he seemed to have information. "Please tell me, Zelos…I can't stand this anymore…"

To deny Cynthia of this information was like going against life itself; he couldn't do it. Zelos cleared his throat. "Pay attention. Professor Zelos is going to give you all a history lesson!"

"I think he talks so much because he wants to hear the sound of his own voice…what a loud mouth…" Cana grumbled. She wasn't quite drunk enough to tolerate his presence just yet.

"Ahem!" Zelos cleared his throat before speaking. "The Mirror of Truth is a creation by the gods and the Celestial Sprit King himself. It is said to reveal a being's true nature. Now this all happened a while before issues with the dragons and whatnot…and before you ask, I just know my history. Not much is known about the specifics…but there was a lot of bloodshed over this contraption. There was one woman; Verona Partheon, who was a pure soul and held onto the mirror. She was the only one untouched by the malicious intent…things seemed fine…but humanity soon spiraled into chaos and despair. It seems even little Ms. Verona was unable to fend off humanity's growing darkness. The details are very vague…there's no clear explanation for what happened, but Verona snapped. Now…that woman was a forced to be reckoned with. At the time she was considered the strongest mage alive. Her wrath nearly brought humanity to its end."

"S-Seriously…?" Gray was a little taken aback by this story.

"And you said this happened before Dragons vanished from the world…?" Erza asked for clarification.

"That's right. So…it was more than 400 years ago to be precise." Zelos confirmed.

"So…what happened to Verona..?" Lucy asked, intrigued by the story.

"That is also vague…but clearly the gods couldn't just let a lady roam around killing everyone. So I believe they got rid of her and hid that Mirror. Who knows where it is now…" Zelos shrugged. "It's pretty scary learning about such events that happened well before your lifetime, yeah? History does love to repeat itself."

"D-Don't say stuff like that…" Lucy shivered at the thought of a mass genocide occurring once again. "…But when you say that, it makes me think of what we've been fighting lately…it's pretty scary to think about what would happen if we lost."

"You needn't worry about losing ever again!" Zelos said while wrapping his arm around Lucy's shoulder, causing her face to turn pale. "As long as I, the great Zelos, am with you, you will never lose another fight!"

"….Do you EVER stop talking?" Lucy asked while giving Zelos the side eye, slinking away from his grasp. "Geez…"

"Ouch…the cold sting of rejection…" Zelos pretended to be hurt…or was he actually hurt? It was hard to tell…or care.

Cynthia wasn't getting any real useful information with everyone bickering with Zelos. So she slinked away from the group and went to Mira. "Mira…can I ask you for a favor?"

"What is it?" Mira tilted her head, cleaning a glass with a rag.

"Well…I was going to ask Lucy or Erza but…" Cynthia gestured over to the group. Zelos made a comment, Mii responded to it, someone got offended, Wendy was trying to defuse the situation poorly, and it was just a pretty big ruckus that was about to escalate into the usual guild brawl. "Uh…I wanted you to come somewhere with me. Only if that's okay…"

"Where to?" Mira asked. Cynthia leaned closer and whispered in her ear. Mira blinked a few times. "There? Okay. Lisanna, can you watch over the bar for me? Cynthia and I are going out for a little bit."

"Huh? Okay!" Lisanna nodded to her older sister. She was working with Mira behind the bar often so she felt she would be able to handle it…besides, everyone was preoccupied with the brawl that Zelos started. Of course Wendy did notice that Cynthia was going out…but she left it alone. Besides, her hands were tied trying, and failing, to defuse the situation that was yet another guild brawl.

.

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Cynthia and Mira eventually came to the front doors of Radioactive Decay. It was clear how nervous Cynthia was and Mira noticed this. "You wanted to come here...I see why now…" Mira placed her hand on Cynthia's shoulder comfortingly. "It'll be okay, Cynthia. I'll be here with you if something happens."

"…I'm a little nervous honestly…" Cynthia said while rubbing her arm. But despite her nervousness she took a deep breath and walked to the front doors, knocking on them a few times.

There wasn't a response for a few moments. Cynthia figured this was a bad time and was prepared to leave, however the doors opened. Avani had a smile prepared, but when her eyes laid upon Cynthia she felt a knot in her stomach grow. "H-Hello…"

"Can we come in..?" Cynthia asked while nervously looking up at Avani. She did offer a small smile. "I-I promise this has nothing to do with any kind of revenge…"

"Of course…!" Avani nodded, opening the doors for Mira and Cynthia to step inside. The fairy pair stepped inside after Avani let them in. Avani took a seat and Cynthia sat next to her, the two of them fidgeting about in awkward silence for a little bit. The guild was nowhere near as noisy as Fairy Tail, but the noise level was enough to keep people preoccupied. Minoru wanted to read in silence but just couldn't find a quiet place, but his eyes did go to the women he called his wife. Her uneasiness did put him on edge.

"It's okay." Mira reassured Minoru with a smile.

"…." Minoru gave a silent nod.

Cynthia remembered her last encounter with Avani very clearly. "…Insanity sucks, huh?" Cynthia finally spoke. She could relate to Avani….because of Rose, she never felt like she was quite the same person.

Avani lowered her gaze, unable to look Cynthia in the eye. She regretted her actions very dearly and she wasn't sure if there were any words that could even try rectifying what she had done. "I…I'm sorry, for my actions. There was a darkness inside of me that continued to hide…it still lurks there. But with the promise of a future comes hope…" She said softly, still keeping her gaze on the floor as she spoke. "That doesn't change what I did, however. I hurt a lot of people, including those I love." There was sweetness to her tone that was so unlike the monster she had been before. She twisted her hands in her lap as her green eyes began to water. "I won't ask for your forgiveness…but I'm so glad that you're alive."

 _"_ _How can you talk to her so casually!? She's the one that killed you! She's the reason you and I are intertwined! Don't tell me you're seriously okay with this! Don't be such a pushover! Kill her!"_ Rose screamed in Cynthia's head. It was taking all of Cynthia's mental strength to keep Rose from using her mouth to make a poor comment, so the demon within had to settle for screaming in her head.

Cynthia stared at her lap, subconsciously tugging at her skirt while she listened to Avani speak. She let out a heavy sigh while trying to find the proper words. "The one who beat you was Wendy…my best friend and the most important person to me in the entire world. I don't know where I'd be right now without her…and yet I was easily tricked into thinking she abandoned me…I turned into a monster too…and let out my aggression on so many who didn't deserve it. My friends…my family…I never wanted to hurt any of them…but it always seems like I do. It hasn't been an easy road since then, you know…? I'm not right in the head either at all, so…I can understand where you're coming from. We're not too different…but…" Cynthia lifted her head to face Avani, flashing a small, genuine smile. "I can tell you're a really nice lady. I wish we could've met under different circumstances…I can forgive you."

 _"_ _WHAT!? Are you MAD!? Don't be such a fucking idiot! Kill her! Take her life! Make her feel the same pain you did!"_ Rose continued to scream, but Cynthia forcibly bit her tongue to silence her.

The tears began to spill from Avani's eyes as she listened to Cynthia, her bottom lip quivering slightly. Getting up from her chair, she knelt in front of Cynthia and took her hands within her own. The grasp was tight, yet gentle at the same time. "I see so much of what I could have been in you…that strength at such a young age." The woman smiled sadly. "Thank you, for coming here. I couldn't even seek you out myself…"

"You can still be who you want to be. Never let that dark side control you…no matter what, okay? And remember you have people who love and care for you…and one on the way." Cynthia said in reference to Avani's stomach. She did have a child on the way after all. Her eye twitched as Rose kept screaming in her head. "It was no problem…but I think we should get going going…we don't want to overstay our welcome."

"Of course. It's getting late. I hope we can talk again." Avani released Cynthia and smiled. Mira and Cynthia made their departure from Radioactive Decay.

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.

On the way back to Magnoila, Mira smiled at Cynthia. "That was very big of you Cynthia. I'm proud."

"Thank you…" Cynthia said with a weak smile. "I wanted to get that out of the way…I know she's not a bad person at all…she just had bad things happen to her in the past. I couldn't bring Wendy because I know she still feels upset about it…but I'll tell her everything is all right now…" Cynthia then came to a stop, falling on her hands and knees and began coughing profusely, some blood coming out.

"Cynthia…!" Mira knelt down with wide eyes, placing her hand on Cynthia's shoulder. "What's wrong? Are you okay!?"

"Ugh…it hurts…" Cynthia groaned. Her body was shaking and it was hot to the touch. "It hurts so much, Mira…Rose keeps screaming in my head and I can't get rid of her. It's driving me up the wall and there's nothing I can do about it…my head always feels so foggy and I can't even tell who I am anymore…"

Cynthia's skin was steaming. Mira didn't allow this to faze her and embraced Cynthia tightly despite the burning sensation. "It's okay, Cynthia. We know this has been hard for you. But this is what family is for. Demon or not…you'll always be Cynthia to us." Mira smiled softly while holding to Cynthia for as long as she needed. "I'll help you through this…I promise. I won't let anyone take you away again."

"T-Thank you…" Cynthia smiled weakly while holding onto Mira. She needed to get rid of Rose as soon as possible…and she would one way or another…

.

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Next Time: A Personal Mission


	95. Chapter 95: A Personal Mission

Cynthia tossed and turned in her sleep. Wendy was trying to shake her awake but it was just to no avail. "She's not waking up…" Wendy frowned while continuing to try and wake Cynthia. "What's going on…?"

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As of right now, Cynthia's mind was a complete and utter warzone. One half was ablaze in blue flame, where Cynthia retained her true blue eyes, while the other was red and Rose stood on that side. The two stood across from one another, both flames fighting for dominance within their shared body. "You know…" Rose began while frowning. "You've become exceedingly annoying these last few days. You should just give up and hand all control of this body over to me. It'll be easier for everyone involved."

"Not happening!" Cynthia shouted back. "This is MY body and it always has been! You're the one that needs to go!"

"Geez…" Rose sighed heavily. They were both too obstinate on this matter to budge even an inch. "Your friends can't protect you forever. I think they've done a pretty bad job on that actually. It's because they failed that I exist you know. We should just turn on them again. I think that would be a blast!"

Cynthia shook her head, vehemently denying such a thing. "No. After all they've done for me…I was stupid before to think they really did abandon me…"

"You are absolutely insufferable. Who forgives someone who kills them!?" Rose asked while placing her hands on her hips.

"She's not a bad person." Cynthia shot back. "And she's a mother too…a mother who wanted to protect her child. My mom was like that the same way. But you wouldn't know anything about that. All you ever think about is hurting people and death. We are NOTHING alike!"

"Wrong!" Rose lifted a finger up. "We're exactly alike. We're two sides of the same coin, Cynthia. Unfortunately…the coin that is our body is starting to break. It can't handle both of us at the same time. These talks are nice, but they should come to an end soon. I can't keep walking around in such a rundown body…It's so bad Wendy has to help you up a lot…"

Cynthia frowned and rubbed her arm. "You're right. We can't share this body anymore…I will get rid of you one way or another!"

"And how do you intend on doing that?" Rose questioned.

"I…I'll find a way! And you won't be able to stop me either!" Cynthia shouted.

"Yeah, well…you have fun with that." Rose waved her hand dismissively. "I'll let you have fun for now. But when you find that method let me know, because only one of us can exist."

"I know…" Cynthia said with a nod.

.

.

Back in Fairy Tail, Makarov was discussing some rather important guild matters with the S classes present: Erza, Mira, and Laxus. It seems they all had plans regarding a certain trial that was to take place before the Games. They still had a few weeks before the Grand Magic Games began after all. Mira handed Makarov a list with a few names on them. "Here you go, Master. We've all compiled a list of those we think are eligible to compete."

"Although we were at a brief stalemate concerning one of those names…" Laxus cut his eyes to Erza and Mira, but they both offered him smiles. "I was outnumbered."

"Let's see…" Makarov adjusted the list within his hands before reading it aloud. "Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Freed Justine…" Soon his voice came to a murmur and he nodded silently in agreement to most of the names on the list…except the last one. "…I assume this was the one that caused a disagreement."

"Yeah." Laxus scoffed. "I don't particularly agree with it, but these two weren't giving me much of a choice."

"I think she's a good pick. Despite all appearances, she does fit the criteria." Mira said while smiling sweetly. "She is responsible, even though she pretends not to be. Don't you think so, Master?"

"Hmmm…" Makarov paused. "I will trust in your judgement. I do think there is some truth in what you say."

"I must be the only one still against this…" Laxus scoffed quietly. "Whatever…at the very least it will be an interesting thing to watch…"

.

.

As usual, Fairy Tail was bustling about in activity. It was a rowdy day as per usual and Zelos tried to worm his way in somehow just like the other day. "Ah, this place is just so lively! I'm sure I've added a breath of fresh air to this guild!"

"You really just don't stop talking do you?" Lucy snapped at Zelos while resting her face in her hand.

"Of course not! I love the sound of my own voice, although yours is just that much sweeter, Lucy-chan~" Zelos hummed while leaning closer. Lucy began to sweat, but luckily Mii had her back and pulled Zelos by his ear.

"As long as it has a female body, it's good enough for you, isn't it?" Mii sighed.

"As long as it has a body, it's good enough for you, isn't it?" Zelos retorted while giving Mii a sly wink. She blinked several times before just tightening her hold on Zelos' ear with her monstrous strength, smiling innocently. "Even I have my standards…and they aren't that low."

"Ow ow ow ow my precious ear!" Zelos whined while trying to free himself from Mii's grip.

"Come on you two, knock it off…" Levy said while puffing her cheeks out. Although she really didn't care what happened to Zelos, she figured that someone had to at least try and mediate.

Mii shrugged and released Zelos. "Someone has to control their hormones…"

"That is a very ironic statement coming from you." Levy rolled her eyes.

"Oh…! You wound me…!" Mii clutched her heart, overdramatizing the 'pain' she felt from Levy's words.

Gray sighed at the commotion, shaking his head. "Those two are so loud…it's incredibly obnoxious. Where's Erza at a time like this?"

"She went out on a job." Mira explained from the bar counter. "She'll be back soon enough. I'm sure you can handle the noise without her."

"They make more noise than Gray and I." Natsu said with a firm nod. For once he and Gray were able to agree on something.

"The noise is annoying…" Lucy mumbled. She was feeling a little off as of late, but she didn't think much of it. At the very least she didn't have to worry about hiding her mark ridden arm anymore. It was around then that Cynthia gently tapped Lucy on the shoulder to get her attention. "Huh…? What is it, Cynthia?"

"Uh…" Cynthia poked her fingers together sheepishly. "I wanted to know if you could help me with something…"

"Sure." Lucy turned around, facing Cynthia with a smile. "What do you need?"

"I want you to help me find that…what was it…Mirror of Truth?" Cynthia's voice lowered, not because she was embarrassed, but unsure.

Zelos, however, overheard this and practically leapt over the table to arrive as the savior. "Ooooh? You believed my little story the other day, huh?"

"Butt out!" Lucy snapped at Zelos again. "It was in that old book…so it's probably true it happened. But still…what's this about?"

"I want to get rid of Rose!" Cynthia exclaimed. "I'm so tired of sharing my body with her…it hurts so much. I'm in constant pain…"

Wendy and Carla were sitting at a table nearby, watching Cynthia speak to Lucy. Cynthia already told them of her idea before. But it was still hard for Wendy to relate to Cynthia's pain. All she could do was console and support Cynthia the best she could. "…."

"Should we beat her out of you?" Natsu suggested while pounding his fists together.

"That is a terrible idea." Lucy shook her head. There was a pensive pause as she tried to figure out how they would track down such an ancient artifact. "…Oh! I got it." The blonde pulled her set of keys, this time using a silver one. "Gate of the Southern Cross, I open thee! Crux!" A bell chime echoed throughout the guild hall along with a golden shine. When the shine faded, Crux sat cross legged on the table…asleep.

"Ooooh, this is a new one…" Mii said with a tilt of her head.

"I've had this one for a while…" Lucy shook her head before looking to the sleeping spirit. "Crux. Is there any way you can find the Mirror of Truth…? If we're lucky it could be in Fiore…" Crux remained still, completely snoozing away.

"I think it's broken." Mii frowned.

"If it were me, I wouldn't keep such a lovely lady waiting with precious information." Zelos said firmly with a nod of his head.

"If only you could be so useful…" Mii snickered.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Crux awakened with the information Lucy desired. "Apologies for the wait…this was a particularly hard one to search for. The Mirror of Truth is an ancient tool that the Celestial Spirit King helped create. It was placed in hiding many years ago…as the continent changed, its resting place remained the same. It can be found deep within a cave in Southern Fiore. But if I may ask…for what purpose do you need such a thing?"

"It's to help a friend." Lucy said with a firm nod.

"I should've expected nothing less from you." Crux gave a nod before falling back asleep. It was fine because Lucy dismissed him.

"Southern Fiore…? How convenient." Cynthia balled her tiny hands into fists.

"So when are we going?" Natsu asked.

"Actually…." Cynthia glanced away. "I want to go by myself…and before you say anything, I know you all are more than willing to help me and that means the world to me. But…we all have something personal we have to do, you know…? Like…when Wendy cut her hair, she was serious about wanting to change. I want to change too…I want to face my darkness alone. Actually…why did you cut your hair, Wendy…?"

"Oh?" Wendy blinked, glancing at her hair before turning to Cynthia. "Well…it was for you. Er…not just for you. But for everyone else, too. I wanted to protect them, but I know I can't do that by fumbling around and crying like I used to. I won't cry anymore, and I'll put forth all my effort in supporting everyone!"

"I see…" Cynthia nodded. She understood where Wendy was coming from. "And that…That's what I want to do, too."

"Are you sure you don't want us to at least come with you…?" Lucy worriedly asked.

"I'll be okay. I promise." Cynthia nodded. She already had a bag prepped for all this and slung it around her shoulders. "Southern Fiore, right? I can do this!" Without another word Cynthia left the guild, leaving silence in her wake.

"Are you okay with this?" Lucy asked Wendy who stared at the doors.

"…A little." Wendy admitted while rubbing her arm. "I know Cynthia's strong…but she's also very fragile too. She tries not to show it around us…even me…and that's what worries me. I'm worried she'll break…she's been so fragile with everything going on. But I have to trust her; too…we all have things we have to do alone…"

"What a beautiful, mutual trust you all share…" Zelos hummed.

"Are you making fun of us?!" Natsu growled at Zelos' tone.

"No, never." Zelos said with a slight smirk. "It was just an observation. You're all so worried for Cynthia-chan, just as she's worried for you. If this were me, I bet you wouldn't trust me at all to handle it."

"You got that right…" Gray scoffed.

"So I was just thinking that you've all built up a strong mutual trust with all the time you've spent together." Zelos continued while taking a seat. "That's all."

"You're so weird…and annoying…" Lucy shook her head. She stared at the doors as Cynthia left, probably long gone now with her ability fly. "…I'm sure she'll be fine. She's one of us after all…"

.

.

Cynthia grew accustomed flying. One of the good things that almost turning into a dragon provided her. Unfortunately 'southern Fiore' wasn't exactly much to go off of. She was just wandering around in circles with Rose pretty much laughing at her in her head for trying. "This is going nowhere…"

 _"_ _I can't believe you really trying to look for a 500+ year old artifact. I knew you were stupid, but you really are some kind of moron."_ Rose was having a riot with this.

"It has to be around here somewhere! I told you I'd split us apart one way or another. Don't make me come in there!"

 _"_ _Don't make me come out there!"_

And so Cynthia ended up punching herself in the gut. Both her and Rose ended up groaning in pain from what was a terrible idea. "Ow…"

 _"_ _Oof…you dick."_

"That wasn't my best idea…" Cynthia admitted while descending to the ground in the middle of a wooded area. She rested against a tree, panting heavily while taking out her map. "I…don't know why I brought this. It doesn't help at all…"

 _"_ _Nice job. You really thought this plan through. Are you sure you just didn't want to sound cool in front of everyone? I wouldn't put it past you."_ Rose scoffed.

"S-Shut up…" Cynthia groaned while leaning back against the tree. She wasn't going to admit that she thought this through poorly while Rose was laughing. But she should've thought this through more. "Ugh…I guess I'll go back for now…"

 _"_ _You needn't go so soon, child…"_

"Now you're calling me a child?" Cynthia stared up at her forehead. "Real mature…"

 _"_ _I didn't say shit…but I heard that…"_ Rose grumbled.

 _"_ _Come follow my voice…I promise I will not lead you astray, you who looks for me…"_ The strange, ominous voice continued. It was difficult to ascertain if it was a male or female speaking, but they were speaking to Cynthia. What luck could this be?

Cynthia stood up, following the sound of the voice. It was faint, but as she drew near its origin point the louder it became. It was almost like she was in a trance when following the voice. "…"

 _"_ _Cynthia. Cynthia. What are you doing? Where are you going…?"_ Rose was trying to move Cynthia's legs in the opposite direction. The voice speaking gave her a strange chill and she didn't want to be a part of it. Unfortunately she couldn't do anything. _"Guess we're going for a ride…."_

Some time did pass as Cynthia walked. Eventually she came to an old, decrypt cave. Cynthia could hear the voice clearly now. "What is this place…?"

 _"_ _My resting place."_

 _"_ _Red flag."_ Rose quipped.

Cynthia ignored Rose and pushed forward. The cave was small and did seem out of place. That was when she saw a glimmer out the corner of her eye. Using her flames to illuminate the cave, Cynthia could see a mirror in the corner of the cave. The mirror was small and could be held in both hands…but that had to be it: The Mirror of Truth. Some strange miracle led her to this ancient artifact! "So this is it…it really exists…" Cynthia lifted up the mirror and pointed it at her face. She could see her own reflection; her right eye was blue and her left was red; representing both Cynthia and Rose within her. "So…how does this work…? Don't I just point it at myself?"

 _"_ _Not true. You must first head to the place where your 'self' was distorted. Then the mirror will act as accordingly."_

"The mirror…?" Cynthia blinked a few times. Something about that phrasing seemed off to her…but that wasn't important. What was important was finally severing her tie with Rose. Cynthia made her way out of the cave, now heading towards the location where she fought Avani: the place where Rose truly came to be. Once she arrived the mirror floated from her hands and shone brightly. Cynthia covered her eyes from the blinding light while feeling her body become…lighter? When the light faded her eyes opened slowly and she saw the mirror in front of her body. "Is…is it over…?"

"Not a chance…" Another voice spoke out. There was Cynthia…and then there was Rose, standing across from her on the field. "Finally…I can get some fresh air without having to fight you for it."

 _"_ _This is the power of the Mirror of Truth. You must face your darkness in the eye and clash with it head on. Only then will it be decided which one of you is the 'real' Cynthia. The truth will always shine through the darkness…so whichever one wins, is the truth. Simple as that."_

Cynthia clenched her hand into a fist. "So we have to fight…" But this was fine. This confrontation was truly a long time coming. Vermillion flame erupted around Cynthia's body. This was the first time she felt light…but she also felt heavy. The weight of losing herself was on her own shoulders. That weight was constantly on her ever since she came back to Fairy Tail…and this fight was the only way to be free from it.

"Hah…" Rose smirked while letting out a sigh. "Once I take care of you and regain my true self, I'll be able to accomplish my mission at long last. You've held me back for a while, Cynthia…but no longer. This is where we decide things once and for all…" Darkened cerise flames erupted from around Rose's body; her demonic flames incinerating everything within the immediate area. It was finally time for the dragon to face the demon within herself…Cynthia's blue eyes locked with Rose's red. The winner of this fight would be the 'true' self.

"I won't lose." Cynthia uttered.

"Neither will I." Rose retorted. There could only be one…

.

.

Next Time: Cynthia vs. Rose!


	96. Chapter 96: Cynthia vs Rose

"It's about time we finally finished this…" Rose said with a grin, allowing her demonic flames to surround her body.

"I'm going to get rid of you once and for all!" Cynthia replied with a scowl, red flames surrounding her body. After the two made their pre battle declaration, two mirrors appeared behind them. A bright one for Rose, and a black one for Cynthia, both equal in size to the Mirror of Truth. "What's this?"

 _"In order to truly win, one of you must knock the other into the mirror behind them,"_ The Mirror replied.

"I get it…" Rose said with a sigh. "I got the goody two-shoes mirror while you got the darkness mirror."

"Once I beat you…I can go back to normal…" Cynthia said while clenching her fists, now even bothering to look at the mirror behind her.

"You just don't get it, do you?" Marde said while walking onto the scene. It seems as though he had his eyes on the situation for quite some time.

"Marde-sama!?" Rose's eyes widened as she turned to the king of hell, bowing to him. "You're alive…!? What are you doing here…!?"

"I saw that Cynthia over here was looking for the Mirror of Truth. I wanted to see how things would play out, and I must say, the mirror's power is certainly impressive."

"Tch…I'm coming for you next!" Cynthia shouted.

"You don't understand single thing, dear child…" Marde said while shaking his head, yet he was smiling. "You seem to forget…Cynthia died right here in this very area. It was then that Rose was born. Somehow, she, along with those other pesky humans, deluded herself into thinking that Cynthia was still alive."

"What are you saying…?" Cynthia asked, not liking the way this was going.

"It doesn't matter what they tell you, Cynthia is just a figment of a misguided demon's imagination. She no longer exists. What was formally Cynthia is now Rose, you are just a mere thought." Marde replied.

"Wha…!?" Cynthia took a step back, shaking her head in denial. "That's not true!"

"You'll find out for yourself soon enough…" Marde said while waving a dismissive hand, beginning to walk off. "Rose, I expect you to carry out your mission when this is over. And I've left you a few gifts lying around here; they're all just itching to get some action in too."

"Hai!" Rose nodded. "I won't be defeated, and I WILL carry out my mission!" Rose was brimming with confidence, while Cynthia on the other hand, not so much. "Now then, it's time to finish you."

Cynthia was the first to dart off, not giving Rose time to react as she struck the demon with a flaming fist, causing her to stagger back a step from the sudden hit. Cynthia followed up with a spinning roundhouse aimed towards Rose's head, but the demon ducked and grinned, cheeks already puffed out. "..!" Cynthia gasped as Rose unleashed an Omega Fire Demon's Rage on her stomach. She let out a groan of pain as she slid back, eventually stopping just before the mirror behind her, holding her ground. "Gah..! It hurts…her demon flames are stronger than dragon flames…but that doesn't mean I won't give up!" She roared before dashing through the demon flames with her own fist set ablaze.

"Where'd she go…!?" Rose wondered, only for her to react a second too late. Cynthia was already in sight and in range, slamming the flaming fist right into Rose's mouth. She closed her mouth and held her hands over her mouth, glaring towards Cynthia. "You'll pay for that!" Then, they were locked in close combat, matching punch for punch, kick for kick. It was like they couldn't land a hit on each other no matter what they did. Eventually, Rose saw an opening and took it, gripping Cynthia's face with her palm. "Ha! I got you now! Flame Palm!" From Rose's palm, a large beam of Demonic Omega Flames shot out.

"YAH!" Cynthia yelped out as she was pushed back by the Flame Palm, feeling the intense burns of the demon fire. She flew back into the mirror behind her, but to prevent herself from slipping in completely she grabbed the sides of the circle, now struggling to pull her lower body out. "Ngh…!" Dark red flames surrounded her body as she brought for all her might to pull herself out. "Sword Horn!" She shouted, launching from the darkness mirror and towards Rose headfirst, slamming right into the demon's abdomen. Cynthia finished her combo off with a high kick, lifting Rose up off the air a few inches. After that Cynthia jumped back, giving herself some space from Rose, panting slightly. "She's stronger than I thought…I know she's me…but it's different…"

"You're becoming a little annoyance…" Rose said while rolling her shoulders. "I think it's about time to let them have a little fun."

"Them?" Cynthia asked while keeping her guard up.

"That's right! That little present that Marde-sama was talking about! Come on out!" Rose shouted, and suddenly, hundreds of demons spawned from out of nowhere, all surrounding Rose. "Well?"

"Wha…!?" Cynthia's eyes widened at the sight of the demons. "This was supposed to be a one on one battle! Me vs. You, darn it!"

"I don't recall that ever being an explicit rule…" Rose replied while tapping her chin with her index finger, speaking in an innocent tone, though her expression showed pure malice. "I believe this is a "do anything it takes to survive" kind of battle! Besides, you're the one who wanted to come here alone." Rose then pointed her finger forward, ushering the demons to attack. "Have at her!"

"Tch…!" Cynthia grunted as all one hundred demons leapt at her. She prepared herself, now engaging with these beasts. She could defeat them all eventually, but that wasn't the goal here. She needed every ounce of strength she could muster to defeat Rose, and this was just going to drain her quickly. She ducked and weaved all over the place, avoiding the attacks the demons sent towards her. She then found an opening, cupping her hands above her head while creating a large sphere of dark red fire. "Radiant Blaze!" She exclaimed, throwing the sphere down towards the demons, the large explosion taking out a small percentage of them. "No way…!"

"These demons are resistant to magic, Cynthia," Rose replied with a grin. "And don't even think about using your earth magic either, I'll just eat that for lunch."

"Agh…" Cynthia found herself in a bad position now. All she could do was come at the demons with bare fisted attacks, but those were hardly effective either. "Darn it! I can't lose like this…!" She then looked up, noticing a large number of the demons pouncing on her to finish her. "AAH!"

"Fire Dragon's Roar!"

"Ice Demon Zeroth's Blade!"

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

"Demon Blast!"

These attacks slammed into the demons, resulting in a unison raid of an explosion, destroying some and sending the others away heavily injured. The ground trembled violently from the force of all these attacks and Rose shielded her eyes from the dust and wind kicked up.

"What the…!?" Rose started.

"Those voices…" Cynthia turned around, the biggest smile on her face as she saw three people she could count on: Wendy, Gray, Lucy. Natsu, and Mirajane. "You guys…! What are you doing here..!?"

"I knew you were going to go out alone, but I never expected whatever you were facing to play fair. I told you that I would help you in any way possible, and I never break my promises." Mira said while landing on the ground in her Satan Soul.

"That's why we came along!" Wendy exclaimed.

"To kick some demon ass!" Natsu shouted at the top of his lungs, grinning towards the demons glaring at them. "Come on, you bastards! I'm all fired up!"

"We're here for you, Cynthia." Lucy said with a soft smile. "We know you want to do this alone…but it's also our job to look out for you. I did promise that we'd never abandon you again, right?"

Gray slung off his shirt, allowing it float away into the wind while his Devil Slaying scales to cover his body. "And I'll be damned if there's a problem I can't help with. This time, I won't be making any exuses."

"You guys…" Cynthia started to tear up at the bonds she shared with them.

"Oi, oi! This is completely unfair!" Rose nearly screamed while flailing in a comical manner.

"If you can have a little backup, so can Cynthia," Wendy said while glaring at Rose. "We're not going to interfere with your fight whatsoever, but we're going to make sure that things are even by dealing with your demon friends. That's fair, isn't it?"

Rose's eyes landed on Wendy. Oh how long she ached to kill this girl as per her mission…because it was the first thing Marde told her when she was 'born'. "I suffered sharing a body with that insufferable girl all this time, all for this moment…! You…" Rose sneered towards Wendy, immediately making violent a lunge towards her. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

"YOU WON'T LAY A HAND ON HER!" Cynthia screamed, intercepting Rose with a flying knee right into the stomach, kicking her away with a flaming roundhouse after. "I won't let you lay a single finger on them!" The Flames of Determination flared around Cynthia once more, letting out a battle cry of a roar.

"You deal with her, while we'll deal with them." Mirajane said with a kind smile before turning to the demons along with Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Wendy.

"We'll be waiting for you to finish!" Natsu shouted before setting his arms ablaze in a vicious orange pyre, sprinting forward to clobber any and all demons that stood in his way.

"They believe in me…" Cynthia smiled slightly before facing Rose with fire in her eyes. "I won't let their beliefs go to waste…I WILL WIN!"

"Gnk…" Rose grunted before standing up straight. "Fine, have it your way. I'll just get rid of them after I get rid of you!"

.

Cynthia and Rose lunged forward once again, clashing in the middle of their charge. Magic and Curse met in a strong collision that resulted in a powerful explosion, sending both females back. Cynthia planted her hands on the ground, causing the ground under Rose to liquefy, catching the demon as she tried to wiggle free. "Here we go!" She shouted, racing forward with her feet flaming, boosting her speed as a result. By using the Sky Dragon Slaying she ate from Wendy prior, the flames gained a significant boost in power. "Twin Talons!" She called out, performing a sudden axe kick on Rose's head, causing the ground around them to shatter, large chunks of earth appearing around them.

"I'm not letting you off that easy!" Rose yelled, clapping her hands, causing sharp chunks of the earth around them to turn into a multitude of spears, all launching towards Cynthia with the intent to impale her. Since she too had Wendy's magic, she used the wind to increase the velocity of which these spears travelled.

"Eep…!" Cynthia squealed, covering up as best she could. The spears created noticeable gashes on her body, drawing forth some blood, but she could clearly keep going. "Roar…!"  
She began, inhaling while a vortex of dark red fire appeared around her mouth.

"Rage…" Rose began while mirroring Cynthia's actions.

"Of the Omega Flame Dragon!"  
"Of the Omega Flame Demon!"

These two attacks met immediately, resulting in a large scale explosion that blew everyone and everything away. Cynthia landed on her hands and knees, panting heavily. "Gah." She shook it off, standing right back up, only to see that she was surrounded by demons. "Ah…!"

"Sky Dragon's Claw!" Wendy exclaimed while swinging her leg horizontally, creating a powerful twister that blew away the demons while covering for Cynthia.

"Wendy…!" Cynthia gasped.

"Natsu-san and the others are taking care of the rest of them! Let's clean up here and get you back to Rose, ne?" Wendy said with a smile.

"Right!" Cynthia nodded, now adopting a smile of her own. "Here we go!" The two joined hands, creating a blue and red magic seal that spanned just under them and the surrounding demons.

"Unison Raid: Omega Flame Sky Dragon's Fiery Dance!" The outer edges of the circle began to spin rapidly before turning into a full-fledged cyclone of Omega Flames and Sky dragon slayer magic, completely destroying the demons within the circle.

"Ha…" Cynthia huffed out, high fiving Wendy after. "Nice work!"

"You too!" Wendy replied, though her eyes trailed up, and she noticed Rose coming in with what could've finished Cynthia right there. "I won't let you!" She exclaimed while intercepting Rose with a Sky Dragon's Crushing fang, causing the demon to flip back and land on the ground.

"I'm going to enjoy ending your life…!" Rose spoke in a clearly aggravated tone.

"You won't get the chance!" Cynthia exclaimed while running forward, leaping high into the air. Rose created a protective stalagmite around her, but Cynthia used her earth manipulation to open the point right where Rose was. "Not so fast!" She then flipped upside down, unleashing another roar upon Rose, only this time Wendy joined in for another unison raid, smacking Rose with an incredible amount of damage that caused her to slide back.

"GRAH!" Rose screamed in frustration, panting heavily from the damage she took. Her dark red aura exploded, causing the ground to tremble violently. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

Wendy wasn't going to let that happen so easily. The sky dragon took to the sky while spreading her arms apart. "Sky Dragon's Wing Slash!"

Cynthia did the same, only she stayed in the air. "Omega Flame Dragon's Wing Slash!"

The two females exclaimed yet again, sending multiple waves of wind and omega flames in Rose's direction, only this time she wasn't having it. She punched the ground, creating a massive shockwave that dispersed the attacks, leaving the two females speechless. "Now it's my turn." Rose said in a low tone before reaching the females with blinding speed. Her first target was Wendy. Without a delay, she slammed her fist into Wendy's stomach, winding the girl before knocking her away with a quick, but powerful punch to the face.

"HEY!" Cynthia roared, aiming a punch at Rose, but the demon blocked it easily with her forearm. Cynthia jumped back, aiming another quick roar at Rose, this time….Rose inhaled it as though it were a midafternoon snack. That was a costly mistake. "…I forgot…!"

"And that's going to be what ended your existence!" Rose said as she used the flames she inhaled from Cynthia to increase her own power, entering her own Dragon Force just to ensure Cynthia's suffering. The Demonic Dragon began plumbing the poor girl with relentless punches and kicks. There was absolutely nothing Cynthia could do at this point to defend herself, her cries of pain steadily getting weaker. "And this is where I finish you! Iron Fist of the Demonic Flame Dragon!" Rose yelled, slamming her flaming fist right into Cynthia's gut. The impact alone was powerful, but the sudden rupture of demonic flames was the cherry on top. The explosive force Rose put behind this punch was more than enough to send Cynthia flying into the opposing mirror without so much of a fight.

"CYNTHIA!" Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Wendy, and Mirajane exclaimed.

.

 _"_ _I lost…"_ Cynthia thought to herself while floating within the darkness _. "I can feel my being become a part of her…I'm sorry, everyone…"_ As Cynthia's consciousness began to fade away, she began to recall the time she spent with those in Fairy Tail…they were the reason she got to live her life the way she could after all.

 _"My name is Cynthia…"_

 _"Nice to meet you Cynthia! I'm Wendy Marvell, and you're in Fairy Tail!"_

Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Wendy, and Mirajane all rushed Rose, aiming to defeat her before Cynthia could be lost forever. Natsu threw a flaming hook towards Rose, but she jumped back, snapping her fingers. This caused multiple explosions of demonic flames all around the small group, throwing the Fairies backwards against their will.

 _"You're nothing but a weapon, and your friends can't even see that. They're going to die because of you."_

 _"They don't love you. The only reason they've kept you around is so that they can keep an eye on you."_

 _"Cynthia doesn't exist."  
_ …  
 _"Just remember, you're loved. And we'll make it through this, I promise. Cynthia was here first and that's how it'll stay."_

 _"Let your flames burn, Cynthia! Because…they've always been the prettiest."_

 _"We'll be waiting for you to finish!"_

 _"I'm scared, though…what if I'm not Cynthia…what if I'm really Rose?"  
_  
 _"You'll always be Cynthia to me…to us."_

.

Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Mirajane were down, unable to move due to Rose's last attack. Rose gripped Wendy by the neck, lifting the girl into the air while constricting tightly. "Finally…!" Rose said as he grip only grip tighter. "I'll finally be able to finish that mission Marde-sama gave me!" As Rose spoke, a sickeningly innocent smile began to cross her lips.

"Nk…" Wendy choked, unable to pry Rose's hand from her neck.

"D-Dammit…!" Natsu growled, attempting to move, but he could only bring himself to a knee. "Let her go…!"

"Stop it…" Mirajane, in her normal form, pleaded. Rose gave them all of her power and they were unable to help Wendy as a result.

"Damn you…" Gray slowly brought himself up to his feet, but an explosion of flame caught him off guard and forced him down again. His Devil Slaying was the biggest threat to Rose thus far, but he really couldn't do anything now that Wendy was in Rose's grip.

"We have to…do something…" Lucy's palms were flat against the dirt. She clenched her hand into a fist, picking up some dirt as she tried to force her body up. Rose was much stronger than they all originally imagined…

"Don't worry; I'll be coming for you next." Rose said with a wide grin. "But for now, I'm going to enjoy this."

Seconds passed, and suddenly the darkness mirror began to shine with a bright light, eventually shattering as Cynthia broke free from the darkness, wasting no time in running towards Rose with a fist cocked back, images of all those she cared about flashing through her head. "I'M NOT FINISHED YET!" She exclaimed at the top of her lungs, slamming her fist into Rose's head. Darkened red scales covered Cynthia's arms, legs, and her cheeks. This was the activation of her Dragon Force! The demon dropped Wendy and slid back as a result. Suddenly, Cynthia and Rose were locked in close combat once again, matching blow for blow while landing some on each other.

"WHY…WON'T…YOU…STAY…DOWN!?" Rose asked. No matter what she did, Cynthia kept coming back. Rose had already gone mad at this point and she couldn't understand what it was that was driving Cynthia to keep fighting.

"I can't stay down!" Cynthia replied. "I finally found the difference between you and I! I know what the meaning of life is now! As long as they believe in me…!" As Cynthia said this, she knocked Rose away again with another powerful blow, leaving the demon with a shocked expression. They charged at each other again, and Rose made the first move, but Cynthia dodged it, now coming up with a roaring uppercut. "I'LL NEVER LOSE!" CRASH! The uppercut's force was strong enough to cause Rose to cough up some blood, landing on her feet in a stunned state. "ROSE!" Cynthia screamed while throwing one punch, causing Rose to back up, followed up by another. She then pulled her fist back, the shape of a dragon forming on it.

"DISAPPEAR!" She screamed, her voice reaching the octave of a roaring dragon. The fire from her fist took off, roaring loudly as it exploded against Rose's face. This was all she needed to finally knock Rose into the light mirror behind her. The mirror began shining brightly before everything was engulfed in a blinding explosion. The only thing to follow after such a brilliant shine was complete and utter silence.

.

.

Everything was all white. Cynthia was lying on the ground, presumably unconscious after the fight that just occurred.. But there was familiar warmth nearby, watching over her.

"Cynthia…?" Vanessa, her mother, called out to Cynthia, who was in an unconscious state. "There you are…I thought you had lost for a moment. I have to say…I was disappointed when you threw away your ties with Fairy Tail and everyone else. I thought you really turned you back on them, but I was wrong. The real you was within that demon somewhere. I've been watching you this entire time, and I'm proud to say that you're my daughter. I was worried that you threw away the conviction you found…but I'm really happy to know that you've rekindled that fiery spirit in your heart. I couldn't rest in peace without seeing you make your final decision. I can't stay around you much longer, but know that I'll always been watching you from above. I'm not worried about you anymore…you've got a great family around you. There's only one thing of Rose that remains…but it shouldn't be harmful to you in anyway, it should be a big help. Goodbye, Cynthia. Use your conviction to fight for your family. I love you." Vanessa's voice finally began to fade away. Knowing her daughter was going to live a life with people she could trust and protect…well, the only thing that could make Vanessa happy was actually being there. But she was still proud of her dear child nonetheless.

.

.

Marde walked back into the scene, shaking his head at the pieces of the Mirror everywhere on the battlefield. "She broke the mirror…" He shrugged, beginning to pick up the pieces. "Rose, you've disappointed me. But that's okay. Your punishment for now will be sitting in those shards until I feel like you're ready to come back. Hm…? That's odd…a shard appears to be missing…no matter…." Where was the Demon King to go now? The remains of Tartarus most likely. Even though the battle between humans and demons was over for the time being, he found solace in the place he used to rule…and it wouldn't be long before used it once again to spread havoc and destruction…but it would be under Zeref's direct rule next time.

.

.

"Ngh…Mom…" Cynthia groaned as she slowly regained consciousness. Her vision was blurry, but it looked like she was in her room. "Where…" She started as her vision cleared. When her sight returned, she noticed that Wendy was sleeping the same way things were around the time they first met. "Wendy…" She let out an elated sigh before realizing she had to check something. She turned to the window, only to see a note. "Huh…?" She pulled the note off the window; it was a rather large slip of paper. What was on it made her smile; signatures from everyone in Fairy Tail, even Mii and Zelos had written on it! The letter read: "Welcome home, Cynthia!" Cynthia began to tear up from the letter, looking in the window once more with a smile. Her eyes were blue again. She was back to normal.

"Wait…" She paused for a minute before lighting her hands up in fire. One hand was lit in her normal fire, while the other was in demonic fire. Cynthia retained what made her, her. But she also had made her into Rose to begin with: the Demon's Curse. It was still just as prominent as ever within her…she was still partially a demon. But she didn't seem to mind this now. "Still the Demonic Dragon…but that's okay. Because I know now that I'm human…Thank you guys…"

.

.

Next Time: S-Class Trial.


	97. Chapter 97: S Class Trial

Erza finally returned to Fairy Tail after her mission away. She immediately noticed the high spirits the guild was in and decided to ask Mira what happened up on the second floor of the guild; the area reserved for S classes only. "I see…so that's what happened…" Erza listened to Mira's story about what happened with Cynthia and Rose while she was away. There was a smile on Titania's lips at the tale. "I'm glad that matter is finally resolved. We no longer have to worry about Cynthia or Rose."

"Mmm." Mira placed a hand on her cheek and smiled. "It was a little close…but she managed to win. It finally feels like things are back to normal now." Mira released an elated sigh. "It hasn't felt like this in a while…but I'm so glad."

"That nuisance is finally gone…good riddance." Laxus exhaled. "Now we can focus on what it is we need to do before the Games begin." The S class then glanced down at his grandfather. "So, old man, you gonna kick this off or what?"

"Yes!" Mavis suddenly appeared, sitting on the railing to the S class floor while kicking her feet about happily. "I'm quite anxious to see what it is you have in store for everyone, Sixth."

"Yes…" Makarov glanced to Mira. "Could you get everyone's attention?"

"I'll try." Mira smiled. She waved from the second floor, hoping to catch everyone's attention. "Hello? Everyone! Please listen…oh…they're not paying attention."

Erza stepped forward after Mira's failure to capture everyone's attention. "Everybody BE QUIET!" Titania's booming voice caused the entire guild to quiet down instantly…save for Zelos who was in the middle of a good laugh.

Zelos' laugh created an awkward tension that lasted a few seconds before he realized everything around him was dead silently. "Oh…"

Ignoring Zelos, Erza spoke. "Master has an important announcement for everyone."

That said, Makarov appeared and proceeded to speak to his children. "Ahem. You've all been doing quite well for yourselves so far and I am very proud of you brats. With the Grand Magic Games fast approaching I know you are all doing your best to prepare. As are we…which is why we've decided to hold another S-class examination." That announcement stirred an excited murmur within the guild.

"We're not…going to Tenorujima again are we?" Lucy questioned hesitantly.

"No, I've got something else in mind." Makarov responded before digressing on a slightly different topic. A topic which many people tuned out and just waited for him to finish.

"Eh? Did I miss something here?" Mii blinked. She could tell that a few people were a little uneasy when the Island was mentioned.

"Oh yeah…" Lucy turned to Mii. "Eight years ago, we were having an S class exam on Fairy Tail's special island…but some…complications happened. Acnologia tried to end us all, but thanks to the First, we were able to survive. We were trapped in a time stasis for seven years…"

"That dragon causes a lot of problems…" Natsu grumbled.

"Ooooooooh! No wonder you guys are so young…!" Mii snapped her fingers as though she had a revelation.

"What's with you?" Cana asked while giving Mii the side eye. "And what do you mean we're 'so young'?"

"I thought it odd that you guys weren't in your 20s after all I've heard about you before…" Mii explained. "I think it's pretty funny that even if you had aged the 7 years, I'd still be older than most of you…"

"…How old ARE you?" Gray inquired with a quirked brow.

To that question Mii gasped. "So rude! Don't you know you NEVER ask a lady her age!? Have you no tact, Fullbuster?!"

"She's right. How rude. Here's a tip for you, Gray: all ladies that have reached the age of 22 stay 22 forever. No more, no less." Zelos quipped. It was hard to tell if he was being ignored or not but he knew Mii heard him.

"Regardless! Since you asked so nicely, I can tell you that I'm at the very least 20, but no bigger than 30." Mii said proudly.

"…Knowin' that you're possibly that much older than us is a little freaky givin' how perverted you are…" Cana grumbled before taking a sip of her morning beer.

"I am a woman of many flaws and a severe lack of integrity and decency." Again, Mii spoke as if she was proud of this.

"At least she owns it…" Cynthia said with a minor sweat drop.

"But I digress…" Makarov finally reached the end of his sidetracked topic. "I will now announce the mages who have been selected for a chance to become an S class. First off…Natsu Dragneel."

"Heh!" Natsu grinned at his name being called. "This time I'm not gonna miss out!"

"Gray Fullbuster."

Upon hearing his name, Gray couldn't help but smirk slightly. "Not bad…"

"Lucy Heartfilia."

"M-Me this time…?" Lucy pointed at herself.

"Freed Justine."

"Again? Very well…this time I don't intend to throw it away." Freed said with conviction.

"Gajeel Redfox."

"Giehehe…" Gajeel could only smirk to such news. "Another shot at it? That's fine by me."

"Juvia Lockser."

Juvia blinked a few times, staring at Makarov before her beloved Gray. "D-Does this mean Juvia has to go against Gray-sama again!? N-No! Juvia resigns already!"

"I don't think they're gonna let you do that…" Lisanna said with a nervous sweat drop.

"Levy McGarden."

"Oh…me again?" Levy proceeded to sweat drop slightly. Largely due to the competition she was going to face off against.

"Cana Alberona."

"Eh…?" Cana was pretty surprised by this. She didn't have such a motive to become an S class like before; however she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Pffft…" Mii snickered after Cana's name was called. "I'm not sorry, but I really can't imagine you as someone who can reasonably keep charge over everyone else."

"You tryna' start something?" Cana's tone grew lower. She was really about to square up with Mii when…

"And lastly…Mii Koryuji."

There was a long pause after that. Everyone turned to Mii, who didn't quite register the news. When she finally processed the information… "Wait…WHAT?! Mii!? Surely you jest. I'm in no way, shape, or form, S class material…whatever that material may be, I don't know. But I do know that putting on my name on that list has to be the worst mistake this guild could make."

"Stop that." Erza rolled her eyes at Mii's lack of approval. "You said so yourself that you were an S class when we first met."

"That was a lie…!" Mii groaned. Her palm slowly drug down her face. "I don't think it takes a genius to realize that the first thing I told you was basically a lie…and the second…and the third…..and the fourth…wow, I really have a compulsive lying problem, don't I?"

"I was against it too." Laxus quipped. "But I was outnumbered…so just like me; you're just going to have to deal with it. Clearly there's something in you that's at least worth a shot at the rank. So stop complaining."

"I know what's 'not' in Mii…" Mii grumbled.

.

Makarov gathered the S classes present and those aspiring to be one in a back room within Fairy Tail. There were several desks scattered about, clearly showing that this examination was going to be different than the previous one. "Now then…the first portion of this S-class exam is going to be a written one. I want to see exactly the kind of ideals you'll carry along with you when one of you becomes an S class."

"What is this, a proctored exam in school?" Mii said with an exasperated sigh.

"That's right." Mira said with a smile. "Erza, Laxus, and I will be making sure no one does anything fishy during this exam. I'd like to think we know you all well enough to know you wouldn't even try and cheat…plus the writing is supposed to come from your heart. There's no need to feel worried."

"I wasn't worried…" Mii said while taking a desk. "…I have no idea what to write. Are you sure we can't just throw hands instead?"

"…For once, I agree!" Natsu said with several eager nods. "Let's just beat each other up like before and end it there!"

"No." Laxus denied Natsu quickly. "That comes later. For now, the first step is sitting down and doing as you're told."

"Of course it takes more than mindless brutally to reach attain the rank of S class. But that's something I doubt you'd understand, Natsu…" Freed said calmly while taking a seat. "It takes a sophisticated mind to be an S class."

"You wanna start something!?" Natsu growled.

"Sit down." Erza's demanding voice caused Natsu to take a seat immediately, a cold sweat beading down his forehead.

"Thank you." Lucy sighed while rubbing her arm before taking a seat. She wasn't expecting to be put on the spot in terms of the topic, but she was a writer so she could put her feelings on paper.

"Let me…try and sober up first…otherwise my writing is going to be a mess…" Cana slurred while stumbling into a seat. Everyone watching could only shake their heads.

"This won't be bad…" Levy felt comfortable in this beginning portion. Although if what Laxus said was true, she'd be in for some trouble later…

"You only have 30 minutes. The main part of the Exam comes after this." Makarov added.

"Great…" Mii rolled her eyes.

.

.

In the Palace, things were a little hectic with the Grand Magic Games just around the corner. Hisui had a list of guilds she expected to join and brought them over to Emmeraude. "Sorry this took so long…I know things get rather busy during this time of year. But I believe these are the guilds that will be entering the Grand Magic Games. Knowing ahead of time at least prepares us for matchups and…" The Jade Princess paused. For some reason there was something tugging at the back of her memory. "Huh…?"

Emmeraude took the papers from Hisui, reading down the list of Guild Names. Some were more known than others of course. "Everyone wants a shot I see…The arena still needs some fixing up. We'll have to make sure all is ready when the day comes. But no more of that silly maze race…we're going to put a different elimination scenario underway." The Queen then took a glance at Hisui who was lost in thought. "Is something wrong dear?"

"Uh…" Hisui shook her head, feigning a smile. "N-Nothing's fine! There are still some things I need to confirm and whatnot…I'll be back." Hisui waved Emmeraude off before exiting the throne room. She leaned back against a wall, holding her head as there was some memory trying to surface, but it was unable to. "I'm….forgetting something important…Father…? Where…are you…? Something…isn't right…?"

.

.

The written exam was now over. The nine potential S class mages were moved from Fairy Tail elsewhere; a beach with a specially made several foot area covering a few yard radius. It was big enough to fit all nine of them. Makarov held the papers everyone had written and read them during the trip…although he had to skip Natsu's because his calligraphy left something to be desired. "I see you all have certain ideals you wish to carry with you in the trip to become an S class. For the next portion, I would like you all to get on that arena and spread out."

"You could say this is where the real fun begins." Laxus remarked.

"I can only imagine what some of you wrote…." Lucy said while glancing at Juvia, Mii, and Cana. Really, her imagination was the only thing she could use to think about what those three could've written. But she stood atop the arena along with everyone else…she could feel the tension in the air already and the rules had yet to be stated.

"Is this what I think it is?!" The battle hungry Salamander questioned with an excited grin.

"I hope not…" Levy said with a nervous laugh.

"This will be good training for the Games as well. This is a Free for All." Erza explained. "If you are unable to continue battling, or get knocked off the platform to the sand below, you are out. The last person left standing will be named S class."

"Wait, so why did we have to write all the bullshit?" Gajeel bluntly asked. His attitude was unbecoming of a contender, but it was too late to back out of it now.

"Because it was part of the exam." Mira replied sweetly.

"So I get to kick Natsu's ass again?" Gray grinned at Natsu. The two of them already had their sights set on each other.

"Like hell!" Natsu said with a snarl. "Come at me ice princess!"

"Juvia cannot bring herself to fight Gray-sama…." Blue eyes cut to all the female's present. They were considered threats to her love with Gray and this was the perfect time to establish her dominance over all of them as Gray's one true love. "Juvia must eliminate all love rivals…."

Freed took a quick glance at Laxus, who merely gave a nod. That small action of acknowledgement was all Freed needed. "Laxus is watching me…I must prove that I am worthy of standing alongside him as an S class mage. I must take them all down…"

"It looks like everyone's got their own motivation…." Mii slumped over while glancing at Levy. It was clear the bookworm really didn't want to be in the middle of all this…but she had no choice. "Well…most of us. I suppose I should put a little effort in after making it this far…"

Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Gajeel, Cana, Juvia, Levy, Freed, and Mii. A nine way free for all to determine Fairy Tail's next S class…which one of them would take the title!?

.

.

Next Time: The Next S Class!


	98. Chapter 98: The Next S Class

Hiusi's head felt fuzzy. She wandered the Palace hallways until the feeling passed. She had some questions. Turning to the nearest guard, she spoke up to grab his attention. "Ah, excuse me!" But there was no response. The guard practically ignored her existence and kept walking. This ticked off the Jade Princess and she huffed out. "Excuse me! Your princess is talking to you!"

That caught the guard's attention, if barely. The man stiffed up and turned to the Jade Princess, giving a firm salute. "I-I'm sorry my lady! I've been so preoccupied with Lady Emmeraude's request that I didn't see you there!"

"O-Oh? I suppose that's fair…" Hisui replied while furrowing her brows. Emmeraude's name automatically provided some sort of comfort for those that said it. The effect she had on people was strangely astounding. "Regardless…there is something I'd like to discuss with you."

"I'm sorry, Your Highness…but I really must attend to Lady Emmeraude's request. You understand, don't you?" The guard had an apologetic look on his face.

"Yes, I get it…" Hisui nodded. The guard then departed to do his duty. "That's another one that's pushed me aside. I do understand…but it's becoming very frequent and unsettling as of late. But I suppose it is for Emmeraude…" A heavy sigh passed her lips. It had been quite some time since she saw Arcadios as well…but there was no time to think about that. She was tasked with preparing things for the coming Grand Magic Games. "I can ask about that later…for now, I have some business to attend to." With doubt and questions remaining in her heart, she went off to continue the GMG preparations.

.

.

Back in Seven, the Dealer crew was going through the remnants of their old base. The same one that King blew up in his attempt to kill everyone. They were all avoiding this for a while, but the time finally came to salvage what they could from the old building and move it to their current base of operations. Diamond sighed while standing in the area that used to be her room. "Do we have to be here? There's nothing left for us."

"That may be so…but perhaps is still something here we could use." Heartless pointed out. "Actually…there is something that I'm concerned about that slipped my mind at the time…"

"What do you mean…?" Strong said while scratching his head.

"Don't think about things too hard, you're too daft to understand it…" Jack fired the shot out of nowhere. Of course such a rude, yet true remark warranted a smack on the head from his older sister's scepter. "Ow…!"

"Play nice." Tia chided Jack. "Anyway…what are you looking for?"

"This was before you all were recruited to join Dealer…" Heartless walked through the rubble of the destroyed base, searching for some sort of door hidden within the ground. "But the first member of Dealer aside from Joker was an artificially created human by the name of Little Queen. She was a very curious child…she was compassionate when it came to learning, even though her emotions were lacking. She was like a child to me…but you know how King was. He wouldn't have let such a person remain in Dealer under his watch."

"Did he get rid of her? Wouldn't be surprised if the bastard did that." Jack scoffed.

"He wanted to." Heartless explained. "However…I refused to let him do such a thing. I put Little Queen in a deep slumber within the base underground. During our battle with Fairy Tail, I thought about bringing her out to fight alongside us. King would never have allowed that…she would have been influenced far too easily by their ideals. Not that that's a bad thing. I told her when she wakes up to embrace the life given to her…"

"The mistress was very saddened when she had to put that girl to sleep." Daigo remarked. "This was before she was ordered to destroy Seven's Council…so she still retained her heart until then."

"Oh…I had no idea, Heartless…" Tia had a small frown on her lips. Such stories actually did poke at a soft spot in her heart. "Well, what are we waiting for? I'm sure that girl is waiting for you to wake her up."

"What does she look like?" Ace questioned.

"Mmm…She's a young girl…I'd say fourteen? She has purple hair and eyes…I taught her basic marital arts, and she's very curious about well, everything." Heartless nodded. She eventually found the double metal doors on the ground and proceeded to open them…only to have them fall apart. "Oh…it was only a matter of time until that happened." Shaking her head, the demon continued to stroll down into the hidden basement. After a few moments, Heartless came to what was supposed to be the resting spot for Little Queen…only for it to be completely empty. "Huh? But how can that be…?!"

.

.

The nine-way free for all was one! Freed was surprisingly the first one to strike, darting across the field as his hand rested on his blades hilt. His first target was Mii! "Dark Ecriture: Nullify!" A violent shine permeated through his blade's sheath. Freed brandished the blade, slicing it across Mii's stomach.

"That was cute…but don't you remember who I am?" Mii said, not quite feeling the effects of Freed's plan; which is why his follow up slice actually had her cringing in pain after the fact. "Ow!? What the heck!?"

"I've temporally nullified your innate ability to block pain." Freed explained while leaping back. "You are now on the same playing field as all of us."

"How rude." Mii shrugged. "But you're working under the terrible misconception that I can't handle pain. Oh well. This should be fun!" Mii requipped Dragon Hadlar right off the bat, pulling it apart for the dual shotguns that shot off multiple bullets in all directions, making sure to catch everyone in her scope.

"Here it comes!" Gajeel allowed his iron scales to form around his body, softening the damage from the bullets that collided against his frame. "Tch!"

"These bullets…" Juvia's Water Body should have allowed the bullets to pass right through her…but the bullets were magical! One bullet exploded against her arm and she let out a cry of pain while staggering back. "H-Huh!?"

"Come on! I'm just shooting aimlessly!" Mii said with a yawn. Aside from Freed, Levy, and Gajeel, everyone else was having a difficult time finding a way to handle the bullets aside from blocking.

"Ice Make: Shield!" Gray threw his arms to the side, forming a shield of ice in front of his body. This provided ample protection from the bullets for the short time that he needed. "Ice Make: Geyser!" By placing his hands on the ground, Gray created a rising glacier of spiked ice to temporarily encase Mii and cease the bullet hail. "There, stay quiet for a bit."

As soon as Mii's bullet hail ended, Natsu ran up on Gray with a fiery right hook, smashing his fist into Gray's face to send him flying back. "Ha! Got you, Ice Princess!" And not too long after was Natsu smacked by Gajeel's arm which turned into an iron pole.

"Ha! Got you, Salamander!" Gajeel grinned.

Meanwhile, now that Mii was temporarily out of the fray, Juvia could focus on the girls. She had to assert her dominance as Gray's one true love and she couldn't let anyone stand in her way! "Juvia must eliminate all love rivals!"

"…She's got that scary look in her eyes again…" Cana said with a sweat drop. "How many times do we have to tell you!? We don't want Gray! He's all yours!"

"AND IT STAYS THAT WAY!" Juvia bellowed as her arm began to extend. Her irrational anger raised her body temperature and the water she produced was scalding hot! "Water Cane!" Juvia then began to whip her arm repeatedly at Lucy, Cana, and Levy.

"J-Juvia! Calm down!" Levy flailed her arms while trying to evade Juvia's furious whip lashings. The strikes she couldn't avoid left her in pain due to the scalding water Juvia's body was composed of. "Ow ow ow!"

"Calm down!" Cana ducked a strike from Juvia, flinging a card at the water mage. The card exploded and caused Juvia to take a few steps back, shrouding her sight with a cloud of smoke. "Geez!"

"I'm sorry…!" Levy's fingers quickly wrote the word 'Hole'. The word materialized and formed underneath Cana. She only noticed at the last second and narrowly jumped off to the side.

While all that was going on, Lucy took the liberty of entering her Star Dress: Sagittarius. With her bow and arrows at the ready, she pointed them up before letting them all fly. "Starry Heavens!" Golden streaks of light soared into the air in broad daylight. Nobody in their right mind could ignore such a set up. "Sorry guys, but I'm in this to win it!" The arrows then rained down on the arena ferociously, golden explosions occurring sporadically with each arrow that struck the ground.

Freed acted fast due to his self-interest and preservation. "Rune Magic: Nullify that attack!" With a horizontal swing of his blade, a wall of runes appeared to shield him from Lucy's attack while the others just had to deal with it. In that time he took the offensive once again; a bright violent shine appeared on his blade. "Dark Ecriture: Pain!" With another swing, purple characters flew from the blades, converging together in a gigantic purple beam! This beam collided with Lucy and sent her tumbling across the arena.

Cana was on the ground after Lucy's attack. But after seeing Freed put in work, a lightbulb came to mind. "Hey Freed! Remember this?" Cana flung one particular card at Freed's feet. That card then exploded into a mass of woman that hugged Freed tightly with no intentions of letting him go.

It was around that time that Mii was freed from the glacier. Truth be told she was trying to stay out of the fight as long as possible, but she couldn't hide forever in that cold prison. "Chilly…oh hey, hot girls! Are you trying to hide the good stuff from me!?"

"Is he gonna be okay…?" Levy inquired.

After a few seconds a 'snnk!' sound echoed through the air. Freed sliced through the illusion with ease this time and sheathed his blade. "I'm sorry…but that trick isn't going to work on me any longer. Although…the first time was just an act as well. Laxus is watching me this time so I cannot afford to fall to such a petty parlor trick." Oh…shots were being fired!

"What…are you sayin' you let Lucy and I win back then!?" Cana asked, furious at the notion.

"I didn't feed adequate enough back then." Freed admitted. Wings then sprouted from his shoulder blades due to his Wings spell. The rune mage then lunged at Cana, prepared to show just how serious he was!

However… a certain Iron Dragon had an objection! "Iron Dragon's Lance: Demon Logs!" Gajeel's arm morphed into an iron spike which he stabbed into the area. This prompted multiple iron spikes to rise from the arena sporadically, leaving everyone to fend for themselves.

Funnily enough, in Levy's attempt to dodge, the back of her shirt was caught on a rising spike and she was left dangling in the air a little bit. Was that intentional? "Gajeel! That's not funny!"

"Giehehe…" Gajeel seemed to think otherwise.

"Man, you guys really go all out huh?" Mii asked…and it was Natsu who was in her face, aiming fiery swing after fiery swing at her face! Mii's dodging was graceful, but she did notice that each of Natsu's punches did make her step back. "You know, it's really rude to approach a lady without saying anything!"

Mii's boot smashed against Natsu's stomach. Such an impact had the wind escape Natsu's gut and he was thrown into an iron spike, letting out a groan of pain in the process. "Guh…that hurt…" He admitted, temporarily stunned from Mii's kick.

Seeing Natsu down, Gajeel saw this as the perfect chance to take him out! Gajeel inhaled audibly, metallic shrapnel forming around his mouth in a small vortex. "Iron Dragon's Roar!" Exhaling, Gajeel unleashed a vortex of iron towards the downed Natsu. Unfortunately for Kurogane, Natsu had enough energy to dive out of the way. That left Levy in the path of the roar's destruction.

"Eeep!" Levy quickly pried herself from the spike that had her shirt stuck and dove to the ground, allowing the roar to pass over her.

"Damn! He moved!" Gajeel growled.

"You almost hit me!" Levy huffed. Even though they were in a competition she was still upset. So upset, in fact, that she swung her purse at Gajeel's face. Never underestimate the almighty purse. The impact left Gajeel stunned and he staggered a few steps backwards before…falling off of the arena and into the sand. He was out. "…W-What did I just do!?"

"Gajeel's out." Laxus had to refrain from laughing to keep a professional face. But that grin on his lips said everything.

"Wow…of all the ways to go…that was the most unexpected one. The short one's got some muscle after all!" Mii said with a laugh.

"I guess we could call that irony…" Lucy shrugged. She was hanging around Luke too much and his bad puns were really rubbing off her.

Everyone was stunned at Levy for taking out Gajeel. Nobody was going to believe that back home. But Juvia was going to take advantage of this silence and pointed her hands at Levy's back. "Water Beam." From her hands, a powerful, high pressurized beam of water shot forth towards Levy! It flew past everyone else and struck Levy in the back, knocking her off without much of a fight.

"Waaaaaah!" Levy cried out before landing right on top of Gajeel. "Ooof…." Totally not an awkward landing or anything.

"That's two down! Seven left!" Mii was keeping track. Right after she spoke, multiple lances of ice crashed into her back repeatedly. "Owowowowowowow stop that!" She turned to Gray. "That's annoying!"

"Man, she didn't even budge…" Gray muttered. "Then I'll just turn it up…" Gray smacked his fist into his palm once again and pulled his arms apart. A cannon completely composed of ice materialized on his shoulders. "Ice Make: Cannon!" One click of the trigger and a massive blast of ice was sent barreling towards Mii! The recoil was so strong Gray barely managed to keep his feet on the ground!

"Ugh…fine, I'll play along too…" A bright white light shone around Mii. Her rainbow angelic wings sprouted from her back and she used them as cover for Gray's attack. The icy explosion was indeed powerful, but Mii's wings were capable of handling the chill without getting frozen.

"She's going to be an issue…let's get rid of her quickly! Gate of the Scorpion! Gate of the Golden Bull, I open thee! Scorpio! Taurus!" A golden light emitted from both golden keys, releasing the two Zodiac spirits.

"We are!" Scorpio exclaimed while pointing his stinger forward. "Sand Buster!"

"Mooo!" Taurus bellowed. Just as Scorpio released his funnel of sand, Taurus wrapped it around his axe for a fearsome combo! The mighty bull then rushed towards Mii, who saw this coming a mile away.

"Hey, that's not very nice!" Mii shouted while swiftly evading Taurus' fearsome axe strikes. She was caught by the upward swung and sent soaring high into the air. She recovered and used her wings to stay airborne. "Ooof…that cow packs a punch. When is this spell gonna wear off!?" Mii groaned before lifting one hand into the air. She was preparing some kind of attack…and not many could reach her in her position. Besides, Lucy was keeping them busy down below anyway.

Cana was hit hard by the Sandstorm Axe. She tumbled along the arena before coming to a halt, throwing three cards down in a triangle pattern. "Thunder Arrow!" The combination of cards and their positioning was important. A strong bolt of lightning in the shape of an arrow dropped from above, impacting the arena with a strong discharge that paralyzed everyone for a few seconds. Lucy returned her spirits to avoid any further injury to them. Cana was still pissed at Freed for his reveal earlier, so she focused on him and threw a card at his face that was set to explode. The card did as intended, however Freed managed to put up a barrier around his body at the last second. "What now!?"

"Jutsu Shinki…" Freed explained before letting the barrier down.

"Now yer tickin' me off…" Cana grumbled.

Meanwhile, Natsu was actually squaring off against…Juvia! That's right! To Juvia, Natsu was a threat in Gray securing S Class, and she wanted to do everything she could to help Gray even if it meant getting out herself! We all know Juvia wouldn't dare lay a finger on Gray if she could help it, so this was her alternative. Juv aimed watery punches at Natsu's body while the Salamander countered with fiery punches of his own. The collision of water and fire created steam surrounding the two. Juvia allowed water to surround the lower half of her body in a vicious whirlpool shape. "Water Jigsaw!" Juvia moved in on Natsu who had little choice but to defend against such an attack. Juvia was managing to push Natsu back as well!

"Gnk…" Natsu grit his teeth, attempting to hold his ground. Flames erupted around his arms, using the clash of elements to evaporate the water. Natsu just had to hold on for a few more seconds until the water around Juvia completely evaporated and left her exposed, where he finally responded with a solid strike to Juvia's chest to knock her away. "Geez! You don't give up!" Natsu allowed flames to explode around his body and he pushed off, preparing his Sword Horn technique to follow up…however he didn't get very far as a wall of ice impeded his progress before he could start. Natsu crashed against the wall and held his had in agony. "Agh! Gray you bastard!"

"Gray-sama covered for Juvia!" Juvia had hearts in her eyes. "How heroic!"

"N-No, I…" Gray wasn't going to be explaining his way out of this one.

"Wait, did Mii ever come back down!?" Lucy was just now noticing the lack of obnoxious commentary. She hadn't been stated to be out either, so…

"I'm glad to see you've all finally taken an interest in Mii!" Mii shouted from above. She had all of her preparations ready. "I'm gonna warn you…this one miiiiiight sting a bit. But you guys should be fine. Judgement!" There was a twinkle in the sky above. It was too early for any stars to be shining in the sky. That twinkle in the sky was actually a gigantic pillar of light that rained down from the heavens. The massive size caught everyone off guard as the pillar crashed into the arena, causing the very ground to tremble violently.

"O-Oh my…." Mira had to cover her eyes from such blinding light.

"….I was unaware she could do that…" Erza muttered. Was Mii holding back when they fought on the Isle?

Juvia, Cana, and Freed were all knocked off due to Mii's sheer magical prowess. They were out in an instant; all of them riddled with wounds form the Judgement attack. Natsu, Gray, and Lucy were the only ones still standing, and barely at that! Lucy was holding onto her mark ridden arm, gripping it tightly from the cheer agony she felt. Mii's holy magic seemed to be extremely effective on Lucy in some way. "A-Agh…w-what was that…?"

"D-Damn…" Gray was on a knee, exhaling heavily. He refused to believe that Mii could just casually launch an attack like that without an repercussions…yet once she landed, she didn't show any signs of exhaustion.

"Wow! You guys are tough! I'm glad it didn't take you out!" Before Mii could finish, Natsu slammed his fiery skull into Mii's abdomen. The impact of the Sword Horn caused her to tumble violently along the ground before coming to a halt, grimacing in pain from the strike. "Ouch…you know, if you're going to violently thrust yourself at me, the least you could do is take me to dinner first. I have standards….! Oh man…you're not looking so hot are you?"

"Do you ever stop talking…?" Lucy groaned while trying to take aim with her bow once again, this time aiming for Mii. Her vision was blurry and unfocused. She fired an arrow, but the aim was horribly off and whizzed past Mii's head and off into the distance. "Ngh…" Lucy then just…collapsed on the spot, her Star Dress fading away as she fell unconscious.

"Oof…I hope we're still roommates after this…" Mii said with an awkward smile. "So…Mii…Gray…Natsu…you guys sure you're not done yet?"

"I ain't gonna lose to you!" Natsu roared while fire and lightning exploded around his body. The Lightning Flame Dragon had no intentions of losing right here!

"Same here…I'm going to be the one to win this…" Gray's Devil Slaying tattoo formed along his body, followed by a chilling wind around his being. Both Natsu and Gray were on opposite sides of Mii and it looked like they had no intentions of letting her win. "You two sure know how to single a lady out…"

Natsu ran slowly, gradually picking up speed while rearing his arm back. "Iron Fist of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" Fire and lightning surged around his fists in a vicious wild pyre and he swung his arm directly at Mii. Gray followed suit with his Devil Slaying Ice, aiming to slam his fist into her face for a potential knock out while she could still feel pain. A vicious explosion of ice, fire, and lightning ensued that formed a gigantic cloud of smoke in the middle of the arena.

"…" Makarov remained silently after such a collision. The dust was beginning to settle around the source of the explosion.

Mii caught both of Natsu and Gray's fists with her own hands, stopping the two before they truly had the chance to strike her. One hand was severely burnt while the other was nearly completely frozen. Of course it hurt, but she'd had worse in her time. Natsu and Gray were completely exhausted after her Judgement and that was clearly their final attack. "Good attempt guys…but you're done." She then pulled the two together and smashed their heads against one another roughly. It was a little overkill, but it was more than enough to render the both of them unconscious. Mii was the only one left standing.

"Well…I suppose that settles it." Makarov cleared his throat. "Fairy Tail's newest S class is Mii Koryuji!"

"…WAIT WHAT?!" Mii blinked. She completely forgot what was at stake during this battle.

"She's got more combat sense than I thought…" Laxus admitted.

"It appears…I underestimated her." Freed sat in the sand.

"You did fine." Laxus reassured Freed.

Lucy regained consciousness, groaning softly. "Ugh…geez…"

"Man…I didn't want to actually win…" Mii sat at the edge of the arena and pouted. Such a strange girl she was…

"Mii won?" Lucy tilted her head. After an attack like that it wasn't hard to believe it. "That girl is something else…"

.

.

A little later in the evening at Lucy place, Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Wendy, Cynthia, Juvia, Levy, Gajeel, Zelos (much to everyone's chagrin) and all the Exceeds gathered at her place to congratulate Mii for becoming an S class. Mii just groaned and laid on the couch on her stomach. "You guys are making such a big deal out of nothing! It's just a title."

"You could at least sound a little proud of it…" Gray grumbled. He and Natsu were both bitter that they were unable to win, so they were sulking in the corner.

"Congrats on the ranking, Mii-san!" Wendy said while lifting a cup in the air.

"Yeah, good job! You honestly don't fit the role through…" Cynthia said.

"No kidding…" Mii rubbed the back of her neck.

"I think its fitting. A strong title for a strong lady~" Zelos hummed.

"Who invited you again?" Levy asked while tilting her head.

"Ooooh, your words wound me Levy-chan!" Zelos exclaimed, very dramatically.

"You two act so alike, it's unsettling…" Carla remarked.

"I am NOTHING like him!" Mii actually felt offended at that statement.

"Just embrace it, Mii-chan. We're two peas in a pod." Zelos winked and Mii just felt extremely unsettled.

"Anyway…starting tomorrow, we'll go over the S-class procedures." Erza told Mii with a nod. "You've worked hard today, all of you." She said to those present who participated. "If you keep things up, we'll definitely win the Games this time."

"Yeah!" Natsu could finally grin to that. "Those White Eclipse bastards won't be able to stay looking down on us once we kick their asses!"

"That feud is STILL going on…? Give it a rest…" Mii groaned. She then sat up immediately when a thought hit her. "Wait…being an S class means I have to be responsible now…THIS WAS A TRAP WASN'T IT!?" No one responded immediately. However Mii's sudden outburst did leave everyone laughing.

.

.

Next Time: Prepare For The Games!


	99. Chapter 99: Prepare For The Games!

Several days later and Fairy Tail was still buzzing about the results of the S class examination. Mii sat on the second floor, relaxing on a fancy chair while letting out a content sigh. "You know, I could get used to this. The luxurious life."

"You know you'll have to bear some responsibility now too, right?" Laxus lifted a brow.

"Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh….." An exasperated sigh escaped the female. "I'll think about it. You three are already plenty responsible without me…so I shouldn't have to try too much. Just think of me as backup."

"…So let's be honest for a minute." Lisanna leaned into Natsu while listening to Mii upstairs. "You guys threw the fight so she'd win, right?"

"Why would I do that!?" Natsu asked, somewhat offended that Lisanna would even ask that. "I was fighting as hard I as could, as usual. She's just….stronger than I thought."

"No kidding…" Gray admittedly bitterly. "That one attack made the rest of us just drop. I think she's been holding out on us…"

"A beautiful rose has thorns." Zelos remarked.

"Just how strong is she?" Lucy peered up at Mii from below. Clearly Mii hadn't told them everything there is about her…but what could they do? Nobody wanted to pry in case it was sensitive and they made her mad again…wait…when did they make her mad? Now Lucy was furrowing her brows as something didn't seem quite right. "…Did we make her mad…?"

Natsu gave Lucy a confused look. "Huh…? …I dunno. Did we? She doesn't seem like the type to be mad so easily."

"Okay you all." Makarov clapped his hands together once to capture everyone's attention. "The time for rest and relaxation is over. I believe it's now time for us to prepare for the Grand Magic Games." That comment got the guild riled up. A small grin crossed the old man's lips.

"We're definitely going to win this time!" Cynthia pumped a fist into the air. "Hopefully we won't have to deal with any cheating. I really can't defend Sis' guild for all that…ahaha…"

Erza appeared with a whiteboard at the ready. "We will be attempting to use an A and B team again. This time we will go under the assumptions that both sides will be able to make it through. We don't know what kind of events are in store for the preliminary round, so it's impertinent that we are prepared for all scenarios."

"You should be on a team, Mii!" Levy suggested.

But to that comment, Mii just waved her hand dismissively. "Nah…I'm not about that tournament life. I mean…I know I'd put in so much work with my strength and anyone who doesn't have a contingency for my inability to feel pain naturally would have a hard time…but I really can't be bothered. I'm still terribly exhausted from that free for all."

There was a pause at Mii's excuse for not wanting to take part in the battle. No one was going to force her, but… "I should've known she'd be no help…" Cana said with a heavy sigh.

"I mean, I can cheer you guys on with my magic…" Mii trailed off.

"That's cheating." Mira said while waving her finger in a disapproving manner. "That's what we're trying to avoid, Mii."

Mavis floated over to Mii, offering a soft smile. "Your strength would be a great asset in helping us achieve victory." Everyone knew how much Mavis enjoyed winning, so it was no surprise she was attempting to strike a bargain with Mii. "Would you mind being a replacement? In the event that something happens to one of the others."

Mii stared at Mavis for a long time. That face…how could anyone say no to it? Mii let out a heavy sigh and conceded. "Fine…I'll be a backup. But considering what you guys can do, I won't be needed."

"Your cooperation is all that's needed!" Mavis nodded several times with a content grin on her face. Mission accomplished.

"That worked surprisingly well…" Erza was surprised at Mii's compliance. "Anyway…onto our team composition. For our A Team, we will have me, Natsu, Lucy, Gray, and Gajeel."

"And for the B team…" Laxus spoke up. "It will be me, Mira, Wendy, Cynthia, and Juvia."

"NOO! Why can't Juvia be on the same team as Gray-sama!?" Juiva wept comically.

"W-We'll make some adjustments depending on the competition." Mavis said to console Juvia.

"Wendy and I are on a team!? Yeah!" Cynthia and Wendy high fived each other.

"Yes. Last time we were unable to make use of your coordination and biorhythm." Mavis said with a smile. "After everything that's occurred, your teamwork will be vital."

"We won't let you down, First…!" Wendy said with a fist bump of determination.

"Don't get carried away you too." Carla lightly chided the pair.

"I hope you all will be ready. We don't have much time." Laxus stated.

"Only two weeks right? That's more than enough time!" Natsu had that grin of his. "We'll take the win this time!"

"Ah, such beautiful fighting spirit." Zelos mused. "I can't wait to see everyone fight with such vigor! Surely it'll be a feast for the eyes."

"Does he have to be here?" Gray groaned while pointing at Zelos.

"Do you have to be shirtless…and have no pants? And you people come at ME for having no tact." Zelos pointed at Gray and let out a melancholy sigh.

"Wha…!?" Lo and behold, Gray somehow was missing both his shirt and pants, standing around in the guild in his boxers! "C-Crap?! Again!?"

.

.

Currently, Fiore's strongest guild was White Eclipse, the winners of the previous Grand Magic Games. After having a taste of victory once, it was certain the guild would do their hardest to ensure they would bring home the gold trophy a second time. Because of this, everyone was gathered in the main hall as Reve, Sidney, Calium, and Mary spoke to the others. "All right…" Reve began. "Last year…the Games were rough. We had a group of cheaters that attempted to pull the Games in their favor, but we came through and ended up on top as expected. All it did was slow us down a little."

"It was actually a breeze." Luke remarked.

"I heard White Eclipse had a tough climb…" Tyson said while stroking his chin. "But I didn't realize it was so easy for them."

"Anything's easy for the world's strongest guild." Cygnus stated, cockily.

"But we're not letting it get that close again." Reve continued with a grin on his face. "Things have changed since then. We have more members as well, which is why we're going with a B team this year. Last time we were unable to get our B team through the preliminary round…but that's going to change."

Mary then held up a letter addressed to White Eclipse directly from the Palace itself. "This is a letter from the Palace. Since White Eclipse won the previous team, their team of 5 is automatically in the Games."

"Wow. That's one hell of a perk." Waiston remarked.

"The A team will be me, Luke, Cygnus, Aira, and Kuro." Reve said. "A team full of veterans. As for the B team…"

"It's going to be the rookies." Calium grinned. This caught the newer recruits of White Eclipse off guard. "Micaiah, Reiss, Tyson, Ramman, and Saraya. This will be your time to show us what you can do."

"W-What?!" Micaiah's yellow eyes widened. "U-Us? Are you sure about this?"

"Even if you don't make it, we'll have our A team to fall on." Sidney explained. "Just because you assisted in the downfall of Tartarus doesn't mean much if you can't back it up later."

"Precisely." Zalen added to his brother's statement, adjusting his glasses. "This is the perfect chance to build our foundation." Of course, a building pun had to be implemented in that somehow.

"I'm so happy for you, Micaiah-chan! You get to debut as a mage!" Vanya somehow managed to hug Micaiah.

"I have to be on a team with this guy!?" Tyson and Reiss pointed at each other.

"It'll be fine. You got the strongest rookie on your side." Ramman responded with a cocky smirk. But that comment got both Tyson and Reiss after him.

"Strongest rookie!? You!? Don't make me laugh!" Reiss said, laughing.

"YOU TRYNA SQAURE UP!?" Ramman puffed his chest out. The two rookies stared each other down, comical sparks of lightning sparking between their eyes.

"Sigh…" Saraya exhaled heavily at the boys and their antics.

"Ara…" Evelyn placed her hand on her cheek, sighing softly. "I'm sure you'll all do just fine."

"Oh yeah, by the way…" Mary clapped her hands loudly to catch everyone's attention. "Rookies. We're starting up the boot camp again. There are two weeks until the Games start. We're not wasting any more time. Get outside. Right now."

"Oh, I'll be taking Micaiah." Luke interjected. "She's my responsibility after all."

"Tyson's with me." Zalen said. With that, everyone dispersed to do their own training before the Games began soon. There were a few who were upset they were not on the roster; Kanade for example.

"I wanted to punch some people…" Kanade huffed.

Adam patted Kanade on the head with somewhat of a smile. "Don't worry. If they need a backup, I'm sure you'll be their first choice. In the meantime, we still have some training to do."

Kanade pouted for a few moments before just giving a nod. "Yeah, we do. We'll show them what I can do!" The female grinned, slamming one hand into an open palm.

.

.

Around Fiore, there were many other guilds preparing to enter the Grand Magic Games as well. It wasn't just going to be limited to the popular ones. Emmeraude received a list of the guilds that were signing up for the Games. Her finger ran down along the paper, counting the number of guilds that planned on participating. "Huh. Looks like we've got quite the gathering for this little event…I'm looking forward to watching them weed each other out in this competition. Competition always does bring out the worst in people after all…"

And so the days and weeks passed. All guilds got in their last minute training for the Grand Magic Games. And before they knew it, the two week waiting period was now over. Nearly every guild was en route to Fiore's capital city: Crocus. The Grand Magic Games were almost underway…

.

.

Next Time: The Preliminaries.


	100. Chapter 100: The Preliminaries

Everyone chose different methods for travelling to Crocus. Unfortunately, because of Mii, Lucy and Mii were stuck in a carriage together. Lucy was worried about how Natsu and the other dragon slayers were faring…because everyone knew they couldn't handle transportation for the life of them. Mii stared out the window, taking in the Fiore sights as they travelled to Crocus. "Wow…this place is actually really nice…"

"You like it here, don't you?" Lucy asked with a soft smile.

"Nah, it sucks." Mii said with her own smile, but Lucy just groaned in response.

"Can't you ever tell the truth on anything?" The blonde questioned while lifting a brow. "There's nothing wrong with being honest."

"If you don't ask, I won't tell. I'm really an open book, but you just have to ask the right questions. One question a day though, I don't want to tell you my entire life story." Mii responded with a casual shrug.

"For an open book, you're really hard to read sometimes…" Lucy mumbled. "Fine…uh….do you really not feel pain? At all? Surely you have to feel something somewhere…" That was the only question she could think of.

"It's no fun if you read through all in one sitting." Mii winked. "As for your question….no, I don't feel physical pain at all. Buuut…there is one special soft spot on my body. It's…" Mii turned, pointing to the small of her back where her guild mark was. "Right here. It's my soft spot. If you hit me there I'll probably feel something…maybe. I dunno."

"Huh…? But that's…" Lucy began, but didn't have the chance to finish as they finally arrived at Crocus.

"Oh, we're here! I've always been a big city gal! Come on, grab your stuff and let's go!" Mii was quite excited for once. She hurried out the carriage, practically leaving Lucy in the dust.

"Ah! Wait!" Lucy reached out for Mii, but it was too late. She was practically gone already. "Ugh…I don't understand this girl at all…"

.

Natsu fell flat on the ground, grateful that he could finally move on solid ground. The train ride was unforgiving and he groaned loudly. "Ugh…that was so terrible. I thought I was going to die…"

Gray shook his head at the pathetic sight of Natsu on the ground. "Come on…it wasn't bad at all." Natsu didn't have the will to fight back just yet.

"It's nice not hearing you two argue the whole trip." Erza said while pulling along her gigantic trolley of bags and suitcases from the train. If one tried to argue that she didn't need so many things, they'd be proven wrong almost instantly. "It's nice to be in Crocus for once without having to worry about anything trying to kill us."

"This city does look as though its seen its fair share of destruction." Zelos remarked. He offered to carry Mira's things to score some points…but he may have underestimated how much stuff he was going to carry; All of Mira, Lisanna, and Elfman's things were added onto that list. Needless to say he was having a bit of a hard time.

"How can you tell? This city has been reconstructed almost time and time again to near perfection…?" Levy pointed out.

"A mask cannot deceive me." Zelos quipped. "I can see through lies and deception. You can fix a broken vase but its shape will forever be scarred."

"Do you every say anything side from just nonsense?" Gray sighed.

"You don't appreciate my poetic wordplay. It's something only a lady would truly understand." Zelos hummed.

"Chop chop." Lisanna clapped her hands. "We have to hurry to the hotel. We don't have all day, Zelos. You did offer to carry our stuff."

Zelos would be lying if he said this was a little more than he signed up for…but anything to get a smile out of a lady! So he sucked it up and followed the Strauss siblings to the hotel. "Right! After you, Lisanna-chan!"

Everyone else watching really couldn't believe Zelos. More so the fact that he was still hanging around them for god knows why. Laxus shook his head at such a pathetic attempt to suck up. "I don't know why he tries…he's not getting anywhere."

"But you have to give him points for trying." Bickslow said with his usual laugh.

"I'd rather we not get him anything." Evergreen said while fanning herself.

.

White Eclipse was also making their way over to the hotel. Everyone was chatting about potential matchups and events during their way there. They had a free trip since being the victors of the previous Games. Sophie was wandering a little bit. Nobody could ever really keep an eye on her so she ended up walking into an alley. Her curious trek led her to a growling dog. "Oh…hello doggie." Sophie crouched down, offering a small smile to the creature, but it was still very wary of her. "Hm…? You are cautious of me…? That is fair…I am a stranger."

"Sophie!" Yaya, Shinji, Yuji, and Kuro approached the wandering Sophie. Kuro crossed his arms, giving something akin to a pout at Sophie's actions. "You could get lost in this big city!" This was the best way Kuro could scold.

"I'm sorry." Sophie said while pointing at the dog. "But this doggie looks hungry. I don't want to ignore it."

"This dog…?" Yuji looked over Sophie's shoulder at the dog. "You really can't leave it alone? I guess you're not as robotic as you look."

Sophie dug in her pocket, pulling out a strip of beef jerky that she was unable to finish. The dog was apprehensive at first despite Sophie's vibe. It could tell she meant no harm and slowly approached her before swiping the jerky from her hand, backing away quickly. "There there. I won't hurt you. I'll come back tomorrow." The dog then ran away.

"…Wow. She handled that really well." Even Shinji was surprised at Sophie's show of compassion. "Maybe her hard drive was updated…"

"Stop calling her a robot!" Yaya huffed.

"Okay okay…" Kuro tried to defuse the situation before anything else could happen. "We should catch up with the others before we get left behind. Don't wander off again Sophie! Otherwise no ramen for you!" Again, that was the worst punishment this kind hearted soul could think of.

"Okay…" Sophie stood up and nodded, following the others back to the hotel. The real reason she branched off momentarily was due to sensing Lucy in the area nearby. Not only that, but she was trying to find her way to the Palace as well. Emmeraude was nearby…Sophie could feel it. And she had to meet with her no matter what…

.

Now…the hotel being used for the Grand Magic Games knew precisely the kind of trouble they signed up for when agreeing to let several guilds room within. All the guilds participating would be sharing the same hotel…and this became an immediate problem when Fairy Tail and White Eclipse crossed paths in the lobby. The Games hadn't even started and already the trash talk was flying while everyone else had to awkwardly watch from the sidelines.

"You guys aren't going to win this time! You got lucky!" Natsu bellowed.

Reve cupped his hand around his ear, turning his head with that patented arrogant smirk of his. "What's that? I'm sorry; I can't hear you over the sound of that gold trophy sitting on our shelf. You'll have to speak louder if you want your voice to reach the top guild." Cocky Reve was back in full swing and it only irritated mages who weren't from White Eclipse.

"Can't we at least get settled before the trash talk happens…!?" Lucy asked. But her voice was drowned out by the constant back and forth. "No? Ugh…you guys…"

Sophie saw Lucy once again. Violet eyes narrowed and she lunged forward without warning…! Only to get caught in the smoke cloud of comedic brawling caused by Natsu, Takeru, Gajeel, and Cygnus. They didn't even notice she was in their little brawl.

Nearby, Kagura shook her head at all the commotion. "Truly…nothing changes with those two. Can I file a noise complaint already? I feel a headache coming on."

"You and me both…" Minerva quipped from nearby, arms crossed over her chest. "A part of me hopes that both of them will get kicked out of the preliminaries…but at the same time that would rob me the pleasure of knocking both of them off their pedestals to show them who the true strongest guild is."

"…I see your lust for victory hasn't changed." Kagura remarked quietly.

"I enjoy the taste of victory." The tigress responded with a sly smirk. "However, the means of which to achieve it have changed. This will be my first time in the Games since Sabertooth's reform…but I assure you, Mermaid. We will devour the competition."

"Mermaids are fearsome creatures." Kagura turned her gaze to Minerva. That serious expression of hers never wavered no matter where she was. "You'd be surprised how easy it is for them to devour anything." The tension was growing between everyone involved. Unfortunately the true stars of the show were still Fairy Tail and White Eclipse…but everyone was waiting to dethrone White Eclipse from their pedestal. They'd been cocky for far too long…could they still back it up after all this time?

"Who thought it was a good idea for everyone to bunk in the same hotel? This is going to be extremely hectic…" Sting said while rubbing the back of his head.

"That's putting it mildly…" Lyon scoffed. "However, we all know which guild is truly going to be taking the trophy anyway."

"It can't be Lamia Scale." Reve overheard Lyon and had a sly grin. "Maybe you would've had a chance if you had that God Slayer on your team, but you lost a lot of firepower that day. Jura alone won't be a problem."

"I think you are underestimating just how powerful Lamia Scale truly is…" Lyon said while narrowing his eyes at the smiling Reve.

"Your results last year speak all for you, doesn't it?" Reve replied.

"Okay, okay! How about we all just relax and let the love in?" Chelia attempted to mediate the rapidly escalating situation,

"He's really off the handle this time…" Erza released a heavy sigh at Reve's attitude. It didn't matter what the situation was, he always attempted to assert his superiority over everyone. His attitude put a giant red crosshair on his back…but he had to have known that. "I'm not dealing with his attitude this time. We'll settle things on the battlefield if we must."

During all the commotion, Waiston made his way over to Lucy, slinking an arm around her shoulder like they were old friends. "Yo, Lucy! Digging the new look!" He said, referring to the marking along her arm and neck.

Lucy rolled her eyes at Waiston's approach, unsure if he was coming to try and flirt with her or what. "What do you want, Waiston?" The blonde asked dryly, forcefully removing Waiston's arm from around her shoulder.

Despite Lucy's attitude, Waiston kept smiling. "These Games are gonna be intense, yeah? You should probably stay away from Luke if you want to do well for your team. You still haven't beaten him even once right? This is just a friendly warning. I'd hate to see the rug be pulled out from under you." With that said, he departed, leaving Lucy to her thoughts.

"Tch…" Lucy sucked her teeth. She knew Waiston was just trying to rattle her, but his words were still true nonetheless. If she had to face off against Luke she'd likely lose again, and in the Games a single loss could make or break the momentum for any team. "He's just trying to get under my skin. It won't bother me."

After the commotion settled down, a messenger entered the hotel. More specifically, it was Hisui with that pumpkin mask on her head. Was this for clever disguise, or was she forced to wear it? Who knew… "Ahem! Kabo!"

"…Is that a pumpkin…" Reiss tilted his head.

"The preliminaries are set to start soon." Hisui said. "Will Fairy Tail A and B, White Eclipse B, Shaman's Haven, Lamia Scale, and Spacial Radiance come to the stadium. Things will be different this time around…Kabo." Once she said that, the Princess made her leave.

"Looks like it's time. Knock 'em dead, rookies." Luke gave the rookie team a nod of encouragement.

.

.

The six teams gathered in the currently empty stadium. It was strange to stand in the arena when there was no crowd or anything. Emmeraude was there to proctor the preliminaries that she set up. "Welcome all to the Grand Magic Games! You six teams are here because you were the last six to sign up. Now I think everyone should have a fair chance…so for that reason I've decided to pit you against each other: team vs. team. These will consist of 3 fights, two one on ones and one tag team fight. The team with the best out of three victories will secure a spot in the Games. There are three spots left so I'm sure you can see where this is going, yes?"

"Strongest three teams get admittance into the Games. Sounds fair enough." Roy gave a nod. "So, Queen, where are we starting?"

"Shaman's Haven vs. Fairy Tail B." Emmeraude told Roy while holding up a sheet of paper. "I'll just be assigning people randomly from this list. So I think the first matchup of the evening will be….Mirajane Strauss vs. Roy. Hopefully this won't be a problem?"

"Not at all." Mira said with a sweet smile.

"I feel bad about having to beat up a lady…but I'd feel even worse if she found out I was holding back!" Under Roy's mask, a smirk was visible.

"You heard them. Clear the arena." Emmeraude clapped her hands and a bright flash of light shone briefly. Those not taking place in the battle were warped to the stands, leaving the arena to Mirajane and Roy. A battle between an Ace and a demon.

Roy formed one bomb in his hand, casually tossing it up and down while staring at Mira. "I can't allow you to stop my guild from having some time in the spotlight…but I want this to be a fun time too. So, let's have a blast, yeah?"

.

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Next Time: Round 1, Start!


	101. Chapter 101: Round 1 Begins!

"Before we begin, allow me to set some ground rules." Emmeraude spoke from the commentator's seat. "They should be obvious by now…but there will be no killing, if the fight isn't settled within 10 minutes then it is deemed a draw, and finally, to add some strategic element to the mix…if any one of you hits the arena edge it shall be deemed a 'ring out'. If you are to get a ring out then you lose. Are we clear?"

"Crystal." Roy said with a nod. He had a habit of juggling various bombs within his hands before a battle started. Even though the mask he always wore covered his face, his lips were still visible as was that grin of anticipation. "Now then…let's have a blast, shall we?"

Mira offered Roy a sweet smile. That smile she gave before she usually caved someone's face in. For the upcoming Games she couldn't allow her team not to make it in. "Let us have a fun time. I am sorry for the potential outcome." A magic seal formed over Mira's body and she entered her Satan Soul. Without wasting anymore words the demoness flew forward as Roy began chucking bombs at her. Several explosions occurred around Mira but she was nimble enough to dodge them. With darkness magic swirling around her fist, the S class demon swung right at Roy's face…but it was caught! "Hmm?"

"Ooh…you're fast. This may be enjoyable!" Roy smirked before swinging his leg at Mira's midsection. Roy's physical strength was a little more than Mira was prepared for and she was knocked into the air. "Not bad, she-devil. By the way…you got a little something on your hand now."

"Huh…?" Mira took a glance at her hand, noticing the magic seal Roy planted on her! She clenched her fist and held her arm away from her body, allowing the ensuing explosion to be as far away as possible. That didn't stop it from hurting, but she acted as though such a ruse didn't faze her in the slightest. "An explosive seal…I see…how tricky."

"Sneaky, right? Being a thief does that." Roy said with a smirk. "Now come down and play won't you?" Just to entice Mira to come down to the ground, Roy began throwing a series of explosives in her direction. The various explosions in the air did force Mira to move, but whether or not it was a part of Roy's plan was yet to be seen.

Mira used the smoke from the explosions as cover. With her speed she appeared by Roy's side within the blink of an eye, hands cupped at her sides as a sphere of darkness formed within the empty space between her palms. "Demon Blast!" Mira extended her arms forward, allowing this sphere to take the shape of a gigantic blast of darkness magic that struck Roy in the chest, pushing him backwards towards the arena's edge!

"She got him!" Gray exclaimed with a wide grin.

"Roy…!" Mason shouted in worry.

…But Roy was the only one not concerned with the direct hit. Truth be told, he saw it coming a mile away…he only wanted to ascertain Mira's strength. So far he was not pleased with the outcome. "I hope you can hit harder than that…" Roy mumbled before pointing one hand behind him. A large explosion erupted from the palm of his hand, killing his backwards momentum and instead shot him forward! Roy closed the distance between himself and Mira in a heartbeat, placing both hands forward as two seals appeared on his palms; blue and yellow, lightning and water! The high pressurized water was filled with salt, allowing the strong voltage of lightning to course through with ease.

Mira crossed her arms to defend against such a blow, but it was much stronger than she anticipated. The water/lightning combo pushed her back while her muscles began to tighten and seize up from the electricity. Roy didn't stop there either! He was going for the ring out and pushed off while holding a green bomb in his hand. With a flick of his wrist this bomb was pressed against Mira's stomach and erupted in a violent explosion of air that lifted Mira off her feet, sending her towards the arena wall!

"Oh no! Mira!" Lucy cried out.

Despite the situation, Mira was calm. She realized that Satan Soul was no good against someone like Roy who was an Ace for a reason. Mira closed her eyes as another magic seal formed around her body. She skipped Halpas and went right to Sitri! Flames exploded from her feet to reverse her momentum and she flew right at Roy with incredible speeds, aiming her elbow right at his face! Roy countered with his own arm and the two colliding caused a shockwave to boom out, nearly leveling the arena right off the bat. Roy faced Mira with a smirk. This is what he was waiting to see. "There we go…I knew you were holding back. I see everything after all."

Reiss crossed his arms as Mira transformed. "I remember this form…she's really strong, but that one demon from a while ago made short work of that…" He shuddered from the memory. Things really got too close for comfort with Sayla. "I wonder if this Ace is any stronger than that demon."

"No way." Gray shook his head, smirking at the rookie's remark. "Mira will take down that masked weirdo in a few minutes like nothing."

"Look at this noob doubting Roy. And I thought I was the jokester…" Mason pointed to Gray while snickering. He purposely made sure Gray could hear it, which only ticked off the ice mage.

Roy was prepared to retaliate with his free hand but found that his body's movements were…cut off?! His body wasn't moving in the way he wanted it too. Color him surprised as Mira's fiery leg slammed into his chest and another right into his mask. Now the explosive ace was sent staggering against his will before coming to a halt. "Oh…? You halted my movements…?"

Sayla's Macro Curse was very handy. Of course Roy didn't need to know what it was and Mira only offered a smirk in response. "If every little thing I do truly surprises you, I wonder how you've obtained the title of Ace…"

To that Roy couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh, I didn't think a sweet thing like you could take pot shots like that! I'm impressed. But I think you've also yet to notice that you're standing in a minefield." Roy pointed at the ground, specifically at Mira's feet. There were several magic seals along the arena and one under Mira's feet.

"…!" Flames exploded from Mira's feet to send her away from the explosions. She had to maneuver carefully as the entire field was laced with mines. When did Roy even put these down!? She had not a clue but she could not afford to take even the slightest misstep.

In the midst of Mira's dodging, Roy used the smoke from the explosions to sneak up behind Mira. Everyone was surprised at how deft the Shaman's Haven's Ace was! Roy held onto Mira, unable to help but give a coy smile because he knew exactly where he was touching. "Got ya." Roy then preformed a judo flip and the moment Mira hit the ground she exploded!

"Agh…" Mira flipped, preparing to launch herself at Roy…but she exploded again! Two explosions within the span of several seconds was a rather jarring experience! But she shook it off and pushed forward yet again, placing her palm against Roy's chest. An explosion of flames and darkness erupted on the Ace's chest to push him backwards, and it did, but not quite enough to the arena wall. "I'm not finished yet!" Mira extended both of her hands forward, gathering yet another sphere of darkness within the palms of her hands. Once again she released another beam of darkness magic towards Roy; however this one was much stronger than her Demon Blast. This Satanic Blast sliced through the arena while barreling towards Roy.

Roy whistled at the strength of the incoming attack. Even he knew that wasn't something he wanted to take head on…and he wouldn't. Instead he summoned his bomb back and held it forward as a loud suction noise became audible. The Satanic Blast was…being absorbed into Roy's bomb bag! "Whoa…! Now that's a strong attack!"

"What the hell!?" Natsu's hands pressed against the railing and he stared wide eyed as Roy essentially made a snack out of Mira's attack. "He…ate it?!"

"He didn't eat it…his bag did." Erza explained. She was just as shocked as everyone else, but she could understand where Roy's prowess came from. "His magic is similar to requip…his infinite supply of bombs must come from that bag; meaning that the bag must be a celestial item. Since its supply is limitless, that means whatever goes out, or into the bag has no limit."

"Where the hell did he get an item like that?!" Natsu asked as though anyone had an answer. The only one who knew was Roy, and a thief never divulged such secrets without a fair price.

After the bomb bag inhaled the entirety of the Satanic Blast, Roy slung said item over his shoulder, grinning widely. "Not bad, demon…but let's see how well you stand up against your own power." Roy swung the bag around once before carelessly tossing it at Mira's direction. The bag itself turned into a bomb! Mira realized this and used her flames to shoot high into the sky just as the bomb made contact with the ground. The result was a widespread explosion of darkness magic that kicked up a powerful gust of wind. Everyone had to shield their eyes from the air.

"Whoa…!" Micaiah covered her eyes as the wind raged violently.

"WILD!" Bacchus drunkenly exclaimed.

That explosion had Mira sweating a little. If she was hit by that…it would've been game over. As the smoke cleared Roy was still on the ground. Perhaps he had no methods other than throwing bombs to strike Mira, which gave her the advantage. "He's a dangerous one indeed…but this match will last no more." That said the demoness swiped her hand to the side, creating multiple spheres of darkness around her being. With a silent command these spheres began raining down on Roy!

"Oh yeah, it's totally over now!" Cynthia shouted with a cheeky grin. Laxus wanted to agree, but his silence spoke volumes about his uncertainty on that regard.

"Don't be so sure about that, dragon slayer…" Satoshi muttered while tilting his hat.

Roy held his hand out, grinning madly as he encapsulated the spheres Mira sent within his own pitch black orbs. This caused everyone to go wide-eyed at such a feat. "That would've been pretty dangerous, I admit…but that explosive demon inspired me with a trick of his. I would never use this on a person like he did…but its uses are extremely practical." With a snap of his fingers the air was alight with numerous explosions! Not even Mira was able to defend herself from the explosions and fell from the sky.

"…." Mira grimaced, fighting hard to stay conscious. Even though her sight was blurry she could see her landing zone was nothing more than a landmine Roy used before and she had to avoid that at all cost! Flames appeared from her feet once more to push her off to the side…and right into Roy's arms so to speak.

"It's over." Roy placed his palm on Mira's stomach. Her takeover vanished and a powerful burst of wind pushed her backwards at a violent velocity while shredding her clothing. Mira hit the arena wall and a noticeable imprint was left from impact. Ring out.

"That's a ring out." Emmeraude said while clapping softly. "With only 2 minutes to spar as well…a battle between high caliber mages is truly entertaining to watch. I can't wait to see what the true Games themselves bring. So far, Shaman's Haven is only one win away from entering the Games over Fairy Tail B."

Mira sat against the wall, slumped. She wasn't down and out…just down. She still had the strength to fight, but the technicality was her undoing. She sat silently, frowning at her performance. Roy was truly a strong opponent…was that the extent of her power? Not entirely, but she didn't want to unleash something that could potentially put those around her in danger. And even if she had, Roy may have still won. The frown was replaced with a soft smile towards the Ace. "That was a good fight…next time I'll be sure win."

"Of course." Roy said with a nod. "I'll be waiting for that rematch, sweet heart."

From above the stands, a familiar female watched Mira's fight pan out. Takeba gave several silent nods at the demon's performance before letting out a content sigh. "Ooooh…that's good. What an interesting woman…I believe I was right to keep an eye on her. How I do wish to see things play out later…I'll have so much fun when the time comes…~"

.

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Next Time: Round 2: Double Trouble!

Sorry for the lack of updates! I was out of town longer than I would've liked and was unable to write during that time. But regular updates will be returning very shortly and I will make sure this arc is enjoyable from beginning to end! Thank you for your patience and for reading as always!


	102. Chapter 102: Round 2, Double Trouble

"Are you all right, Mira?" Lucy asked as Mira made her way back to the stands.

"Mhm." Mira responded with a soft smile. "A little bruised, but I should be fine for tomorrow in case I have to fight."

Wendy inched closer, holding her palms forward as a soft sea green light emitted. Wendy's healing magic began to soothe Mira's wounds. "Here, let me heal you just in case."

To that, Mira smiled at Wendy. "Thank you, Wendy. You're a sweetheart."

Meanwhile on the other side of the stands Roy was getting praised from his guild. Mason patted Roy on the back with a huge grin. "You're so cool Roy! You made that look so easy!"

"Yeah, she really didn't stand a chance…" Azur remarked.

"That was incredible, Roy!" Melanie grinned.

"Now now…" Roy waved a hand to dismiss his guild mate's remarks. "It's important to never underestimate your foe. That lady was as strong as she is beautiful. I honestly felt bad having to attack her, but that's why I made sure to avoid her face. I may be a thief, but I don't perform heinous acts."

"I'm glad to know he was worried about hitting my face…" Mira placed a hand on her cheek and laughed softly.

"Eh, mask guy doesn't seem that tough. I could take him." Ramman said with a confident grin. "He would never see how fast I can move."

"He'd clean your clock. Don't be delusional…" Micaiah scoffed while rolling her eyes. She was certainly glad she didn't have to deal with Roy.

"Don't you train with Luke personally?" Ramman questioned. "I don't see how anyone training under someone like him couldn't be tough."

"As riveting as your conversations are…it's time we moved onto the second bout." Emmeraude drew everyone's attention back to the main event before reading from the next set of names she had ready. "We'll be moving onto the two versus two next. Mason Calvot and Azur Shitsujun vs Cynthia Rose and Wendy Marvell."

"Oh, we're up next!" Cynthia smiled at nodded at Wendy.

"You two got this!" Natsu exclaimed. He had high hopes for the duo.

"Don't lose." Laxus stated bluntly. If Cynthia and Wendy did lose, Fairy Tail B would be out of the Games for sure. That wasn't any pressure or anything. But it wasn't something they couldn't handle either. Laxus wouldn't say such a thing aloud, but he sure thought it.

Emmeraude stared at her list and those who were present. She was wondering why she heard drunk yelling earlier from Bacchus who she was sure wasn't even on the list. "I don't recall allowing drunkards in this ring…did I miss something…?" Soon enough she found the problem: Spacial Radiance was a no show to begin with. Right behind them was Quatro Cerberus…which she labeled Quatro Puppy. "Ah…It seems I am at fault for such a mistake. A shame…"

"I was informed that Spacial Radiance was unable to attend due to business. Draco apologies for the inconvenience." Hisui explained.

Queen's mistake aside, Wendy and Cynthia met Mason and Azur in the arena. Both sides were ready for combat on Emmeraude's mark. Azur cut his eyes at Mason and said only one thing: "Don't get in my way, shorty."

"Psh." Mason scoffed at such an insinuation. "My back is already hurting from already having to carry you." The teen then turned to Cynthia and Wendy and winked. "Okay so…if we win, I get to pick which one of you to go out with. That sound fair?"

"Ew…." Cynthia shuddered at the thought. Why did Mason always have to torment them with such flirtatious intentions? It was always hard to tell if he was serious or not!

"We won't lose!" Wendy said with a firm nod. That was about the best way to respond without sounding too rude in turning Mason down.

"Are both sides ready?" Emmeraude asked while scribbling some things down on her list. She had to rewrite some things after all. "Begin."

"Arms! Armor! Vernier!" Wendy began by spreading her arms out. A soft light enveloped both her and Cynthia, increasing their strength, speed, and defense!

As soon as the boost occurred Cynthia sprinted forward with her increased speed, skidding to a halt with her hand gripping the wrist of her extended ar. "Flame Palm!" From Cynthia's palm, an enlarged burst of Omega Flames shot forth, covering a wide distance that forced Mason and Azur to split up before they were consumed by the flames. Wendy and Cynthia acted on a dime, Cynthia pushing off to pursue Azur while Wendy took Mason. Cynthia's leg ignited in cerise flame and she swung it at Azur with monstrous force. "Talons!" Her fiery leg didn't quite hit its mark as the male blocked it. "Uh…"

"Nice try kid." Azur scoffed before parting his lips, releasing a condensed blast of water vapor at Cynthia point blank. Though the damage was reduced from Armor, she was still blown backwards as a result.

As for Wendy, she pursued Mason with wind wrapped around her leg. "Sky Dragon's Talon!" Wendy swung her leg at Mason's midsection, but the attack was blocked with his arms. To prevent any sort of close counter the wind around Wendy's leg pushed Mason back. She heard Cynthia's cry from being hit and turned to see if she was okay, but that was her mistake as always.

"Where are you looking!? Not at his handsome devil!" Mason remarked as his cheeks inflated. His eyes briefly flashed pink, inflicting infatuation on Wendy once again as she stared at up. Such an effect was only temporary as the young man unleashed his attack. "Wail!" Lips parted, releasing a powerful screech of sound that pushed Wendy back into Cynthia. Mason then drew his slingshot, pulling the pellet back as a colorless magic seal formed right in front of him. "Roy taught me this one!" Mason released the string, allowing the pellet to shatter the magic circle and fly towards the two girls, where it exploded and sent them flying backwards!

"Oh! Watch out you two!" Lucy cried out.

"They're such a good team…only held back by their concern for one another." Mavis remarked as her eyes narrowed.

"Do you think they're ready to be on the same team, First?" Laxus asked while quirking a brow. "Sure…they can do some work together. But they hold each other back despite not meaning to."

Mavis smiled that soft smile of hers, giving Laxus a nod in response. "Of course. I think they're ready. Just watch."

"Ooof…" Cynthia stood up, rubbing her head after the explosion. "Sorry…are you okay."

"I'm fine." Wendy responded with a nod. "Come on, we're not done yet!" The two girls nodded to each other and began to inhale. Once their lips parted they released their respective roars forward, only for them to merge almost instantly. A vortex of omega flames and wind barreled across the arena, soaring directly towards Mason and Azur!

"Oh crap…" Mason gulped at the incoming dual roar coming their way. "Azur!"

"Already on it." Azur stepped forward, allowing hardened ash to cover his body. The dual roar slammed into his defensive prowess and he started to slide back. Azur did hold his ground long enough for the roar to disperse, however Cynthia and Wendy were no longer in their former positons.

"Huh…?" Mason turned around, spotting Wendy behind them! "She's there! But where's…"

"Over there…!" Azur pointed. Cynthia was just in front of them. "Wait, is this some sandwich technique?" As Azur spoke, the wind around the Shaman Haven's pair began to pick up drastically. Multiple twisters began forming around Azur and Mason, severely reducing their mobility and escape options.

"Huh…?!" Mason tried to move, but the winds were coming at such a rate he could barely do anything.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art…" Wendy twisted her body clockwise as the wind began to converge around Mason and Azur to keep them still while also inflicting damage. At the same time a condensed, yet large beam of light shot forth, ripping through the Domus Flau as it soared towards the two trapped opponents. "Shattering Light: Sky Drill!"

And on the opposite side, Cynthia reared her arms back, vermillion flames erupting in a blazing wildfire around her arms. With one foot placed firmly on the ground, Cynthia spun her body in a counterclockwise rotation. "Secret Art: Crimson Slash!" Cynthia unleashed a ferocious spiral of red flames that tore apart the arena. Both secret arts met in the middle of the battlefield, capturing Mason and Azur within their own destruction wake. The two attacks then ended in a large scale explosion, shaking the very arena! The wild winds made everyone cover their eyes.

"Ah…" Erza closed her eyes after the explosion.

As the trembling settled and the smoke cleared, the result of this fight was obvious. Mason and Azur were down, slumped against one another in a KO'ed state. Emmeraude blinked at such a display of power. "Such power the next generation of mages contain…well, the battle has been decided. That makes the score 1-1 for Fairy Tail B and Shaman's Haven. The next winner will be admitted into the Games. I do hope that leaves no pressure for you."

"We did it!" Cynthia and Wendy high fived each other after victory.

"See, there was absolutely nothing to worry about." Mavis flashed the others a smile. "Just one more victory and we'll see at least one team in the Games. But I have faith whoever is up next and our A team will be able to push through as well. If I had to make an accurate prediction…I foresee both of our teams making it through. I can't accurate gauge the strength of this White Eclipse team, but I have the feeling they are not to be underestimated."

"Heh…" Natsu had a grin on his lips. The Games had truly yet to begin and things were already exciting. His blood was pumping and he slammed one fist into his palm. "This is already getting good!"

"Now then…" Emmeraude waved her hand once again, repairing the damage dealt to the arena to make it good as new. "You mages are so destructive. I have to keep reinforcing the arena yet it still ends up getting destroyed after each battle." A sigh escaped the Queen and she crossed one leg over the other as the battlefield was now clear. "Right…so for this final round, I'll need both Laxus Dreyar and Melanie Hasani to step forth. This will be for the final round between Fairy Tail B and Shaman's Haven. Both sides can handle the pressure, right? Please do provide entertainment…"

"You got this Laxus!" Natsu said with a grin.

"Don't let us down now. She doesn't look like she could break a twig…" Gajeel scoffed. Melanie was a dragon slayer so she'd receive the benefit of the doubt, but this was also Laxus.

"I won't hold back if that's what you're wondering." Laxus said while making his way to center stage. "We're here to win. A bad matchup isn't my problem."

"Don't hurt her too badly…" Mira offered a small smile as Laxus left. Whether or not he heard her was a different story.

"You can do this…!" Mason offered Melanie a weary thumbs up. That loss did hurt both his pride and body, but he had faith Melanie could turn the tables for them.

"H-He's a little big…and scary…but…" Melanie gave a firm nod. "I can take him…!"

While Melanie was hyping herself up, Satoshi let out a silent scoff while drinking some sake. Dragon Slayers were still not his favorite thing in the world, but Melanie was a part of his guild at the same time, so he just remained silent. "…."

"She's totally gonna die out there…" Reiss remarked while leaning against the railing. All this fighting got him excited and he was wishing it was White Eclipse's turn to fight already!

Melanie and Laxus met in the arena, standing a few feet away from each other. Laxus' coat wavered in the wind and he cracked his knuckles, sparks dancing around his body faintly. "All right, kid…let's get this over with quickly. I don't intend on playing around."

.

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Next Time: Lightning Rounds!


	103. Chapter 103: Lightning Rounds

"You know…this doesn't look very fair at first glance…" Raven remarked while Melanie had to stare down Laxus Dreyar of all people. "I don't want to count her out, but uh…"

"No, you're right to be skeptical." Lyon remarked. "I don't expect this to last very long."

"Hey!" Mason shouted, offended at the open doubt at his guild mate. "She'll be fine. Laxus is nothing, you'll see!"

"There ya go. Showing faith in your team." Roy gave a nod of approval.

"No…I get it…" Melanie mumbled. The last time she was at the Grand Magic Games, she was with Twilight Zone, and even then she didn't participate much. So it was no surprise that a mage like Laxus held the crowd favor…and if she were to be honest, she knew she didn't have much of a chance against him either. Water and lightning were never a good mix anyway. "I may not win…but I'm going to do my best!"

"Are both sides ready? Then begin." Emmeraude gave the order for the fight to start.

"Cute." Laxus retorted while crossing his arms. Lightning began to dance around his body before a strong bolt dropped down from the sky. As always the lightning dragon was seeking to end a fight as quickly as it started.

Melanie realized the danger and took a leap backwards immediately, almost getting caught by the falling bolt of lightning. Blue eyes narrowed and she inhaled, lurching her head forward as she unleashed a potent stream of water towards the S class Fairy. "Water Dragon's Roar!"

"…" Laxus didn't even utter a sound. His body surged with electricity as his Lightning Body took effect and he flew off to the side, avoiding the Roar before it even came close to hitting him. With his speed he closed the distance within the blink of an eye, slamming his fist into Melanie's chest before her Water Body could even take effect.

"Ahhhh!" Melanie let out a cry of pain as Laxus' simple punch did so much damage. The female managed to hold her ground and skidded across the battlefield before coming to a halt. She didn't even have a chance to breathe as Laxus was already behind her with his hands raised and linked over his head. The Jaw of the Lightning Dragon slammed into Melanie's skull and crushed the poor girl into the ground with a deafening thud.

"Oooof…you could at least pretend to take it easy on her…" Roy said with a heavy shrug.

"Laxus dusted his hands off, lifting a brow to see if the other dragon slayer was done. "…You finished yet kid?" Perhaps he spoke too soon for a geyser of scaling hot water erupted around Laxus, keeping his movements limited while blasting him with boiling water. "Tch…!"

"I've got you now…!" Melanie exhaled once again, this time release a sticky fluid made to bound Laxus in place. It was all according to plan! Now with Laxus trapped in place she placed her hands on the ground, generating a massive tidal wave that towered over the arena. "I may not be able to beat you in a contest of strength, but I can at least push you out! Ocean Dragon's Crushing Tsunami!" With her verbal command the large wave of water crashed down on the battlefield, aiming to sweep up the immobile Laxus and push him to the edge for a ring out.

"Hell yeah!" Mason screamed excitedly. "Push him out! He doesn't stand a chance now!"

"Is this going to be our first upset?" Emmeraude quirked a brow.

But alas…things were not going to go as Melanie predicted; not even close. Laxus unleashed a massive discharge of lightning from his body, pushing away the sticky substance around his body while causing a crack in the ground. These cracks drained the water and the field was back to normal within an instant. Laxus cracked his neck while staring at the smaller dragon slayer. "…Well, that was a cute warm up. But if you're going to get serious, let's get started."

"…." Melanie was frozen. Laxus completely blew through her plan like it was nothing! But she couldn't stop now. She had to win for her guild! The female sprinted forward as a watery claw formed along her arm. "Haaaaaa!"

Laxus' jaw dropped and a Lightning Dragon's Roar was unleashed immediately. Melanie didn't even have any time to prepare for it and the blast of lightning pushed her backwards near the arena's edge. Laxus let out a small exhale, only somewhat surprised to see Melanie still standing, but barely. She was having some sort of internal struggle as sparks continuously danced around her body. "Huh…?"

"I…won't go down…!" Melanie let out a roar as water and lightning surged around her dual mode. Despite the damage the roar gave her, she ingested some of its power to grant her a dual mode of Water and Lightning!

"You gotta be kiddin' me…" Laxus let out a sigh. This was the second time someone consumed his magic, however it wasn't intentional this time.

"Ooooh, what's this?" Roy quirked a brow. "A Dual Mode, huh? Seems like dragon slayers nowadays can't go very far without one of those…"

"Haaaaaa!" Melanie was working off some deep primal instinct now. Several geysers imbued with lightning rose from the ground sporadically in attempt to rise up against Laxus; however his Lightning Body evasion made it difficult for any of these geysers to hit their mark. As Laxus evaded Melanie began to inhale once more. Water and lightning surged around her mouth as she prepared to pour everything into this one attack. "Roar….!" But she didn't get another word out, Laxus was faster than she anticipated and his lightning infused leg slammed right into her gut. The impact was strong enough to send Melanie right into the wall faster than one could blink. There was a huge dent in the wall and Melanie slumped over, KO'ed.

"Both a ring out and a KO. I see someone has an eye for efficiency and a bit of overkill…" Emmeraude chuckled quietly at the result. "That is the second win for Fairy Tail B. They now have a spot in the Games. Good show Shaman's Haven."

"Ah well…it was a good effort." Roy shrugged while leaping over the railing to go and retrieve Melanie. "You all did very well, so I can't be upset. Besides, I don't mind watching."

"Woo! Nice job Laxus!" Natsu said with a wide grin.

"It was pretty simple…" Laxus said with a short exhale. He wasn't going to say anything more about it and began to make his way back to the stands. He won and that was the only important part.

"Psssh!" Ramman waved his hand around. "I bet he feels all smug after that win."

"To be fair…" Micaiah began. "He only needed roughly three attacks…granted she did put up a good fight, I doubt she would've gotten very far even with that dual mode. Her ideas were smart…but that Lightning Dragon looks really strong…"

"Psh." Ramman scoffed. "You say that like the strongest Lightning Dragon isn't here right now. I'll leave him in the dust with my speed. The others have clashed him before, right? Then it'll be easy."

"They also have more experience in battle than we do…" Saraya mumbled. The Tartarus incident was still fresh in her mind…

"We've one set of fights out of the way, now onto the next." Emmeraude slowly moved her finger to the next set of names. "Lamia Scale vs. White Eclipse B. I understand Lamia Scale is missing Jura Neekis as he is to attend Wizard Saint duty. Even though the initial list has changed, his role hasn't."

"…Thank goodness. I was not looking forward to having to fight him." Tyson said with a sigh of relief.

"Psh, don't be a wimp." Reiss said with a scoff. "I could take him."

"Don't be a dumbass, dumbass." Tyson immediately retorted. "We all know he'd chop your ass into the ground in an instant."

.

After the first set of fights there was a brief intermission. Shaman's Haven returned to the hotel since they were still allowed to spectate the Games when they began the following day. Fairy Tail B was free to go since they were admitted a spot in the Games due to their efforts. Laxus decided to leave, for they'd be delivering the good news to the others that they had at least one team in. Cynthia, Wendy, Mira, and Juvia decided to stay and watch the A team battle when their time came.

"Right…so are we ready to resume? There's still plenty of time left in the day and I would love to carry on with the rest of my day for tomorrow." Emmeraude offered a smile, but it was clear she was pushing for these battles to be done.

"The lady is sure in a rush…" Blues mumbled.

"Now…from Lamia Scale, we'll start with the tag battle. Micaiah and Ralo Reiss vs. Raven Crow and Chelia Blendy." Emmeraude stated.

Chelia blinked, staring at Raven curiously. "…Your last name is Crow?"

"Yeah." Raven responded with a shrug as the two began to make their way to the arena. "Did I not ever tell you that?"

"Nope." Chelia shook her head, now pondering about things off in the future to say the least. "…Hmmmmm…it could work…."

"All right Micaiah, let's go. We got this!" Reiss said while tugging Micaiah along.

"W-Wait! I can walk myself…." Micaiah cried out as she was pulled to the arena.

"Chelia's fighting…?" Wendy leaned on the railing with a slight frown. "…I know she's been having trouble figuring out what to do since she lost her magic…but how is she planning on fighting…?"

"Take a look at her back." Cynthia pointed to the bow strapped to Chelia's back. It looked just like Raven's Fujin Yumi. "When I fought her during the Tartarus incident, she and Raven shot at me a lot with those bows…it was really annoying. But she's gotten really good at using it. It has a limit to how much magic she can use since she can no longer use magic herself."

"Awww….that's so sweet." Mira's hand was on her cheek. "He went that far just so she wouldn't feel out of place."

"They just need to hurry up and kiss already…" Cynthia grumbled.

"WE'RE FINE…!" Chelia shouted from below. She definitely heard Cynthia.

"…What an odd girl." Emmeraude shrugged. "Now…start!"

Raven was the first one to start. He drew his bow before anyone had the chance to react and the bowstring materialized within an instant. By the time anyone realized what was happening, Raven's singular arrow of wind turned into a large twister that shredded the arena while racing towards the two Eclipse mages.

"What the…!?" Reiss and Micaiah both jumped to opposite sides as the tornado ripped apart the field. "Micaiah! Take the short one! This one's all mine!" Upon saying that the red haired male summoned one of his Native Spirits; this one stood at an amazing eight feet with an overly bulky stature, granite white colored skin with red eyes and a grey cloth wrapped around his waistline. There was a short Mohawk only a few inches high with the rest clean shaven. "Taru! Let's go!" The native spirit lifted both fists into the air before slamming them into the ground, creating a trail of jagged rocks that shoot up from the ground, rushing towards Raven's location.

"Whoa…big guy…" Raven had not the time to awe at Taru's size. Instead he focused on the incoming rocks rushing him down. The male leapt into the air, twisting his body while aiming right at Reiss and his spirit. "Trinity Arrow!" Three arrows were released; water, earth, and fire. All three soared towards Reiss and his spirit with vicious intent.

"Taru!" Reiss exclaimed. Taru's Stone Hide ability came into play. The native spirit covered itself in pieces of rock and earth to increase both its offensive and defensive capabilities. This allowed the spirit to defend itself from the rain of arrows, but Reiss could feel the power from the ensuing explosions. "Man…this guy isn't a bad shot…"

Raven landed back on the ground with a slight smirk on his face. "Not bad…"

Meanwhile, Micaiah was rushing Chelia down. She was aware that this was the rumored 'girl without magic' so she questioned why she was fighting now. Still, that was no means to take her lightly. The maiden's hand shone brightly in a white light as she drew closer. "Elight!" The woman slid to a halt while swinging her hand horizontally to release multiple beams of light towards Chelia's location.

"Hah!" Chelia unstrapped the bow from her back and released several arrows of wind to clash with the Elight. The end result was a cloud of smoke that shrouded both females view. Chelia, however, still retained one thing despite having lost her magic: her ability to read the wind. She could feel Micaiah's presence obstructing the natural flow of the wind and used this to her advantage. A stronger arrow of wind was released, this one striking Micaiah's side for a direct hit!

"Agh…!" Micaiah groaned while glancing at her side. The smoke was thinning and she could see Chelia now. There was a cut on Micaiah's side from the arrow that leaked a bit of blood. "Even in the smoke she hit me..?" Despite the impressive shot she wasn't about to be one upped by someone who didn't even have their own magic. Micaiah continued to sprint forward once again, this time drawing forth her Oathkeeper blade. The blade of light was swiftly brought down on Chelia, who managed to evade the initial slash, however the following slash of cyan light caught her off guard. Chelia staggered off to the side and was pushed back by Micaiah's forceful kick to the gut, and the combo was finished off with a beam of light to her chest to knock her down!

"Chelia…!" Wendy cried out in worry.

"Huh…?" Raven briefly turned his head to see Chelia in trouble.

"Don't take your eyes off me!" Reiss exclaimed while lunging forward, now donning his Summoner's Cloth for Taru. He was fitted with stone bracers around his wrists and ankles that imbued him with Taru's strength and abilities. Reiss aimed a series of punches at Raven's body to keep him busy. With Taru's strength, these punches were going to hit. But to the rookie's chagrin, Raven was adept at dodging and blocking when need be. Raven even managed to fire back his own wind infused punch at Reiss' face to send him staggering backwards. Reiss immediately retaliated with his own hook to Raven's face.

Raven ducked Reiss' next punch, using the opening to leap backwards and draw his bowstring back. The archer then spun in a clockwise circle, shooting off multiple arrows from his location to cover the entire arena. Micaiah realized a little too late and just barely managed to block an arrow. "And Arrow Squall!" Raven pointed his bow up, releasing a large arrow of water that split apart into hundreds of arrows that began raining down!

"You gotta be kiddin' me…? This guy's the real annoyance…" Reiss grumbled while preparing to brace for impact.

"Shine Barrier!" Micaiah's arms extended, creating a barrier of light around herself, Reiss, and Taru despite the fact they were separated. The Arrow Squall was blocked by Micaiah's quick thinking. "Let's switch!" As soon as the rain of arrows died down Micaiah's body briefly vanished, only to reappear before Raven in the blink of an eye! Micaiah's half etherious nature as a light demon allowed her body to literally become light whenever she pleased for fast travel, so image Raven's surprise when the woman covered the entire stadium in an instant. "Light Demon's Impact!" With magic shrouding her fist she swung at Raven's chest. Since she caught him off guard he went flying!

"Agh…!" Raven turned quickly, shooting the arena wall with an arrow that formed a green magic seal on the wall. This seal erupted into a tornado that pushed Raven forward and he rode the wind, zooming past Micaiah while shooting for Reiss once again. Without magic, Chelia was unable to go on the offensive against Reiss and Taru. "Whirlwind Snap!" Raven focused the tornado around his leg and swung it right at Taru! The momentum was more than enough to knock the massive spirit over. Raven then flipped, appearing upside down while he and Chelia both prepared shots. Two arrows of wind were released, merging together to form a drill that struck Reiss in the chest, pushing him backwards before it exploded in a powerful gale.

"Oof…"! Reiss landed hard on his back.

"Thanks…." Chelia smiled sheepishly while rubbing the back of her head. "…Oh! To your left! The other one!"

"Huh?" Raven sharply turned to the left where Micaiah aimed a slash. Raven used his bow to block, and deflect Micaiah off to the side, where Chelia was lying in wait with a fully charged arrow of wind. When she released the arrow its sized mimicked that of a Sky God's Bellow. Needless to say the force pushed Micaiah right back to where Reiss was. "Nice shot!"

"Damn, these two are putting in work…" Rammam remarked. "You better not lose shorty! It'll make me look bad!"

"Oh, put a sock in it…" Reiss grumbled while standing back up. "You good?"

"I'm fine…" Micaiah said while shaking the hits off. "The boy is more of a threat than anything else…but we can't afford to focus on just him and he seems to zip to her rescue quickly. We'll be dealing with one of them no matter how we look at it."

"All right. I know what to do." Reiss cracked his knuckles while glancing at Taru who recovered from Raven's hit prior. "Just follow my lead. And make sure you stay airborne." Now he and Taru were standing back to back. "Hell's Quake!" With this the ground began to tremble and shake violently, jagged stones beginning to pop out sporadically with no real target. This did make Chelia and Raven stagger since the violet tremors made the ground unstable.

"O…Oh come on…" Natsu's face grew pale and he resisted the urge to vomit…somehow. Motion sickness was never kind to the Dragon Slayers. Blues, Cynthia, and Wendy were practically feeling the same way.

Micaiah took advantage of the quaking ground and used Taru as a foot stool to leap high into the air. She spun around a few times to gain momentum as her cheeks inflated. With the opposing pair immobile this was the perfect time to strike. "Light Demon's…." Micaiah was upside down, the perfect distance away to strike. "RAGE!" Lips parted, a torrent of black light shooting out to consume both Chelia and Raven. The two Lamia Scale mages were pushed back into the arena wall as the shaking died down. The two of them lay next each other in KO.

"Ah…! Chelia…!" Wendy and Cynthia were quick to hurry to their friend's side.

"Another ring out and KO combo. White Eclipse B has won the first round!" Emmeraude stated, applauding after. "What a good show. You are all so very entertaining, especially when you make things quick and easy for me."

"That's what I thought." Ramman said with a nod.

"I would've laughed if Reiss got put down by a kid who waves a toy around…." Tyson remarked. A part of him was a little disappointed that it didn't happen.

"Nice job!" Reiss and Micaiah shared a high five with one another for their victory. "I can't wait to tell Vanya the good news…" Micaiah smiled to herself as she and Reiss left the arena.

Meanwhile, Chelia sat with a frown. Even after all that she was really unable to do anything aside from be a burden to Raven and Lamia Scale. She gave it her all, but it just wasn't the same as it used to be. _"I really am nothing without my magic after all…"_

.

.

Next Time: Lightning Rounds, Part 2


	104. Chapter 104: Lightning Rounds, Part 2

"Native summoning, huh…?" Lucy muttered while rubbing her arm. While she may have been barely comfortable with those at Fairy Tail seeing the marks along her arm, she'd rather not everyone else see. "It's almost like my spirit summoning…interesting…"

"Didn't look like much…" Gajeel scoffed.

"Are you okay, Chelia?" Wendy asked while healing her friend's wounds. "You did really great out there!"

"Huh…? Yeah, I'm fine!" Chelia flashed Wendy a smile. "Thanks, Wendy. But Raven really did all the work there. I just backed him up…"

"You're really good with that thing." Cynthia nodded. "Keep it up."

"…Am I just chopped liver here?" Raven said with a heavy sigh.

"Now then…" Emmeraude picked another set of fighters for the next and potentially last round. "Ramman Gold and Yuka Suzuki to the stage."

"Looks like I'm up…" Ramman said while stretching. "Love it when the Queen says my name. Watch me bring it home for White Eclipse B." The tall male chuckled before making his way to the arena.

"Don't let his eyebrows distract you." Micaiah snickered.

"All right Yuka, this is all on you now." Lyon stated. "Don't let us down."

"Before me, magic users will tremble." Yuka stated while calmly making his way to the arena, soon standing before Ramman. Yuka held a calm composure, however Ramman was truly trying his hardest not to laugh at Yuka's eyebrows. "…Is something amusing?" The anti-mage questioned while quirking one of his brows.

"Your eyebrows." Ramman admitted. "Sorry…but I really just can't take you seriously. You wanna trim those down or something?"

"How disrespectful." Yuka shook his head. "I'll teach you some respect after I defeat you in battle."

"GOOD LUCK YUKA! OON!" Toby obnoxiously screamed.

"Are you two done bickering? Yes? If so, let us begin." Emmeraude clapped her hands to signify the beginning of the battle.

"Don't worry Queen; I'll give you a show!" Ramman had a cocky smirk on his lips before he exhaled, releasing a torrent of lightning towards Yuka within the blink of an eye. "Lightning Dragon's Roar!"

"Another Lightning Dragon?!" Natsu said with widened eyes.

"Hmph…" Yuka extended one hand forward, creating a small barrier of anti-magic before him. The incoming lightning roar was nullified the instant it touched Yuka's barrier. "Your magic will be ineffective against me."

"Anti-magic…?" Saraya tilted her head.

"It's like Nullification and Dispelling magic. The user creates a field that disperses the surrounding Erthano and renders all magic based attacks useless." Micaiah explained like the walking wiki she tried to be. "However…there is a bit of a glaring weakness that separates Anti-magic from Nullification and Dispelling…I wonder if Ramman will find it."

"Well…that's annoying." Ramman scoffed as lightning surged around his body. "Then I guess I'll just have to beat the crap out of you!" Ramman's own Lightning Body came into play and he sped forward, cutting across the field in an instant. He appeared at Yuka's left, aiming a kick at his side. Yuka did block the hit, however he slid back slightly.

"Impressive." Yuka turned, pointing his hands forward before releasing several bursts of Wave magic towards Ramman. These waves were imbued with his anti-magic to make the counter attack extremely difficult. "But not good enough! Your magic will not touch me!"

"Hah!" Ramman scoffed as Lightning Body activated once again. He weaved through the incoming bursts of Wave magic with ease. "You talk big, Eyebrows! But there's one thing you didn't think about beforehand! You can't touch me!" Ramman closed the distance with lightning dancing around his fists. Just as he was about to throw his punch, Yuka formed a barrier in front of his body. However this was precisely what Ramman was predicting this and sharply changed directions to appear behind Yuka. Nobody saw it happen, but the moment of impact was a flash of lightning that sent Yuka flying backwards into the arena wall face first.

"That was…." Emmeraude blinked a few times, taken aback at how quickly the match ended. There was a pleased smile on her face. "That was the quickest battle thus far. Very impressive. White Eclipse B has triumphed over Lamia Scale and has joined their A team in the Games."

Ramman landed on his feet, dusting his hands off. "Hah. Too easy."

"…" Lyon had a state of shock on his face. Did Lamia Scale really not even make it into the Games this year!? "A-Ah….damn…."

"Talk about a sweep." Gray said with a slight scoff. "Sorry Lyon, but it doesn't look like we'll have that rematch anytime soon. Better luck next time."

"Laxus got nothing on me!" Ramman proudly exclaimed. Unfortunately Laxus left before the fighting started so he didn't get the chance to see Ramman in action. Even though it was highly likely he wouldn't have been impressed anyway. "That was just the warm up. Wait until you really see me in action!" With a smug grin, Ramman returned to the stands while Yuka returned dejectedly. Lamia Scale left shortly after that, not wanting to show their disappointment.

"Not bad, loudmouth." Tyson said with a slight nod.

"This was just the beginning." Ramman said. "The ladies know what this man can do now. It'll only be a matter of time until they flock to me…and then in the Games I'll be coppin' numbers left and right."

"Least you got a good idea for once." Reiss said with a nod of agreement.

"Men." Micaiah and Saraya both palmed their faces at Ramman's remark.

"Now we only have more string of matches left before the Games can begin tomorrow. Fairy Tail A vs. Quatro Puppy…no, Cerberus!" The Queen cleared her throat, letting out a somewhat nervous giggle at her slip up. "My apologies…"

"Even her? That's not wild…" Bacchus mumbled while taking a sip from his gourd.

"Regardless…the first of the final three matches will be…Rocker vs. Lucy Heartfilia…." Emmeraude trailed off. Something about Lucy's name rang a faint bell in her head. "Huh…that's odd…"

"Wish me luck!" Lucy said while pumping her fist into the air.

"You got this, Lucy!" Natsu grinned while giving his partner a high five.

"LET'S GO ROCKER!" The members of Quatro Cerberus screamed. "WILD….."

"FOUR!" Rocker threw up four fingers while making his way to the arena, feeling pumped from the encouragement of his wild guild mates.

As Lucy and Rocker entered the stage, Emmeraude couldn't help but keep her eyes on Lucy. "…You two may begin when ready. Make it quick." And the fight was off! And every time Lucy moved, Emmeraude couldn't stop looking at Lucy. There was some strange familiarity with the girl the Queen could not shake. "This girl…"

"Is something wrong…?" Hisui noticed Emmeraude's stare and couldn't help but show curiosity. "You're looking at Lucy rather intently. Do you know her?"

"I…I'm not sure." Emmeraude responded. "Something about her seems familiar…perhaps we have met once, but I am unsure. Her magical presence is familiar to me."

"Hm…" Hisui stared forward with a slight smile. "Lucy is one of the few Celestial Spirit mages left in the world…barring Yukino from Sabertooth, a former mage of Tartarus and myself. There may be a few more lingering about, but they are the only ones that come to mind at the moment."

"I see…" Emmeraude nodded slowly.

Lucy donned her Stardress: Taurus for the added power behind her attacks. With her whip draw, she whipped it forward with incredible earth splitting force. Rocker was more than fast enough to dodge this and his magic manifested into the form of a drill around his arm as he sprinted forward. "Wild! But not wild enough! Take this!"

"…!" Lucy crossed her arms, taking the brunt of Rocker's punch while sliding backwards. People often underestimated the Quatro Cerberus mages, but Lucy was being reminded that these hyperactive dudes packed a punch! Rocker's drill punch managed to tear away the sleeve covering her arm, rendering the markings she tried to hide visible. There wasn't much she could do about it but fire back at Rocker with a heavy punch of her own! "Ha!"

"Whoa!" Rocker took Lucy's punch to the chest, the massive strength behind it catching his interest. "I didn't know you could throw hands! This is gonna be a WILD fight after all!" The mage grinned before sprinting forward once again.

"TAKE HER DOWN ROCKER!" Warcry exclaimed while letting loose a waterfall of tears.

The longer Emmeraude stared, the more she started to recognize Lucy. She could see it now; those black marks along her arm and neck…the faint red aura that was just barely visible to the untrained eye if they looked hard enough. _"I recognize this woman now…she was the one who tried to stop me all those months ago…"_

.

.

[Flashback: Isle of The Dragons: Between Chapters 1-6.]

Emmeraude was hidden away in a lab within Fiore, several test tubes and computers at her disposal. One of the tubes contained some sort of blackish red substance and floated eerily within, while other contained people placed in stasis for an unknown amount of time. It seems she was frustrated with something at the time. "Ugh! Damn that Ashnard! First he has the gall to ship off my glorious Protos Heis to this backwater country…then he exiles me!? This is because he was worried about the failure of the first Lambda Virus…a powerful weapon indeed…but to even that the King frightened?" Perhaps she was just mad about the scenario, but being branded as a traitor didn't exactly put anyone in a good mood. "Hmph…it matters not. I'll show that horrible excuse of a ruler just what he's missing when I infected the strongest mages and have them answer to me. Then I shall use my Queenly Majesty to erase the memory of the current ruler and have an entire country under my heel. It's a full proof plan…however in order for it to work; I need to figure out what happened to my Protos Heis. She is the only thing that can stop the Virus…and if she's gone rogue that will pose an issue. The data I extracted from that Little Queen is still in Pergrande. If not for that I could have mass produced more of them by now." She was talking to herself quite a bit. That was never a good sigh, especially for a scientist, but what could be done? She was peacefully minding her own business until a hole was drilled from the ceiling of her lab. "What the!?"

"We have arrived, Princess." Virgo said while staring up at the hole she created. "Is it punishment time?"

Lucy dropped down from the hole in her Stardress: Virgo. Upon landing she could only shake her head frantically at Virgo's insistent request for punishment. "No…! Stop asking that! I'm not going to punish you!"

"Who the hell are you?" Emmeraude calmly asked while placing her hands on her hips. "And how did you find this place? I made sure to stay as far away from society as possible…"

"I've dealt with mad scientists before…" Lucy remarked while turning to Emmeraude. "The missing people were reported to go in a certain direction before they just vanished. Put two and two together and it's pretty simple how and where they ended up…now I advise that you let them go right now. Otherwise this is going to get ugly." She was already still pissed off from her argument with Natsu, so Emmeraude was going to make a nice punching bag if things went down the hard way.

Emmeraude pulled out a chain-whip sword, smiling at Lucy. "You've quite some nerve…storming into MY lab and making demands. Do young ladies these days have no tact? If you wish to become a research subject of mine, that's all well and good. My little Lambda has been starving some magic to sustain it…"

"Not on your life. Virgo, go!" Lucy commanded while changing to her Cancer Stardress. Virgo nodded and proceeded to burrow underground while Lucy lunged forward with both swords. Emmeraude whipped her chain forward, the blade extending to slice at Lucy. With both swords she found herself on the defensive. The chain wrapped around her swords and pulled her forward. "Wah…!"

"Little girls like yourself should stay at home with your little guild mates. Or at least you should've brought your little friends." Emmeraude's boot pushed against Lucy's gut to push her back shortly after that did Virgo rise from the ground, clasping Emmeraude's ankles with an ironclad grip. "What…?" Emmeraude attempted to move, however Virgo had no plans of letting her go.

"Thanks Virgo!" Lucy grinned while pushing forward, crossing both blades before her in an X formation. The moment she passed the other woman, Lucy slashed her blades across Emmeraude's chest, slicing through her lab coat.

"Tch…." Emmeraude grimaced in pain as crimson leaked from the fresh wound on her chest, staining her white lab coat red. "How dare you!?" Emmeraude lifted her heel up, forcibly pulling Virgo from the ground to kick her away. The woman then raised her hand, creating multiple ethereal chains. These chains snaked forward while aiming to wrap around Lucy and Virgo.

"Watch out…!" Lucy brought her swords forward in attempt to slash through the chains. She was able to keep this up for a while before the chains eventually wrapped tight around her and Virgo, squeezing the life out of her. "Agh..!" Luckily, Lucy was prepared for this possibility and had a golden key in hand. "Gate of the Crab, I open thee! Cancer!" With a golden shine and a bell chime, Cancer appeared with both scissors in hand.

"Ebi-Ebi…!" Cancer sliced through the chains with his scissors, snipping them a few times while posing.

There was no time to rest. As soon as Lucy was free Emmeraude unleashed a gigantic sphere of darkness in her direction. "Come on…!" Groaning, the celestial wizard crossed her blades as the sphere connected. She was pushed back while trying to fight against it. With a yell, Lucy uncrossed her blades and deflected the sphere into the tube containing the Lambda Virus. The tube shattered instantly and alarms started to flare within the lab. "Huh…? That doesn't sound good…"

"No!" Emmeraude completely ignored Lucy and went to her computer. "You stupid girl! What have you done?!" The woman pressed multiple buttons but it was all to no avail. "This isn't good…the lab could blow up at any moment…! It wasn't prepared to be unleashed yet…!"

"What!? Blow up!?" Lucy's eyes widened at those words. There were still people to be saved! But there was no time as the ceiling started to crumble; large pieces of debris started to fall. Lucy returned Cancer and Virgo to the Spirit World with a forced gate closure. As soon as she did that the ominous red sphere erupted in a flash, causing a large explosion that shook the earth for at least a smile.

Everything blacked out for Emmeraude for who knows how long. When she awoke, her lab was in ruins….but even more importantly, Lucy was gone and Lambda was as well. What did this mean…!? "No…my research…I've lost it…"

[End flashback]

.

.

"Emmeraude…?" Hisui nudged Emmeraude to bring her back to reality. The fight was over; Lucy ko'ed Rocker.

"What? Oh. My apologies…I zoned out for a moment. Lucy is the winner." Emmeraude spoke quickly. The fact she zoned out gave her some strange looks, but that was put aside as Lucy returned to the Fairy Tail side victorious. _"What luck…do you mean to tell me that the one who stopped my research is now in front of me with my Lambda Virus inside her!? Lady Luck has truly smiled upon me…."_

"Are you all right? Your smile is a little worrisome…" Hisui asked with a concerned visage.

"I'm fine…don't worry. I was just thinking about something." Emmeraude said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Anyways…for the next bout…Bacchus Groh and Blues vs. Natsu Dragneel and Gajeel Redfox? Oh…this should be a promising one."

"Don't get in my way, Salamander." Gajeel scoffed.

"Please, I don't even need you." Natsu shot back. The two were already arguing while making their way to the arena. When the two arrived…there was some strange confusion going around. Blues was the only one standing in the arena while Bacchus was still in the stands. "Huh? Blues? Ain't Bacchus comin' down?"

"Nah." Blues shook his head. "I talked about this with everyone in the event I was in a tag team. Let's make a deal. Let's skip the last battle entirely. The loser of this fight will forfeit their spot in the Games to the winning guild."

"You're pretty smug…" Gajeel scoffed while smirking. "Giehehe…you must have a lot of confidence if you think you can even take Salamander in a fight. Let alone myself…or the both of us."

"But do we have a deal?" Blues asked once again.

"You're dumb." Natsu stated, ironically. "But that'll just make this easier for us!" The fire dragon cracked his knuckles, giving the water dragon a wide grin. "If you want to lose that badly you might as well just forfeit! But at least make this fun. I didn't watch everyone fight just to be denied of one myself."

"Don't worry…" Blues clenched his hand into a tight fist. "I'll be sure to give you a run for your money." After he spoke a large pillar of water erupted around Blues, shaking the entire Domus Flau. Natsu and Gajeel were taken aback by the sudden spike in power caused by Blues along with everyone else. The water slowly died down and Blues was shown in a mode no one had laid eyes on before. Black water swirled around his body and there were blue scales all along his face and limbs.

"W-Whoa…what is that…!?" Wendy asked. "N-Natsu! Gajeel…! Be careful…!"

"His magic is incredible…" Saraya remarked while placing one hand over her gaping mouth.

"No way…what is this…?" Reiss questioned aloud.

"WILD!" Bacchus began.

"FOUR!" The rest of Quatro Ceberus yelled.

"Let's just skip the warm up…" Blues said while staring at the two dragon slayers. "I'm coming at the two of you with everything I have. The magic granted to me by my father, Aquareon…Kuro's God Slaying…and the curse power I ate from that fish demon. Put them all together and I call this…Ocean King mode. I rule the ocean."

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Next Time: King of The Deep.


	105. Chapter 105: King of The Deep

Blues' magic power had the arena shaking. Everyone stared in awe at the Ocean King mode the dragon slayer brought to life. It hadn't even been that long since Tartarus and Blues managed to create something so powerful!? This made Natsu grin. "Heh…I see you've really been putting in work." Flames erupted around Natsu's body, lightning soon surging after that. If they were truly skipping the warm up, there was no reason for Natsu to not enter Lightning Flame Mode right off the bat. It was the least he could do since he respected Blues and his resolve. "Fine then! I'll still beat the crap outta ya!"

"Get in line, Salamander!" Gajeel stepped forward as his iron scales began to plate around his body. Soon after a shadowy mist started to emanate from around him and his eyes were a sharp purple tint. Iron Shadow was now active and Gajeel could not have been more happen to use it. "I'm taking this guy down, since he wants to be a hot shot."

"HUH!?" Natsu turned while glaring at Gajeel. "I don't think so, asshole! My name was announced first, so I get a crack at him!"

"What kinda fucking logic is that!?" Gajeel turned and he and Natsu started arguing. "Don't be a dumbass, dumbass!"

"…Can we start?" Blues turned to Emmeraude.

"Knock yourself out." Emmeraude shrugged.

"Thank you." Blues snapped his fingers, creating a bleu magic seal under Natsu and Gajeel. The two noticed just in the nick of time and a large geyser of water erupted between the two slayers. The water was scalding hot and its force left a small crater in the field. "Are you two done bickering? I didn't come here to be sidelined by your arguing."

"That was close…" Natsu grumbled while staring at the crater formed by Blues' attack. "All right…how about this? First come first serve! Don't get in my way!" Natsu sprinted forward after speaking, dashing towards Blues with fire wrapped around his fist. "Iron Fist!" Natsu swung his fist right at Blues' chest…but to his surprise, the moment his fiery fist made impact with Blues, the fire fizzled out. "What the…!?"

"I told you we're skipping the warm up…" Blues immediately retaliated with a watery fist of his own that exploded as soon as contact was made. The impact sent Natsu soaring backwards, tumbling violently across the battlefield. "So stop screwing around!"

"Natsu…!" Lucy shouted in worry.

Natsu halted his momentum by digging his fingers into the dirt, eventually sliding to a halt. "What the hell!?"

"Can't throw a punch, Salamander!?" Gajeel laughed. "This is how you throw a punch!" Gajeel used his ability to traverse the shadows to dip into the darkness. He soon reappeared from Blues' own shadow with darkness wrapped around his fists. "Iron Shadow Dragon's Hard Fist!" Gajeel thrusted his arm forward, but to his surprise Blues' reflexes were sharpened and he turned to counter Gajeel's fist with his own. The collision of magic caused a large shockwave that pushed both dragon slayers back. "Tch!"

As Blues slid back his cheeks inflated as magic and curse swirled around his mouth. "Ocean King's Rage!" Exhaling, Blues unleashed a massive, high pressurized funnel of water towards Gajeel. The funnel of water barreled across the battlefield, splitting apart the arena with the force.

"…Shit!" Gajeel crossed his arms, holding his ground as the funnel of water consumed him. Due to the high pressure he could feel the strength of the attack even with his iron scales active. Gajeel's boots were lined with iron spikes to keep himself grounded, but even still he was pushed back due to the sheer power Blues was packing.

Natsu didn't give Blues time for rest. While Blues was finishing his oral attack, Natsu lunged headfirst with fire and lightning blazing wildly around his body. "Sword horn!" Natsu's head smashed into Blues' gut, causing the dragon slayer to take a sharp exhale as he was briefly winded. Natsu fired up with a fiery kick to Blues' jaw, which sent him staggering off to the side. Immediately after the kick a bolt of lightning dropped down to smite Blues on the spot, succeeding in forcing a groan of pain from the slayer. "You want serious!? Then here you go!"

While Blues was still recovering from the shock of the lightning Gajeel was preparing a follow up attack. The Iron Shadow Dragon's limb extended, a black magic seal forming before him. "Iron Shadow Dragon's Lance: Demon Logs!" From the seal, lances imbued with iron and shadow rapidly shot forth towards the Ocean King.

Blues retaliated as fast as he could; his fist met with his palm as a watery aura circulated around him. "Water Make: Harpoons!" Blues thrusted his arms forward, releasing a multitude of harpoons that shot out in all direction. Several of these harpoons shot down the incoming iron lances while others spread out to strike Natsu and Gajeel. A few iron lances struck Blues' body, creating cuts and gashes along his being.

Natsu and Gajeel were both damaged by the Harpoons, but neither of them allowed Blues to rest for long. The two ran side by side, their respective elements swirling around their fists as their arms reared back in unison.

"HE'S…."

"MINE!"

WHAM! Natsu and Gajeel struck…each other!? Those spectating the fight went into a complete state of utter shock as Natsu and Gajeel intentionally punched one another. They were still bickering even in the midst of a battle!? Both dragon slayers were stunned for a moment before falling over, leaving everyone silent.

"YOU IDIOTS!" Gray's jaw dropped at what just happened. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?"

"D-Did they just take each other out…?" Reiss asked with widened eyes. "W-What the heck was that!?"

"Uh…wild?" Bacchus titled his head. "Those guys must be drunk or somethin'…"

Emmeraude blinked a few times, taken aback by Natsu and Gajeel's actions. "Huh…I…did not expect to see such a thing. And there are still 5 minutes remaining…are they down? Do I just call it here…?"

"DAMN YOU!" Natsu stood up immediately, growling at Gajeel. "I KNEW YOU WERE TRYING TO TAKE ME OUT!"

"WOULD'VE BEEN REVENGE FOR THE STING AND ROGUE FIGHT YOU ASSHAT!" Gajeel shouted back. Even after the heavy blows they gave to one another they still had the strength to scream at each other. "AND YOU TRIED TO DO IT AGAIN!?"

"It looks like they're okay…" Wendy said while rubbing the back of her neck.

"I cannot believe these two…" Erza pinched the bridge of her nose while letting out a heavily annoyed sigh. "They almost cost us a spot!"

As Natsu and Gajeel continued to bicker, Blues felt his anger and annoyance rising. Even after the fight he was giving them thus far, they STILL had the nerve to argue about who got to swung first?! At the very least he knew they cared about the fight, but this was this… "I can't hold this form for much longer. God damn it…you two are so stupid! If you're not going to take this seriously then I'll just end it right here!" Just to get their attention Blues raised his hand and suddenly a tidal wave of black water formed, completely filling in the arena. Had it not been for the magical barrier protecting everyone from such attacks, they too would've been swept away in the sea. Instead, they could watch as Natsu and Gajeel were dragged into the ocean dark.

"Natsu-san! Gajeel-kun!" Juvia's eyes were wide at the side of the water that nearly flooded the stadium.

"Water and I aren't exactly the fondest of friends…" Saraya said with an awkward smile.

"Shit…." Gajeel grumbled while regaining his bearings as the water swept them away. He felt his lungs burning due to the composition of the water; this had to be the Curse that Blues was talking about before. When he glanced over a Natsu, he saw that not only was he having trouble breathing, but the sheer amount of water kept him from using his flames. "You gotta be kidding!?" Several small iron X's formed along Gajeel's mouth to keep his air. Blues was swimming around like the master of water he was. It was only now that both dragon slayers realized what they were really dealing with. While Natsu was struggling, Gajeel swam forward as a jagged blade of iron formed as his arm, rotating violently like a chainsaw. The Iron Shadow Dragon swung his sword at Blues without a moment's hesitation.

"Heh!" Blues could freely breathe in this water longer than most. Along his arm, a rotating drill composed of water began to form. "Ocean King's Drill!" This was a move inspired by the late Kuro Chi. Blues thrusted his arm forward to clash with Gajeel. There was one problem that Gajeel also had to deal with: his movements were limited by the water while Blues' was not. Therefore, it was an easy victory for Blues in the power struggle and Gajeel's arm suffered the damages. Before Gajeel could even react, Blues aimed a swift kick at Gajeel's chest and slammed him right into Natsu. Immediately after this a sphere of condensed water was thrown, exploding between the two to separate them. It was clear that Blues had the advantage in his own element. Blues continued to assault the two by swiftly swimming in the water, kicking Natsu and Gajeel around to make them slam into each other multiple times.

"Oh man…they're really in a bind…" Cynthia stated nervously.

"You got this Blues! WILD!"

"FOUR!"

"This is on a completely differently level than what we've seen so far…" Saraya remarked.

"I kinda like it…" Ramman smirked. "If these wannabe dragons can't beat this one guy, they ain't nothin' to worry about!

"Come on Natsu! Kick his butt!" Lucy cheered.

"Yeah, you better not lose hothead!" Gray exclaimed.

"Mmmmph!" Natsu was feeling the damage now. Blues was much stronger than he was before…but Natsu would be damned if he lost here! He was good at holding his breath despite Blues' bombardment. His arms flailed about as he tried to communicate with Gajeel.

 _"_ _The fuck is he trying to say to me…!?"_ Gajeel wondered. When he saw a hint of lightning around Natsu's body he understood. With a silent nod, Gajeel began to focus on drawing forth the carbon ions into his body, creating a silver magic seal around him.

"Oh no you don't…!" Blues knew exactly what Gajeel was trying to do and he wasn't about to stand for it! However…Blues' swim completely stopped when Natsu unleashed a huge discharge of lightning into the water! This water wasn't pure by any means, so this allowed it to conduct electricity flawless and stop Blues right in his tracks. "Gnk…!"

"We ain't gonna lose here…" Gajeel mumbled as the iron coating his body soon began solid steel! Gajeel also used himself as a lightning rod, drawing forth any stray lightning into his left arm, which rapidly began to chain until it took the form of a railgun! Lightning and shadows surged around Gajeel's arm as he pointed it right at the stunned Blues. "STEEL SHADOW DRAGON'S RAILGUN!" Gajeel let loose, unleashing a massive blast of steel, lightning, and shadows towards Blues who didn't have any defense for it at the moment. The impact was so powerful the massive explosion parted the waters and caused the small prison of water to completely disperse, releasing the three dragon slayers as they all fell to the ground. Gajeel was on a knee, grimacing in pain as his body reverted to normal. The impact from that newly thought out attack was much stronger than he anticipated, catching all three dragon slayers in the process and nearly broke his arm in the process. He damaged himself so much with that last attack and was on the verge of blacking out himself. "Damn…at least it worked…"

"Tch…." Blues' body still underwent some paralytic shock. But that wasn't the problem. His time for Ocean King all but ran out and he was forced to revert back to his Dragon Force. The watery aura died and that last attack damaged him immensely, but he wasn't down yet. "I'll…take you down…"

Natsu was on all fours, coughing a few times to get the water out of his lungs. When he looked up, he saw Blues preparing to take down Gajeel. He wasn't about to have that! Flames surged around his body once more and he let out a yell to get Blues' attention. "OI! You forgettin' about me!?"

"You're still standing!?" Blues groaned.

"Damn right! I ain't going out so easily…! You got a lot stronger…but I ain't going down! It's time to bring this to an end! Dragon Slayer Secret Art…" Natsu drew his arm back, the flames around his body taking the shape of a phoenix. Without any warning he lunged forward as the flames howled. "CRIMSON LOTUS: EXPLODING PHEONIX BLADE!"

"…!" Blues' eyes widened as Natsu lunged at him. In his exhausted state he had no defense for this and had no choice but to take the brunt of the hit head up. The sharp arrow of flame that was Natsu pierced right into his very being. The shock of impact created a large, deafening shockwave audible all across Crocus as Natsu drove his body against Blues', carrying the water dragon into the air before slamming right into the aforementioned barrier. When the two fell, there was only one standing…

Blues collapsed on the ground, completely defeated after Natsu's final strike. In the end, both Natsu and Gajeel were standing, albeit barely, leaving the victor clear. "What a fantastic show…" Emmeraude actually had high praise for once. "A fight worthy of entering the Games. I cannot wait for the spectacles that await us in the tournament itself! With this, Fairy Tail A has secured the final spot in the Games. Congratulations. All eight teams have finally been assembled. Please see to it that your wounds and team preparations are completely by this afternoon. I'll be taking requests until then." With that said, Emmeraude was finally taking her leave. Hisui planned to stick around. _"So…my Lambda Virus is finally within my grasp once again…and if that's the case, then Protos Heis is nearby as well…I must find her…"_

"Holy crap…" Reiss said while tugging at his collar.

"That was intense…" Those were the only words Micaiah could use to define the situation. "A-Anyway…shouldn't we head back and inform the others of the result…?"

"I agree…let's skedaddle." Tyson said.

Bacchus picked up the downed Blues, having a grin on his face despite that he lost. "Heh...that was pretty wild, Blues. We'll be having a drink in your honor once you wake up! And this time you can't say no! Wild..."

"FOUR!" Despite losing a spot in the Games, Quatro Cerberus seemed extremely upbeat. At least they knew how to take a loss well.

 _"_ _Everyone's getting stronger…that was close…"_ Natsu thought to himself. But it wasn't long before he was assaulted by Gray with a pat on the back. "Ack! Hey!? You tryna start something!?"

"Chill out…" Gray said while shaking his head. "You guys had us worried for a second…"

"Yes…" Erza said with a nod, eyes narrowing at the wounded Dragon Slayers. "We're going to have a long talk about your coordination while Wendy finishes healing your wounds."

"Great…" Gajeel said while rolling his eyes.

"At the very least, we succeeded in getting both teams into the Games. I think Master will be very happy to hear that." Mira said with a soft smile.

There were sounds of soft clapping coming from the stands. When everyone turned, they saw some familiar faces: those of both Dealer and Cosmic Star. "Not bad you guys!" Daryan said with a laugh. "It's a shame, though…I was really hoping to see Kagura kick some ass. Guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow…"

"Oh hey!" Lucy waved to everyone. "…Wait…don't tell me you guys are in the Games, too…"

"Nope." Jack shook his head. "Don't have the time to be participating in such a silly, lame sport…besides; I'd cream everyone around anyway."

"Still talking bigger than you really are, I see…" Gray shook his head at Jack's words.

"We're only here to watch." Yakuza explained while chewing on some ice. "I really didn't want to come…but Gaia keeps saying that I can't stay inside all day….even though I really don't like dealing with people…"

"We can talk more later…we're about to head back to the hotel. Would you like to join us? We have plenty of time until the Games begin tomorrow." Erza extended the offer with a smile.

"Of course!" Gaia decided to make the executive group decision for everyone. She got some looks from those of Dealer, but since the plan worked out anyway there was no need to object. "Besides, I'm SOOO tired from having to fly everyone out this way. I could use the rest."

Gaia's remark got her looks from those who knew her. "You didn't even fly for that long, Gaia-chan…" Alex muttered.

"I'm a dragon. I'm getting up there in my years after all…" Gaia said with a shrug. Somehow that got everyone to groan.

.

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The eight teams for the Grand Magic Games have been prepared! Fairy Tail has made it through despite the difficulties that came their way. Now they must give it their all in the tournament to try and usurp the spot from White Eclipse! Will they succeed? Will another guild rise up for the number one spot? There's only one way to find out.

Next Time: Let The Games Begin!


	106. Chapter 106: Let The Games Begin!

The afternoon before the Games. After the fierce preliminary around everyone could use some rest, Emmeraude included despite the fact all she did was watch fights. But she had more important matters on her mind right now. She retired early to her chambers in the palace with a wicked grin on her purple painted lips. "I can't believe the fortune I've had today. Who could've guessed that Lambda would come right back to me!? Protos Heis must be nearby as a result…there is no way they haven't encountered each other by now. However…Lucy must not remember our encounter those few months ago. She may have been able to expose me if she did…I must get to her or Protos Heis before they come across each other. I can't afford them to meet in this city at the moment…"

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.

With Dealer and Cosmic Star coming to visit and watch the Games, those of Fairy Tail decided to talk with them at the hotel. Those of the other guilds were elsewhere, enjoying their time off before the Games started. News was given about Fairy Tail's results and Mavis could not have been happier. While Mavis was busy making battle plans for the road ahead, the others decided to catch up with the two visiting guilds. "So, what brings you here? Are you really here just to watch?"

"Oh, we are." Magnus said with a nod. "We heard that the Fiore Grand Magic Games were starting up soon. So we decided to drop in and see how things would play out this year."

"Yeah, it'll be a lot easier without a certain team trying to cheat to victory." Lucy said with her arms crossed.

"Okay. Okay….you can't keep beating us up for that forever." Yakuza said while yawning. "It was a onetime deal…we're legit now…"

"We're innocent." Shadowlore said with several nods.

"Innocent!" Hiruka repeated.

"Right…" Tia rolled her eyes. "Dealer is actually here for a reason…however, watching this spectacle is also going to provide us some entertainment."

"I'm so glad we can amuse you." Gray scoffed. There was some annoying munching going on in the background. When everyone turned, it was just Ace chewing on some off brand snack bar loudly. "You still do that annoying thing!?"

"What!? What's so wrong about me enjoying a nice snack!?" Ace came here to have a good time and honestly he felt so attacked right now.

"Ugh…forget it." Gray rolled his eyes at Ace's response. "What are you guys here for?"

"Well…first off." Tia began, her voice shifting back to the usual apathetic tone she held most of the time. "We've been doing some investigating since the last incident that occurred here. You know…the one where Tartarus attacked Crocus and then that damned dragon nearly killed us all. Two of them."

"Don't remind us." Erza sighed. "But what about that incident? We made it out alive…is there a need to revisit it?"

"There's just something I want to confirm." Tia continued. "Did you ever have to clean up Future Rogue's body after his…encounter with Acnologia?"

Those around glanced at each other before shaking their heads. "No…we didn't need to. He was already gone when we returned to the city. I remember that much…" Levy reported.

"I see…" Heartless furrowed her brows. "Then it's just as I thought."

"Mind letting us in?" Daryan asked while chewing on the remaining bone of a chicken leg.

"I recall both Future Rogue and Acnologia being brought into our time by Aiden's time machine." Tia began. "Alex destroyed the time machine, correct?"

"Yes." Alex nodded. "At least…I thought I did. But despite that, future scary dragon still came back…but it's fine, because it's dead, right?"

"…About that." Tia felt awkward continuing. "This isn't a solid fact…but I don't think the efforts of everyone managed to truly kill that thing. It may have been returned to its original time before the point of impact…the ashes we thought to be that dragon were likely just debris...this may or may not be important…but it is something we'd like to report. The larger the mass, the faster it was returned to its time. If attacks of that magnitude were unable to defeat the future dragon…I can only imagine the horrors of the present time…"

"Well, that's one way to dampen the mood." Laxus sighed. "We'll keep that in mind…any other foreboding news you want to hit us with, or are we done?"

"One more thing." Tia waved her hand. "We're here because we're looking for someone called Little Queen."

"Little Queen…?" Wendy tilted her head. "Who is that…?"

"She's basically Heartless' daughter." Strong said with a yawn, but his remark got him a smack in the back of the head by Diamond. "Ow!?"

"Ignore the idiot." Diamond huffed.

"Yes, ignoring the idiot…" Heartless said. "She's a small young girl that King did not want around during our battles with you. She would've been influenced by your ideals easily…so we sealed her away. But when returning to the base, she was no longer there. She is a young girl with purple hair and eyes…"

"…Sophie?" Lucy interjected.

"Sophie?" Heartless turned. "I never gave her that name…"

"She's exactly how you described." Lucy explained. "I think she's with White Eclipse. Whenever we meet she tries to attack me! And I have no idea why either…"

"I'll have to look into that later if I see her…" Heartless muttered. "By the way…I've been trying to ignore this as I'm sure everyone has…but those…markings along your arm…what are they…?"

"Oh uh…I'm not…sure…" Lucy said while rubbing her arm awkwardly. "I was so caught up in the excitement I tried to hide it. But it's probably nothing!"

"Yeah, strange markings crawling up your arm that you don't remember getting totally isn't suspicious at all…" Jack rolled his eyes while chewing on an apple. "Oh, one more thing. So…that green haired lady…who is that?"

"You mean Emmeraude?" Erza quirked a brow. "She's the queen of Fiore…don't you remember?"

Both Dealer and Cosmic Star gave each other looks at that statement. That wasn't right and Gaia was going to vocalize it. "No…did you all hit your heads or something? The ruler of Fiore was Toma…"

And right at that moment, Zelos came in to intrude on the conversation. "I knew my lady radar was going off for a reason! What do we have here!? A bountiful feast of beauties!"

"…Who the hell is this ass?" Jack sneered at Zelos, who completely ignored him as he went right for the ladies. All of them.

"Hello, ladies! My name is Zelos…but you can call me your Gleaming Knight." His arm snaked around Tia and he winked at her. "You know…you have such a rigid facial expression…I bet you'd look so much prettier if you showed me a smile."

"…Ace? Are you going to do something about this troll?" Tia glanced at Ace, who shrugged.

"Do I have to?" Ace asked.

"I like this guy." Daryan chuckled.

"Me too." Shadowlore laughed.

"Please, ignore him." Cynthia scoffed.

Zelos' eyes then shifted to Alex. "Oooh…what have we here!?"

"That's my sister!" Cynthia stated defensively.

"I can see the resemblance."

Alex was filing her nails, completely unbothered by Zelos' remark. "…We aren't related by blood, you idiot."

"Ah." Well, Zelos earned some stupid points right there. But he turned to Diamond after. "What about you? You're cold to the touch…yet I can feel a radiant heat coming from your being. You are a beautiful diamond rose. Or you!" Heartless. "Devoid of all emotion…yet I can feel an unyielding passion coming from within! Or you!" Now he was onto Gaia. "A heart as big as the earth itself…"

"Does this idiot have an off button?!" Tia was getting fed up. And when she got annoyed that usually meant she was going to flood the place.

"T-Tia-san, please…!" Juvia flailed her arms about.

"Leave…" Natsu sighed. "We got things to talk about! Like whose ass I'm gonna kick later! I'm pretty sure Sabertooth is in, so Sting's getting his ass kicked…Cygnus is getting his ass kicked…Luke…" Natsu's list just went on and on.

"Right right…I see you're having a very intelligent conversation. I wouldn't want my barbaric manner of speaking to intrude…I'll see you lovely ladies later." Zelos then departed.

"…Sorry about him…" Levy poked her fingers together, feeling embarrassed. "He's not even a part of the guild…he's just been hanging around us lately. Mii's here too…but I'm not quite sure where she is at the moment…"

"He's just as annoying as Salamander over here…" Jack said while pointing at Natsu.

"WHAT!?" Natsu glared at Jack. These two would never get along. "Do you need me to kick your ass again!?"

"HUH!?" Jack started to laugh. "I was the one who kicked YOUR ass! Don't make me laugh!"

"Now now you two…" Tia stood between both hot heads. "I believe there is an easier way to determine the winner of your fight. I recall the result very clearly. When I arrived, Jack was the one still standing, preparing to destroy Magnolia while Natsu was on the ground on his back, correct?"

"Yup. I kicked his ass over so he could watch." Jack smugly stated.

"Then there you have it. The winner of Natsu vs. Jack is Jack." Tia decided the match. While Natsu knew that to be true, hearing it aloud was very demoralizing as the color drained from his face.

"Heh." Jack high fived his sister with that confident grin plastered on his face. "Hey, don't look so down. Tell ya what…if you win a fight in the Games, I'll give you that rematch! I'll happily kick your ass a second time!"

"DEAL!" Natsu responded immediately. He needed that rematch.

"Well…he pretty much derailed our conversation…" Spade shrugged. "Regardless…we're going to go find a place to rest and we'll come back tomorrow."

"Same for us." Gaia yawned. "I'm so tired…"

"You didn't even do much…" Magnus jabbed Gaia with his elbow.

.

Mii shared her room with Lucy. Since everyone was out and about enjoying their free time while they could, Mii just decided to sit on the railing of the balcony by her lonesome to watch the setting sun. It wasn't very long before Zelos appeared, casually hanging on the edge of the railing. "…What do you want?" Mii asked. "Can't a girl have some alone time?"

"Now, now Mii-chan." Zelos hummed. "I just came to check in on you. Everyone's having so much fun; it's unlike you to be so alone."

"Actually, it's exactly like me. I'm used to it." Mii shrugged. "They're such a big crowd…I can barely handle it at times."

"But you enjoy it, don't you? Otherwise you wouldn't have stuck around so long…unless you've forgotten about your mission?" Zelos was definitely prodding an area he knew he shouldn't be, but he knew Mii would cause a scene.

"Meh." Mii shrugged. "Truthfully, they vex me. How they can be so positive all the time…ugh. I haven't forgotten about my mission. That's the only reason I'm hanging around Lucy…she's gullible. Everyone is, it's almost like they forget who I am! Haha…"

"Huh…" Zelos quirked a brow. "I see…and I take it you've given up on your search for your mentor?"

"That doesn't concern you." Mii shot back immediately. "Point is…I'm only here because I have things to do. I don't have much time left anyway…"

"Oh, Mii-chan, how adorable you are." Zelos said while preparing to leave. "Most of what you say is all lies. I'm worried that you can't discern what you tell yourself. You may be lying to yourself about everything. But I have my own job to do as well…I'll see you later, my red headed angel~" With that, Zelos was gone.

Mii let out a long drawn out sigh, followed by a weak chuckle. "I have a very compulsive lying problem…but I know what I'm here to do."

.

.

And so came the next day. The stadium was filled with a large audience, all anxiously awaiting the beginning of the Grand Magic Games. "HELLO EVERYONE!" The loud voice of Chapati Lola boomed out. "Welcome to the x794 Grand Magic Games! I am your host Chapati Lola and I will be giving the best commentary I can! Along with me I have several special guests! Please introduce yourselves!"

Siegrain tapped his mic a few times before speaking. "Hello citizens of Crocus and Fiore. I am Siegrain, better known as the current chairman and top Wizard Saint of Fiore. There was no way I could not tune into the competition and I'm certain those competing will give us a wonderful show."

Next to Siegrain was Jenny Realight, everyone's favorite model! "Hello everyone! It's me, Jenny Relight! Blue Pegasus has decided to have me as a backup, but worry not! Even though you may not get to see my beauty in action, you can hear my beautiful voice all day!" And as she thought, the crowd was pleased by that alone and cheered loudly. "Mwah!"

"E-Eh…" Hisui was standing in the middle of the field as the substitute for Mato, the usual pumpkin headed referee for the Games. There were various reasons why the original Mato could not make it to the Games, all of them coinciding with Emmeraude's seat on the throne. So, there was Hisui wearing the pumpkin mask along with the getup. She could never escape that infernal thing no matter how hard she tried. "A-And now it will be time to introduce the eight guilds who will be competing in the Grand Magic Games! Chapati, please take it away! …Kabo." She really didn't want to have to do this.

"RIGHT!" Chapati exclaimed. "This time we'll be starting from the bottom up! The first guild we'll be introducing…is Fairy Tail A!"

"Last, but first? That leaves a sour taste in my mouth…" Gray muttered. As before, the A team of Fairy Tail was Natsu, Gajeel, Lucy, Gray, and Erza. Despite being 'last', the crowd was more than happy to see Fairy Tail returning once again. Those waving around Fairy Tail banners were especially ecstatic.

"Woo! Let's go Natsu!" Happy cheered.

"You go, Gajeel!" Levy exclaimed, happily squeezing the life out of Pantherlily in the process.

"The next team to enter is Fairy Tail B!" Chapati continued moving up the list. As before, Mira, Laxus, Juvia, Wendy, and Cynthia were on Fairy Tail B.

"Go Wendy!" Carla shouted.

"No offense to anyone else on the team…" Freed started. "But I'm sure Laxus himself will be doing most of the work. It would only be natural to see him pull the best results."

"That sounded a little offensive…" Lisanna said with a bit of a sweat drop.

"Next up we have the secondary team to the current strongest guild in Fiore: White Eclipse B!" With Chapati's announcement, White Eclipse B entered the stage along with everyone else so far. Micaiah, Reiss, Ramman, Tyson, and Saraya were all there waving to the crowd, and it looked like the audience was more than ready to see what these new White Eclipse mages were capable of.

"Peh…" Daryan scoffed as the first three teams announced. "Everyone's cheering for all these guilds, but I'm only here for one person and one person alone."

Hearing this, Tia couldn't help but quirk a bow. There was someone that caught Daryan's attention? Her curiosity got the better of her. "Oh? And who would that be…?"

"Next up is everyone favorite female guild! Mermaid Heel!" Chapati introduced the team of Kagura, Melody, Milianna, Arana, and Beth as they arrived on stage.

"WOO! KAGURA-CHAN!" Daryan hollered, answering Tia's question immediately.

"…!" Kagura's body stiffened and she turned to the audience as soon as she heard Daryan's voice. "Don't tell me that insufferable dragon slayer is here…!?"

"Kagura-chan…? Are you okay? You look tense…" Milianna glanced at Kagura, who played things off.

"…I'm fine." Kagura replied. But with Daryan around, she really wasn't fine.

"Next, we have a new guild in the running! Empyrean Dawn!" Chapati continued. This was a name not many heard of before, but the mages were familiar faces: Hubert, Marshall, Nina, Cecelia, and another female with dark pink hair and yellow eyes: Zinnia Sage.

"….." Kagura now had more of a reason to be on edge. She recalled Hubert not very fondly. He was the one who inflicted that near fatal wound on her back at the Isle. After that incident she had no intention of believing Empyrean Dawn would be up to anything good.

"Hey, I remember that guy." Mii leaned on the railing, casually resting her face in her hands. "He almost killed Kagura, Chelia, and Raven. Fun times."

"Wait, what?" Lisanna gave Mii a stare at how casually that information was given.

"Up next! A fan favorite guild and former Fiore's strongest…SABERTOOTH!"

Sting, Rogue, Rufus, Minerva, and Orga now appeared on the stage, all waving to the audience. Even after their loss in the previous Games, they still had a strong fan base that wanted to see them win. "Ah…" Minerva's lips curled into a smirk. "It's been quite some time since I've been on the big stage. I intend to showcase that Sabertooth's might."

"Well said, Milady." Sting said with a confident grin.

"Next up, we have Blue Pegasus!"

Ichiya, Ren, Hibiki, and Eve walked into the stage to charm all the ladies with their handsomeness. There was a new male among the Trimen and their inspiration. This male had black hair and yellow eyes, donning a rather fancy suit that you wouldn't expect to be used for combat. Darren Black, a new recruit who's mysterious charm enamored the ladies in the audience. "Men! We are here to deliver the excellent parfarm of victory!"

"Indeed…" Darren adjusted his tie and chuckled. "We will be the winning guild thissss year."

"And last but not least….The Champions of last year's Grand Magic Games! White Eclipse A!" Chapati exclaimed this one with vigor! Reve, Aira, Luke, Cygnus and Kuro stepped into the stage. They were obviously the fan favorite guild at the moment noted by the screaming and cheering. "Will White Eclipse be able to retain their spot!? Or will one of these guilds snatch it from under them!?"

"Man, it feels good to be on top." Cygnus said while waving to the crowd. "Nothing's better than getting to prove once again, why White Eclipse is number one."

"You said it, Cyg." Luke said with a chuckle.

"Between the coordination of A and B team…we should win this easily." Zalen chuckled. "The rookies may be rookies…but they've proven themselves. At least I hope they have."

"I'm so excited!" Yayuya nudged Sophie. "Ne, Sophie-chan! If you had to pick a guild that would rival both of our teams, who would you pick? Fairy Tail's two teams are the closest contenders, but…"

Sophie's heated gaze was on Lucy. It was taking everything she had not to lunge at the infected blonde due to knowing to cause a public scene. She was going to have to wait until later to try and complete her mission once again. Yayuya's nudge brought her back and she shrugged. "I don't know." Was all she had to say.

"Now we will be getting things underway shortly with the first event!" Said Chapati. "If all guilds would leave at least one member in the stadium and go to your respective stands! The first event this year will be an old but good one…The Magic Power Finder!"

.

High above the stadium where the statutes rested, two familiar females named Yumia and Yukia watched the Games start. Yukia had a lacrima phone to her ear, giving a few nods. "Yup. Mhm. No worries. He's in position and ready to strike at any time. These Grand Magic Games are going to be so fun. We'll scope out the targets in no time~"

.

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Next Time: Magic Power Finder Redux!


	107. Chapter 107: Magic Power Finder Redux

After the initial announcement, those who stood in the stadium for the first event were: Gray, Kuro, Laxus, Ramman, Ren, Melody, Rufus, and Marshall. These were the members who were going to take part in the first event: The Magic Power Finder. Mavis tilted her head curiously. Perhaps she should've placed Cana on a team so she could Fairy Glitter and bust something again. Actually, that was a plan she had in the back pocket just in case something went wrong…so it was better to be used later than sooner. "So…they're starting with a test of raw strength. This should be the perfect way to gauge what we're up against."

"The Magic Power Finder is the same as always! Between scores of 0 to 10,000! The mage who lands the highest score will be the winner." Chapati explained. "Now you are free to begin in whichever order you please!"

Melody glanced around at the competition, sweating slightly since she was the only female taking a shot at the first event. But at the same time she was more than ready to show off that girl power. "All right boys. Stand back. It's time for the lady to strut her stuff!"

"Strut that stuff right over here." Ramman said with a toothy grin. "I hope you aren't all talk though."

"Psssh." Melody waved her hand. "I'm about as strong as I am pretty. I just hope you don't have fragile masculinity. I know not many people like you who can't deal with a female being better than them?"

"True…" Ramman said with a shrug. "I do like to be on top."

"…Yeah we're done here." Melody shuddered.

"Are you gonna go or not….?" Laxus asked with an annoyed huff.

"Don't you know it's rude to rush a lady?" Eve gave Laxus a disapproving shake of his head. "Please, Melody-chan. Take all the time you need. I'll wait an eternity for you to begin~" As Eve spoke, sparkles glimmered around his young, handsome face.

"Aren't you just adorable?" Melody winked at Eve before walking towards the MPF. Everyone decided to take a step back just in case there was some splash damage going on. "Right…so let's get started." Melody slid into the Maker position, fist meeting with her palm as lightning surged around her body. "Sliver Make: Claymore!" Melody split her hands apart, silver magic manifesting into a giant claymore that was twice the size of Melody's body. She showcased her impressive physical strength to hurl that blade in the air; as the blade fell, Melody casted yet another spell. She waited until the claymore stabbed into the MPF before swiping her hand horizontally. Three magic seals formed in a triangular formation with the MPF in the middle. "Legion Fulminate!" Upon this cry, a strong bolt of lightning dropped down from the heavens, drawn to the claymore sticking out of the MPF. Silver was a strong conductive for electricity so the impact the lightning made with the claymore resulted in a powerful explosive burst of lightning. The ground trembled slightly and the MPF immediately started to calculate the score. Melody was sitting pretty with an impressive 4,765. The crowd cheered loudly for Melody setting an impressive standard. "Thank you, thank you!" Melody bowed to the crowd.

"And Melody sets the standard right away! Will the other mages be able to even come close?!" Chapati questioned.

"Whew." Ramman whistled. "Not bad, not bad. But allow me to show you what real lightning is." Ramman scoffed at both Melody and Laxus, who really couldn't care less until Ramman showed some results.

"Hurry up then." Laxus rolled his eyes.

"Easy, easy!" Ramman chuckled. "You can't just rush greatness…" The rookie cracked his knuckles as lightning surged around his body. He smirked directly at the MPF, determined to blow that machine right off the map. The male's jaw dropped and he leaned forward, unleashing potent blast of lightning towards the MPF. "Lightning Dragon's Roar!" The blast of lightning exploded against the MPF and the machine began to calculate Ramman's strength. Where did the rookie stand? 4000 even. "Ah…"

"Psh…what was that about 'true lightning'?" Melody snickered and Ramman just grumbled.

"After all that talking he did yesterday too…I can't say I'm surprised…" Reiss remarked.

"We haven't seen what everyone else can do…so maybe he didn't do so bad!" Aira said with a positive smile.

"A beautiful performance by a beautiful lady .And Ramman-san, you did do your best." Eve spoke while rotating his shoulder. "But now it's time for a truly handsome man to take the stage!" The youngest Trimen adjusted his tie while setting his sights on the MPF. "If a lady would like to have some hot chocolate after this, please feel free to contact me after the event. Now then…" Eve lifted one hand and activated his Snow Magic. The summer breeze turned into a winter chill as Eve focused on the machine before him. "White Fury!" Eve extended his arm forward, unleashing a powerful flurry of snow towards the MPF. The blizzard consumed the machine and it started to calculate his score. It was a surprising 2,789. The lowest thus far. Such a score did not inspire confidence. "Ah….I see that I must've been feeling a little under the weather…" Eve felt rather ashamed and turned around, comical blue lines of depression wavering above his head.

"There there…" Melody patted Eve on the shoulder since it seemed like he needed it. "At least you're cute."

"Who's going next?" Gray questioned. It was then that Marshall stood up slowly. Everyone could feel some growing rage from Marshall and it only intensified with each passing second. No one really sad anything about it since they just assumed he was an angry person, but now it was starting to become apparent. "Uh…you okay…?"

"Such hostility…" Rufus muttered while tilting his hat down. "I shall remember this emotion…for I feel a powerful, violent force emanating from that man."

"It appears Marshall is feeling a bit of rage…" Hubert remarked. "This should be entertaining…"

"Quite…" Kaiho agreed.

Marshall's aura made everyone step back. The rage emanating from the man continued to grow as he set his eyes on the MPF. The Empyrean drew his blade, stopping just short of the machine. Marshall reached for the hilt of the sword at his waist and drew the blade. With a single, horizontal swing, an invisible shockwave emanated from the blade and struck the MPF. The ground trembled slightly, causing everyone to stagger for a bit. When Marshall's score came up, it was a staggering 7,000! Well above what anyone else produced thus far!

"AMAZING!" Chapati exclaimed. "Is Marshall the dark horse sleeper!? A staggering 7000 from just a single attack!"

"Wow…" Jenny was very impressed with Marshall's strength. "He's kinda handsome too. It's a shame he looks so angry all the time. I'd totally love to learn his secret."

"What the heck? Why is his score so high?!" Natsu asked as though anyone else had a clue. "All he did was get mad!"

"Intriguing…" Mavis muttered to herself. She wasn't sure what to think of Marshall just yet, but keeping his abilities in mind was useful in potential battles to come.

"Heh…" Marshall let out a confident chuckle before taking several steps away from the machine. With the embodiment of Wrath gone, the male then proceeded to lie on the ground and yawned. He became Sloth, just scratching his stomach while yawning. His sudden shift in demeanor left everyone confused and bewildered. "All right…wake me up when this is over…"

"What…?" Gray shook his head at Marshall's odd behavior. "I'm going next."

"Are you keeping your shirt on?" Laxus asked. Because sometime during Melody's attempt and Marshall's, Gray was without a shirt.

"…Oh come on…" Gray groaned as his subconscious habit would forever get the best of him. "Whatever…!" Gray stepped forward and crackled his knuckles before sliding into the Maker Stance. "Ice Make…Excalibur!" Gray crafted a perfect replica of the legendary blade in his hands. The Ice Maker leapt into the air and brought the blade down upon the MPF, resulting in an icy explosion. Gray landed on the ground after his sword strike as the ice shattered to reveal his score: 5,500. It was much lower than Marshall's and not something he was a fan of.

"It seems as though Fairy Tail's Gray was unable to match up to Marshall." Siegrain casually rested his face against his fist, smirking oh so causally.

"Tch…" Siegrain's remark made Gray suck his teeth in annoyance.

"I'll go next then!" Kuro said while stretching. "I had a big bowl of noodles for breakfast so I'm feeling pretty energized!" The upbeat fire make mage grinned while stepping forward. His fist met with his palms and he threw them forward. "Fire Make: Fireflies!" A red seal formed around the MPF spanning ten yards, spawning multiple fireflies. These fireflies sped forward rapidly, all conserving on the MPF simultaneously for a massive fiery explosion. A plume of smoke formed around the machine as Kuro's score was almost instantly calculated. When the cloud of smoke cleared Kuro's score was revealed to be 5,500: the exact same score as Gray's. The two were dead even with their attacks.

"Fire and Ice once again! These two elements are locked in a heated battle, but it seems as though it is a draw this time." Jenny remarked with a smile. "It seems the rivalry between Fairy Tail and White Eclipse will truly never end with scores like this."

"You may be right about that!" Chapati nodded vigorously in agreement.

"But both guilds will be in for a surprise this year, though~" Jenny hummed with a knowing smile.

"Ah man…." Kuro rubbed the back of his head, feeling a little disappointed with his result. "I guess I was just warming up, but I thought I could do better than that." With a shrug, the Eclipse veteran went off to the sidelines. Laxus and Rufus were the only two left before the event was over.

"Hmph…I'll settle things." Laxus rolled his neck, allowing it to pop. Laxus was infamous around Fiore for potentially being one of the strongest mages in the country and he had all intentions of showing just why that was. "Step back if you don't want to get hurt. If you don't then you can't blame me for what happens next."

"Only Laxus could make such a warning so effective." Freed said with a firm nod.

Laxus' body began to generate lightning, taking it all into a large orb that rapidly grew above his head. The orb was roughly twice Laxus' size and the electricity that crackled in the air made the audiences' hair tingle. The anticipation grew as Laxus stared at the MPF intently. Without a word the sphere of lightning flew forward and exploded against the machine. The impact was so great a powerful gust of wind was kicked up and everyone had to shield their eyes from such immense power.

"W-Whoa…!" Melody gasped as the ground trembled a little bit.

"Such power…!" Eve gasped. He had to shield his handsome face from the wind.

As the ground calmed down and the dust settled, Laxus' score was revealed to be a staggering 8,500! This blew Marshall's score out of the water and the crowd began cheering loudly! "As expected of my Laxus." Freed smirked.

"Your Laxus?!" Bickslow and Evergreen spoke in unison at Freed's bold claim. "Now you're just taking things too far!"

"Let's go Laxus!" Cynthia cheered.

"And Laxus Dreyar continues to prove why he's among the best in Fiore." Siegrain said with an impressed nod. "Fairy Tail may be a headache at times, but they sure do make such events interesting."

"Damn…he blew us all away…" Gray was more upset with the fact he didn't even come close to Laxus than his own score now. Overall, this was good for Fairy Tail as a whole with such a strong lead.

"My my…" Rufus chuckled. Considering he had yet to go all eyes were on him for the final impression. "Everyone's getting ahead of themselves. It's as I remember, your power is incredible, Laxus Dreyar. However, your spectacular display has had everyone rushing to conclusions. I'm a partially offended to almost be forgotten…but I am not worried. I will be sure to inscribe Sabertooth's strength into everyone's memories once more."

"Rufus is the last one to go." Jenny leaned forward, very intrigued by the aura the Memory Make mage was giving off.

"I could not help but notice that several Makers are here. The sting of defeat from that showdown some time ago has stuck deep within my memory. It is a bitter recollection that I'm not fond of…so I intend to atone for my mistakes in the past and show Fiore how sharp Sabertooth's fangs have become." As the Memory Mage mage spoke he placed two fingers on his temple, allowing a red magic seal to form behind him. "The incidents of the past have carved deep into my memory and have allowed me to use a plethora of spells. This will be one of many you see during the Games today. Memory Make: Luminous Saber." After speaking those words Rufus held his right arm out, a luminous blade composed of several colors forming along his arm. These colors represented various elements and the blade expanded suddenly. Rufus smirked before crashing the blade down on the MPF. The power behind Rufus's technique caused a rising pillar of rainbow energy to rise into the air, shaking the Domus Flau violently. Everyone shielded their eyes from the light while the members of Sabertooth smiled proudly at Rufus' work. When the light died down the score Rufus had was an astronomical 9000! The highest score so far! The crowd immediately cheered upon witnessing that score.

"AMAZING!" Chapati leapt from his seat. "Rufus Lohr of Sabertooth comes back with a vengeance, blowing Laxus' high score right out the water! Without a doubt, the winner of the Magic Power Finder event is…SABERTOOTH!"

"Nice job, Rufus-sama!" Yukino cheered.

"That's the way!" Sting pumped a fist into the air. "A strong start! Let's keep it that way too!"

"Is this the start of Sabertooth's return to the top?" Siegrain questioned, chuckling quietly. "My my…it appears as though these Games are going to be more interesting than I initially believed."

"…It wouldn't be fun if it were so easy…" Reve scoffed. Despite the results of the first event, he still had that patented smirk on his lips.

Results:

Rufus: 1st

Laxus: 2nd

Marshall: 3rd

Gray/Kuro: 4th

Melody: 5th

Ramman: 6th

Eve: 7th.

When the points were totaled out, the scores after the Magic Power event were:

Sabertooth: 10

Fairy Tail B: 9

Empyrean Dawn: 8

Fairy Tail A: 7

White Eclipse A: 7

Mermaid Heel: 6

White Eclipse B: 5

Blue Pegasus: 4

"I expected nothing less from the power of my memory…" Rufus tipped his hat to the other contestants before beginning to walk off with a proud grin on his face. "You all put up a wonderful show…and your magic will once again be put to good use from my memory. I hope you all enjoyed Sabertooth's fangs bearing once again. The Tiger always catches their prey…so pray to it that none of you are subject to such a ferocious bite." As Rufus vanished the crowd went absolutely wild. The Sabertooth fans in the audience loved the strong start. Meanwhile, Rufus showing everyone up left a bad taste in everyone's mouths, excluding Marshall who sat up and rubbed his neck, completely indifferent about the situation.

"Rufus Lohr has made quite the declaration!" Chapati was enthralled by the tension in the air. "Does this mark the beginning of Sabertooth's climb to the top!? Sabertooth has taken the lead in the beginning of the Games! After a brief intermission we'll be right back with the beginning of the Day 1 fights! Stay tuned and continue watching everyone!"

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Next Time: Fight For The Top!

SPECIAL NOTE: For those who keep up with the Fairy Tail manga, they know that it is over as of today. Fairy Tail has held a rather special place in my heart. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea and I've seen a lot of hate for it. But I enjoy the series because it has themes that apply to me. Sure, I haven't been a fan of some things but otherwise I love Fairy Tail very much. That's why I've been writing this series for roughly 4 years now. It's become a part of my life actually. I can't imagine what I'd be doing if I didn't write a chapter of this series every day and I'm not sure how things will be when I finally finish. We still have Dragon Cry and the anime coming back next year, but to see Fairy Tail actually end has left a soft spot in my heart. I actually got into Fairy Tail in 2013 and caught up quickly during the GMG arc. And this all started because I had a faint idea from a dream I had. I still have many ideas that I hope to write out, and I hope I can provide a subsititute for anyone's FT fix. It's still going to take a while before I'm finished with this series so I hope you all enjoy the story while it last! Thank you all for reading and your continued support is very welcome. Oh, and if anyone is wondering, my favorite arcs have been Tenorujima, Tatartus, and parts of the GMG. Feel free to share what your favorites have been, or even favorite moments! And so, I would finally like to thank Hiro Mashima for finishing his manga and giving me something to read, enjoy, and write about for these years, and I'm very happy that he ended things the way he did.


	108. Chapter 108: Fight For The Top!

Sabertooth: 10

Fairy Tail B: 9

Empyrean Dawn: 8

Fairy Tail A: 7

White Eclipse A: 7

Mermaid Heel: 6

White Eclipse B: 5

Blue Pegasus: 4

These were the results after the Magic Power Finder event for day one. Rufus surprised everyone with his decisive victory in the first event and it was all the crowd could talk about during the brief intermission. These Games were going to be the talk of the year that was for sure. While people shuffled about during the intermission, Kagura wandered to the concession stand to grab a quick snack. She may have had to battle next and she wanted to be energized for the fight to come. That was the excuse she'd use because she really just wanted something sweet to eat. "What…!? 1,000 jewel for a slice of cake…?" Kagura narrowed her eyes at the man behind the concession stand.

"You know how it is…don't you…?" The man said with a nervous sweat drop. This was the first time he'd actually gotten the chance to talk with Kagura Mikazuchi of Mermaid Heel and he wasn't making a good first impression with the high cost of a single slice of cake.

"Hmph…" Kagura huffed, accepting her fate. She didn't want to cause a scene so she paid for the slice of cake. Once it was on a plate, she cut her eyes to the man. "For being 1,000 jewel, this slice of cake better kill me. Otherwise I'll kill you." Once her threat set in she began to walk off and chowed down on the cake. It was…okay. Not worth the money spent, but it was too late to complain.

And it wasn't very long until her biggest fan found her. Daryan surprised Kagura by wrapping an arm around her shoulder, grinning widely. "Kagura-chan! It's been so long! It's lovely to see you again."

"NO." Kagura immediately stepped on Daryan's foot. It was a little frightening how instinctive that was. Daryan grimaced in pain and pulled back. "Why are you here? Leave me alone. I don't want you around me. How many times do I have to repeat myself? And you almost made me drop my cake. If that happened, I would've killed you."

"Always so stone cold…" Daryan laughed. He wasn't deterred by the Mermaid's harsh attitude. "My guild came here to watch these Games! And I came along because I wanted to cheer you on, my Mermaid~"

Hearing Daryan coo that nearly made Kagura vomit the cake she just swallowed. Kagura could not STAND being within a 50 mile radius of Daryan yet he was always nearby when she didn't want her to be. "Don't ever say that again. I mean it." Kagura would've said more, however she spotted Hubert walking by and she tensed up.

"…Hm?" Hubert turned, noticing Kagura and Daryan and gave a curt nod. "It's nice to see you again, Ms. Mikazuchi. Is this your spouse…?"

"I wouldn't go that far…" Daryan laughed sheepishly. He noticed that Kagura grew tense and wasn't trying to say anything to push her off the edge.

"Hm. I see. Well, I do hope we have the chance to fight again. Hopefully it won't end up as last time. I'll see you soon." With that, Hubert departed.

"…Who was that? And why did you suddenly have to restrain your inner bloodlust…?" Though a flirt, he was concerned.

"Back at the Isle, that man almost killed me." Kagura admitted, bitterly. "He left a scar on my stomach and chest that won't fade…so I doubt that his guild is here to do anything good. I'll be sure to return the favor at a later date. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm leaving." And Kagura did just that: leave.

"Hm…" Daryan frowned. Not just because Kagura repeated for the umpteenth time that she wanted nothing to do with him, but because she was unnaturally tense for a moment. Despite all appearances, he really did care for her.

.

.

Due to the requests of Lisanna and Elfman, Mira went off to grab some snacks for her siblings. The wait and cost was a little more than she would've liked, but she had patience. "It's almost time to return…I hope I'm not late…" As Mira carefully balanced the snacks in her arms, she ended up running into a familiar face: Takeba. "Oh…hello. It's nice to see you again…Takeba, was it…?" She didn't really remember Takeba introducing herself, but at the same time it felt right. "What brings you here?"

"Oh, I'm surprised you remember." The witch snickered while accompanying Mira. "I came here to watch the Grand Magic Games, of course. What a pleasure it is to run into you again. The competition surely looks fierce, hm?"

"Oh yes." Mira gave a soft smile. "Things are bound to be exciting this year."

"I'll be rooting for you." Takeba patted Mira on the back gently. "I don't wish to keep you waiting. I have my own agenda for being here. All this wonderful magic and curse power…I can feel it seeping into my core~" The pink haired female nearly moaned. It was a little off putting and Mira flashed an awkward smile. Luckily Takeba didn't cause a scene with her out of place noises. "I'm sorry for keeping you. I'm looking forward to seeing you fight." With that said, Takeba made her leave.

"…She's an odd one…" Mira said while shaking her head, returning to the Fairy Tail stands.

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"WELCOME BACK EVERYBODY!" Chapati yelled into the mic. "After the astounding Event 1, it's time to get into it with the Day 1 fights! Are you all excited!?" In response, the crowd roared excitedly. "Before we begin, these fights won't be like how they used to be. Take it away, Mato!"

By Mato, Chapati meant Hisui. Nobody could tell it was the Jade Princess under that disguise…but she still detested wearing that infernal pumpkin head. But Emmeraude asked her to do it, and who was she to say no? "Ahem…" Hisui cleared her throat before speaking into the mic in her hands. "The time limit for the fights has been reduced to 15 minutes. If neither fighter has fallen within that time limit, then it will be declared a draw and both teams will receive 5 points. Furthermore, the walls of the area are now considered 'out of bounds'. If a fighter hits this wall, it is considered a ring out and the opposing team will be declared the winner. If both sides are out of bounds, then it is a draw….kabo."

"Oh? Such a change from last year. But I like it." Siegrain seemed to approve of the rule change. "It encourages quick thinking and tactical advantage. Occasionally it's been clear when one mage is clearly outmatched in strength…but seeing as strength is not everything now, things will take quite the turn."

"I heard it was our lovely Queen who instituted these rules." Jenny commented. "Lady Emmeraude has always been so clever." The praise for Emmeraude made the crowd roar.

Of course, such information did not sit well with the likes of Dealer and Cosmic Star who were in the audience. "Emmeraude? That's a load of crap" Jack scoffed. "I've never seen that lady before in my life. Wasn't that short stack supposed to be King?"

"I don't think you're in the position to be calling anyone short…" Yakuza muttered.

"You wanna fuckin' fight?!" Jack was about to lunge, but Tia pinched his ear to hold him back. "Calm. Clearly something has changed since we were last here. We can find out what that is at a later date…if we caused a scene now, we'd only look like bad guys again. It's a miracle nobody's made a fuss right now."

"Mmm…" Sophie stared at where Emmeraude was seated. Her brows furrowed. She needed to get to Emmeraude somehow. How? She wasn't sure yet.

"Now then. It's time to get to the first fight of the Grand Magic Games!" The crowd continued to grow hype with each passing second. "First off we have Sabertooth's Orga Nanagear vs. Mermaid Heel's Melody Silver!"

"What?" Melody groaned. "I was just in the event…damn it."

"Will you be all right?" Beth asked.

"I'll be fine. Just tired at the end of this. I didn't use that much magic." Melody shrugged while making her way to the arena. "Gotta work hard for my ladies!"

"Hm…Good luck." Kagura nodded as Melody departed. It was still hard for Kagura to believe that Melody used to be a dark mage. She always put Mermaid Heel before herself, even before regaining her memory. Kagura was proud to have such a strong woman join Mermaid Heel.

Orga was the first one on the battlefield. Before Melody even arrived the Lightning God already had his own mic in hand and screamed into it. "SABERTOOTH IS NUMBER ONE!" Reminder that Orga's singing was not the aspect that drew his fangirls to him. His loud, boisterous voice reverberated through the stadium. "YEAAAAH!"

"Must you be so loud…kabo…" Hisui sighed heavily at Orga's singing; tt wasn't long before Melody arrived, looking just as annoyed as everyone else. "Oh! I see Melody has finally arrived. Now we can…"

"HOLD ON!" Orga exclaimed, completely cutting Hisui off. "Before we start, I got a few words I wanna share with everyone."

"…Feel free…." Hisui sighed. If the people knew it was her under the mask she wouldn't have allowed such rude interruptions.

"Now then…" Orga cleared his throat. "It's been like this for a while now…but whenever people think of Fiore, there are only two guilds that come to mind: Fairy Tail and White Eclipse. Granted, those two guilds are known for being Fiore's strongest. But no more!" Everything went silent as Orga spoke. "All the guilds in Fiore have been overshadowed by both Fairy Tail and White Eclipse! No longer! In these Games, we're going to ensure that Earthland knows our names! We're going to dethrone both of those guilds by the time this tournament is over! That's why when I say it, you say it with me. SABERTOOTH IS NUMBER ONE!" As Orga screamed once again, the Sabertooth fans in the audience followed suit.

"Such a bold proclamation…" Jenny said with a slight smirk. "But I would be lying if I said I didn't feel the same way. It looks like Fiore's strongest has big red targets on their backs." A giggle escaped the model's mouth. "I wonder if the other guilds participating feel the same…"

"I couldn't have said that better myself." Minerva spoke with a slight chuckle.

"Orga-sama spent all day yesterday preparing that speech…I didn't think he'd get to use it on the first day." Yukino said in amazement.

"What say you?" Orga asked Melody.

Melody had her arms crossed, remaining silent at first. Soon, her lips turned up to a slight smirk. "I'm not as passionate about the whole thing as you are, but I do wanna win for my fellow ladies. If we happen to take down Fiore's stronger guilds, then so be it. This country is more than just those two guilds."

Mavis remained silent at the murmurs of the audience. "Hm…I see." A bright smile formed on her face. "Everyone is truly intent on winning these Games. We came here to defeat White Eclipse as well…but it seems the competition is truly much more prominent than them alone. This is going to be a fierce battle indeed."

"You kids don't plan on losing to words, do you?" Calium looked back at those who were participating.

"Hell no." Cygnus said confidently. "They can talk big all they want; they're still getting put down regardless."

.

"What a bold choice of words, kabo." Hisui then took a few steps back, having a feeling this match was about to get messy. "Now, if we could move on without any interruptions. The first match of the Grand Magic Games can finally be underway! Your 15 minute time limit starts now. Begin! Kabo."

"Ladies first!" Melody quipped while sliding into the maker position, "Sliver Make: Rod!" Melody threw her hands forward as a silver magic seal manifested before her palms. The seal unleashed a tall silver pole that was noticeably higher than Melody's own height. "There we go. I win."

"Oh really?" Orga quirked a brow while clenching a hand into a fists, black lightning surging around his body. "Let's see how well that works for you then. Lightning God's Bellow!" Orga dropped his jaw, unleashing a potent beam of obsidian lightning towards Melody.

"Orga, you dolt!" Minerva exclaimed. "Silver conducts electricity! Weren't you paying attention during the event?!"

No, no he wasn't. He was too dazzled by Rufus' performance at the end to really remember much of anything else. So imagine his look of surprise when his lightning was directed to the rod standing beside Melody. "Oh right…I forgot about that…"

"Furthermore…" Melody wagged her finger with a sinister smirk. "Lightning always strikes at the highest point. So as long as you release lightning, it'll always go right to my little pole here. Genius, right? Now then…" Melody threw her hands forward, activating another maker spell right off the bat. "Silver Make: Needle Storm!" A barrage of needles fanned out, covering a wide radius while striking into the now defending Orga, managing to push the large male backwards.

"And Melody starts off with a strong strategy." Siegrain remarked. "Both are lightning users; however Melody has the edge using material that conducts lightning. Just how will Orga overcome this, if he's able?"

After the storm of needles, Orga let out a low grunt of pain. Those needles did a good job annoying him if anything else, but he couldn't let Melody think he was raw for so much longer. "You think just because you can conduct lightning you can beat me? You've got a rude awakening coming, little lady!" Orga lifted his hands into the air, joining them together as onyx lightning danced around his body once again. The lightning god slammed his hands into the ground, creating a powerful shockwave that lifted up electrified debris into the air than began to rain down on Melody.

"You gotta be kiddin' me…" Melody had to commend Orga for his intuitive thinking. The impact caused the ground to tremble, so Melody's focus on a maker spell was reduce. Still she tried her best and threw her hands up in the air. "Lance!" Several silver lances shot forward into the air, shattering the electrified debris that threatened to fall on her. Due to her focus on not being crushed, she failed to notice Orga closing in the distance until it was too late. The lightning god aimed a fist infused with lightning at the girl's face, but she was fast enough to block it. The damage was lessened, but Orga's might still sent her skidding across the arena until she came to a halt. "Oof…so you do have a brain in there…"

"You didn't think I was going to be bested so easily, did you? I'm a Sabertooth mage." Orga ripped out the silver pole and broke it in half before tossing it elsewhere. It wasn't going to be a problem anymore. "Let's see how you enjoy the long range game…" Orga held his hands out in front of him, a small sphere of black lightning appearing within the space between his palms. This lightning crackled for a few seconds before the large male pushed his hands forward, unleashing a widespread, gigantic beam of high voltage lightning towards the Mermaid. "120mm Black Lightning Cannon!"

"Oh crap…!" Melody's yellow eyes widened at the size of the attack; her arms crossed, silver forming around her body for a makeshift armor to soften the damage. It was a questionable tactic to use silver to defend against lightning, but Melody endured the high voltage while holding her ground. When the lightning dispersed, her troubles weren't over yet!

Orga closed the distance between them, slamming a lightning coated fist into Melody's armored gut. While the lightning was still being conducted by the silver, Melody did stagger back. It was then that Orga started his offensive assault, aiming large fists at Melody's petite stature to wear down her guard and eventually take her down. "So, are you going to fight me head on now!?" Orga questioned while piling on the pressure.

Despite the armor, Melody's movements were still swift. The silver plating around her body was light, allowing for quick reaction in times like these. This allowed her to avoid most of Orga's punches while defending against the occasional strike. She had a smirk since Orga was in close proximity. "Me trying to take you on in a head on fist fight is stupid…but I have alternatives!" Melody slammed her armored fist into Orga's chest. The lightning she was conducting exploded with an audible BOOM and pushed him backwards. Lightning may not have been so effective on the God Slayer; however, if it was his own, and the force was used to push him backwards, then it posed an interesting issue.

"A clever tactic…" Rufus said with a slight chuckle. "She used her armor to conduct Orga's lightning and keep it around her person at all times. When the time was right, she discharged it. As my memory has it, Slayers of any kind are unable to consume their own magic, thus resulting in a slight hurdle for our lightning god."

"Come on Orga! Kick her ass!" Sting cheered.

"Yeah! Come on Orga!" Lector followed suit with Sting.

Melody continued her assault, discharging Orga's lightning with explosive shockwaves. The consecutive impacts were enough for even Melody to make the larger male stumble backwards. She just needed a little more until she could push him into the arena. While she had a good rhythm going, that came to a halt the moment she ran out of lightning to use! Her silver plated fist struck Orga's face, having significantly less effect. She realized this a little too late as Orga's large hand caught her armored fist before she could strike again. "Crap."

Orga let out a slight chuckle. Melody succeeded in inflicting quite a bit of damage and Orga was impressed. "You're pretty tough, I gotta give you that. Not a lot of smaller people would think to come at me for a head on fist fight."

"What can I say? You think the ladies at Mermaid Heel are afraid to get their hands dirty?" Melody said with a pained smirk. "We can tussle with the big boys too…" Melody shifted her weight, attempting to use this position to try and toss Orga. Unfortunately for her it wasn't going to work.

"Nice try. But if anyone's going to get tossed around here…" Orga lifted Melody up, quickly slamming her down to the ground. The impact formed a crater with Melody lying right in the center with broken armor scattered around her. Orga held his hand forward as black lightning sparked at the tips of his fingers and soon a large electrical sphere appeared in the crater to zap some sense into Melody. Her cry of pain didn't resound well with the ladies of Mermaid Heel.

"Melody…!" The ladies of Mermaid Heel cried out.

Orga dusted off his hands, smirking contently. "Tigers eat Mermaids, didn't you know that?"

"Is she down…?" Rogue questioned. It didn't look like Melody was moving.

"O-Oh…well…" Hisui cleared her throat. "The winner of this match is…"

"H-Hold on…" Melody was still standing! She was hunched over and struggled to move with lightning keeping her muscles tense, but she was still standing!

"Huh…?" Orga turned. "Man, you ladies really are tough…!"

"Melody is still standing! Is it time for a reversal!?" Chapati shouted.

"I'm not…going to fall over just like that…" Melody took a step forward, sneering at Orga. "I'm a strong Mermaid…who won't bow down to anyone so easily…those ladies…have been counting on me since I was brought in with no memory…so I can't just fall over….!" Melody took another step forward, sliding her hands into the maker position. "You said it yourself. We're fighting for true superiority! So that's why I will…fight until I…" Thud. Melody collapsed once again, this time for good. She couldn't even finish her sentence this time and she was out cold.

"Such strong convictions…" Hisui couldn't help but admire Melody's resolve. No wonder Mermaid Heel was so popular; they inspired all females around Fiore. "Oh…right! Melody is unable to battle any further! That means the winner of this round is Orga from Sabertooth, giving them 10 points!"

The crowd still cheered due to the result. The Sabertooth guild and fans were ecstatic with Sabertooth having a perfect 20 point lead in the first day. "Nice job!"

Orga had to respect Melody's tenacity. But in the end, there was only one thing he could say at a time like this. Grabbing a mic, Orga practically screamed into it. "SAY IT WITH MY NOW! SABERTOOTH IS NUMBER ONE!"

.

"Next up…" Chapati read the list he had on hand. "We have White Eclipse A's Aira Aeolus vs. Blue Pegasus' Ren Atasuki!"

"Wish me luck!" Aira waved to her guild and team mates before heading off to the arena. When she arrived, Ren was already waiting for her like the gentleman he was.

"Never leave a lady waiting. That is one of the many things Ichiya-senpai has taught the Trimen while molding us into perfect gentlemen…" Ren spoke aloud to the crowd and the females began to swoon. Even though he was engaged to Sheri, his mannerisms always seemed to have the ladies running while…and it didn't stop his compliment to every female alive either.

"I see Ichiya's taught you well…!" Aira offered Ren a bright smile. "I hope we make this a good match. But I have no intentions of losing here."

"I understand your sentiments wholeheartedly." Ren said while giving a slight bow. "A beautiful lady you are indeed, both with strength and grace. However, Blue Pegasus is relying on me to do my best to secure victory. Therefore, I must use my handsome prowess to overcome your abilities. I do not wish to bring harm to a lady, but I know you will accept nothing less than my best. So that is what you will receive, and nothing less."

"Are both sides ready?" Hisui asked while looking between Aira and Ren. "Now…begin!"

"Please, ladies first!" Ren insisted.

"Very well." Aira gave a curt nod before pushing her hands forward, expelling a powerful gust of wind towards Ren's location. Her aim was to sweep Ren off his feet and push him into the arena wall! She didn't enjoy hurting anyone, especially during a sport, so she wanted to make such a defeat as swift as possible.

Unfortunately for Aira, Ren wasn't going to bow out so easily! He stood firmly against the fierce winds, a smirk plastered on his visage. "You won't be taking me down so easily. As stated before, we do not intent to give an easy ride to the top!" Ren extended his hands to the sides, creating a burst of air that nullified Aira's wind. Ren then took a slight crouch, spreading his arms out as he took a particular pose. "Because you are a beautiful lady, I will make this swift. It would be a crime if I were to damage that lovely face of yours. Time for you to taste the might of the man known as…Chocolate Swirl! Aerial Phose!" Ren gathered a massive amount of air around his person and it soon shot out, covering the entire battlefield as the outward force aimed to push Aira backwards while inflicting tremendous damage in the process.

Even Aira could see the impending danger of Ren's technique. It was going to hurt a lot if she didn't do anything about it. So, the blond began to inhale, gathering wind within her mouth to combat the incoming force of air. "False Bellow…of the Wind Godess!" Exhaling, a torrent of wind released towards the incoming force of air. The two collided; however Ren's technique had more strength behind it and began to push Aira's attack backwards. Left with very little options, the Eclipse female crossed her arms as the Aerial Phose consumed her being. She didn't let loose a cry of pain even as the consecutive hits of Ren's technique battered her person. There was still an issue other than the damage dealt: The Aerial Phose was pushing Aira back towards the arena wall!

"Of course…he's trying to push her out before she has the chance to get some momentum…" Mary remarked.

"….So we're just gonna ignore the fact he called himself Chocolate Swirl?" Roxanne stated with a deadpanned expression.

"Don't get pushed around! It's just a breeze!" Kanade cheered while pumping her fist in the air several times.

"That's the spirit! Show her the strength of your 'mahnly' handsomeness! A parfum of victory is within reach!" Ichiya cheered on his disciple.

As the Aerial Phose steadily came to an end, Aira's back was nearly against the wall. But she wasn't touching it. She managed to hold her ground enough to cease her momentum before she was knocked out. Her body was covered in bruises but it was nothing she couldn't handle. "That was close…I almost let myself get knocked out by a mistake…"

"Strong and resilient. I expected nothing less." Ren had a suave smile on his lips. "Perhaps after this, you and I could go out for a nice dinner date? On me, of course."

"That's a sweet offer." Aira said while giving a smile. "But unfortunately, my heart belongs to someone else. So I'm going to have to decline." After saying this, Aira rushed forward while crossing her arms before her body. It seemed like she was taking a defensive position after Ren's surprise attack, but it was in fact, the opposite. Once nearing Ren she uncrossed her arms, blades of wind appearing to mirror her actions as she 'slashed' Ren across the chest. "Great Cross Slash!" That single slash was reminiscent of a number of blades slicing through the target at once. It was not pain she'd wish to inflict on anyone; however she did intend to win in the name of White Eclipse.

"Ngh…" Ren let out a grunt of pain after Aira slashed him. It went against his handsome nature to fall, but there was not much he could do against such a powerful attack. The handsome man collapsed, defeated. "It seems…my handsomeness was no match for such overwhelming beauty."

"Ren has fallen! Aira of White Eclipse A is the victor! Kabo." Hisui exclaimed. Even though Aira did manage to win, she was an inch or two away from a defeat from Blue Pegasus. If anything, such a fight was a sign that these guilds were truly not handing over victory like last time. This only excited the crowd further and the battles for Day 1 were only halfway over.

"Oh…such a close fight. Ren almost had it." Jenny still smiled despite her guild mate's defeat. "But Ren truly did his best and neatly succeeded. If that isn't the pinnacle of handsomeness, then I don't know what is."

.

.

Next Time: Light and Fire.


	109. Chapter 109: Light and Fire

Sabertooth: 20

White Eclipse A: 17

Fairy Tail B: 9

Empyrean Dawn: 8

Fairy Tail A: 7

Mermaid Heel: 6

White Eclipse B: 5

Blue Pegasus: 4

"The next fight we have in store is….Fairy Tail B's Juvia Lockser vs. Empyrean Dawn's Nina Roulette!" Chapati announced.

"It's Juvia's time!" The water mage was very determined. "Gray-sama is watching Juvia…so Juvia has to win! Otherwise she won't be able to face Gray-sama…"

"You got this!" Cynthia said with a grin of encouragement.

On the other side of the stadium, the blond pumped her fist into the air. "Let's go! I'm ready for this!" Nina was more than ready to throw down.

"Please don't embarrass us." Hubert sighed.

"You should relax, Bert-chan." Zinnia said while calmly filing her nails. "Nina will do fine."

"Indeed. It'll be quite the show indeed." Cecelia said while sipping down a bit of wine.

"I just hope she doesn't go off the wall. But I do want to see her kick some ass." Julia said with a slight grin. That was her younger sister going to battle after all, but Empyrean Dawn wasn't attempting to bring too much attention to themselves.

Lisanna narrowed her eyes at Nina. "Hey…I remember that girl. She attacked Elf-nii and I back on the Isle! I have no idea why, though. I think there was someone else with her too…"

"Yeah…" Elfman recognized Nina as well. "I remember her actions not being very Manly either. I hope Juvia doesn't have to deal with anything ridiculous out there!"

"She'll be fine." Mavis said with a reassuring smile. "Juvia is strong. I'm certain she can handle whatever Nina has to throw at her."

Both Juvia and Nina met in the arena, standing just a few yards away from one another. Nina adjusted the ruby ring along her finger while flashing a smile at her opponent. "So, you're Juvia, huh? Let's make this fight a good one, yeah? I've been looking for a good fight!"

"Mmm…" Juvia's lips curled in uncertainty. "Juvia is here to battle for her beloved Gray-sama and Fairy Tail. She will not partake in any games."

"Ah, you don't gotta be so stiff! It'll just be two girls duking it out!" Nina was ready to throw down now. "Yo! Pumpkin dude! Let's get it!"

"P-Pumpkin dude…!?" Hisui was a little offended that everyone was assuming she was a man under the mask! It was a little hurtful, but this was the fate she was subject to as the mascot. "Hmph…let the battle commence!"

"That's more like it!" Nina snapped her fingers, activating her Random Select magic. The first thing she was able to use was Bomb Magic! A standard bomb appeared in her hands and she tossed it towards Juvia. The bomb wasn't quite as powerful as anything Roy could produce, but the ensuing explosion was still powerful nonetheless. Juvia did dodge, using the cloud of smoke as cover.

"Aw, that's a pretty weak bomb. That's not even a fire cracker!" Roy commented.

Juvia swiped her arm forward, creating multiple scythes of water that shot through the smoke, aiming to slice at Nina with their razor sharp edges. "Water Slicer!"

Nina was not caught off guard by the incoming scythes of water. It was time to showcase some athleticism! Nina began to flip several times, avoiding the Water Slicers even as they narrowly grazed her body. Unfortunately for her she was unable to avoid everything and ended up being on the receiving end of the last three. The blades of water cut the skin, creating some gashes that drew blood. Nina was unbothered by this. Instead she only flashed Juvia a smile in response. "Yeah, that's what I like to see. I like it when my opponents have some fight to 'em!" The blond reared her arm back once again manifesting yet another bomb before hurling it with intensity.

Juvia narrowed her eyes at the incoming bomb. She whipped her arm forward, extending it as it took the shape of a whip to try and slap the bomb out of the air before it could reach her. Things didn't exactly go as she planned as the bomb exploded prematurely due to her contact and a harsh eruption of steam made her retract her arm while hissing in pain. "S-Steam…?"

"Huh?" Nina blinked, not quite understanding why Juvia felt so much pain from the steam. But that didn't matter to her; she was ready to get in close now! Nina pounded her fists together, allowing magic seals resembling explosives form on her fists and she pushed forward, rushing Juvia down quickly! Each punch thrown by the blonde was packed with an explosive aftertaste! Juvia countered these punches with her own, ending in a watery explosion.

"Both females are locked in fierce close combat! At this rate it could go either way!" Chapati yelled into his mic.

"Pssh…" Julia waved her hand dismissively at Chapati's comment. "They clearly don't understand the difference in strength here. But that's the surprise. Life's no fun when you know what's happening next."

"Indeed…" Hubert adjusted his glasses. "Little do the spectators know that those who have entered the Games are the Gemas…"

"The eight mages who I've deemed among the top in Empyrean Dawn…" Kaiho stated calmly. "It's good to indulge in these activities every so often. That's why I'm glad you all agreed to it. You all work quite hard so I assumed it would be pleasant for you to stretch your muscles in a public setting. This is also a prime opportunity to gain some data on these other mages for future occasion."

"Always thinking ahead, Kaiho~" Zinnia said while munching on an apple she stole from someone very suddenly.

Juvia ducked under an explosive punch from Nina, placing her hand against the other female's chest. "Water Beam!" Now this was going to be a direct hit and hurt! A high pressurized beam of scalding hot water practically exploded against Nina's chest and the force pushed her backwards! The beam of water was so strong it nearly broke the arena wall!

"Gah!" Nina tumbled violently along the battlefield before coming to a halt. One quick glance at her chest showed the burn and bruise mark. "Oh, that stung…" But she could not relax yet!

Juvia was keeping her offensive momentum! Water swirled around her lower body, forming a sharp vortex which she used to carry her across the field. "Water Jigsaw!" The water mage cried out while slamming into Nina! Nina could only bring her arms up to defend herself, but Juvia's momentum was too much for her to handle on her own and she was being pushed back towards the wall!

"That's it Juvia! Push her back!" Gray exclaimed. Of course his cheering was heard and this only prompted Juvia's attack to get a little more violent as she wanted to impress her beloved Gray.

"…Is that considered cheating?" Mii pointed, clearly having seen the increase in Juvia's strength suddenly.

"It seems she's keeping her ears peeled out for anything Gray has to say…" Lucy said with a nervous chuckle.

"Don't get pushed around by that lightweight!" Julia exclaimed.

"I'm trying not to…!" Nina grunted. She was trying to hold her ground but it wasn't working. Juvia's strength was too much at first, but then a lightbulb flashed in her head! She had to drop a bomb, and a big one at that. A rather large bomb materialized between the two combatants and exploded without warning. The force of the explosion was enough to separate Juvia and Nina, both females tumbling along the ground before coming to a halt. All of these explosions going around left noticeable cracks in the battlefield, large enough to trip over if one wasn't careful. "Ugh…That was close…"

"Ngh…" Juvia was a little disoriented from the sudden explosion. It was pretty jarring to have an explosive go off in your face suddenly.

Nina stood up quickly to activate her Random Select once again. "Come on, give me something good!" She pleaded. Nina only had one slot available after this and she was hoping the RNG in her head was in her favor this time. When she finally got something, her smile could not have been wider! "All right! That's what I'm talking about!" With a snap of her fingers, one hell of a spell emerged around Juvia. It was an Amaterasu formula that only a few mages actually recognized.

"Is that…?" Lucy could hardly believe what she was seeing!

"Juvia, get out of there!" Erza practically screamed. After seeing that spell used twice by the same person, she knew full well of what its effects were.

"Huh…?" Juvia lifted her head up, staring at the intricate seals placed around her body. Her eyes widened and she didn't even have the chance to react as the Amaterasu spell exploded on her! Fairy Tail watched in silence as a cloud of smoke formed around the water mage. When the smoke cleared…Juvia wasn't even there!

"…Did she evaporate…?" Mii tilted her head.

"…?" Nina blinked several times. "Where'd she go!?"

That was a good question, and one she'd get the answer too soon enough. Juvia's watery body emerged from one of the cracks in the ground right behind Nina! By the time Nina noticed, Juvia was already behind her with her hands extended. "Wings of Love!" From Juvia's hands, a powerful spiral of water shot forward, ripping through the battlefield while striking Nina in the front since she turned around. The powerful attack was going to push Nina from one side of the arena to the other with its massive power.

"There we go!" Lucy cheered. "She slipped through the cracks in the ground with Water Body to avoid the attack!"

"Take her down!" Gray shouted.

"How'd she slip away so fast…!?" Nina grunted while at the mercy of Juvia's attack. "Agh! I'm not gonna make it!"

"Juvia retaliates with a sneaky counter attack! Is this the end for Nina's efforts?!" Chapati questioned.

"What a turnaround!" Jenny remarked.

"…." Sidney stared at Juvia knowingly. It seems Mary and Calium were able to draw the same conclusion.

"…She's rushing." Mary stated.

"She wasn't fast enough." Calium said. "But which will come first, I wonder…"

Nina was getting closer and closer to the wall. But that wasn't her only problem. The pressure of the water made it difficult for her to breathe so she was getting close to passing out. There was nothing she could do! Nina was about to suffer the fatal KO + Ring out combo. At least…that's what it looked like, but Juvia's Wings of Love slowly started to die down, drawing some gasps from the audience.

"What's going on?" Wendy asked. "She was about to win…!"

Juvia fell to her hands and knees with sweat beading down her forehead as she panted heavily. "J-Juvia's body…won't do what she tells it to…"

Nina panted heavily, surprised that she was even able to survive Juvia's attack. It seems Lady Luck really was with her today. "That was too close…"

Hubert had a small smirk on his lips as Juvia fell. "And that…is game."

"Juvia suddenly stopped!? What happened?" Chapati was looking for an explanation.

"Did she not avoid that spell?" Romeo looked at the others. Makarov could only shake his head in response.

"That was an Amaterasu Formula. That particular one drains the magic of the target while rending their limbs useless…" Makarov responded. "Juvia was able to avoid the brunt of the explosion, yet it seems she was too slow to avoid the entire thing. But…I don't understand where she could have obtained that magic from…"

"Get up Juvia!" Cynthia cupped her hands around her mouth to project her voice to Juvia.

"I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth!" Nina activated her Random Select one more time, this time getting Rainbow Flame magic. The Empyrean had a wonderful flash of inspiration and used the Rainbow Flame to ignite a rather large bomb she conjured.

"Rainbow Flame?" Romeo was at a loss. "But how…?!"

"None of the types of magic she's used thus far are even remotely related…" Mavis was taking note of this. Something was very wrong here.

"Checkmate!" Nina said with a wide grin, hurling the bomb to Juvia without a moment's hesitation. The bomb flew towards the downed water mage where it exploded in a brilliant flash of colors! Even the smoke was tinted rainbow due to the intensity of the flames. The ground trembled a little bit and everyone had to hang onto their seats. When the smoke cleared, Juvia was on her back, clothing tattered and marred in burn marks. She was down.

"My goodness…" Hisui just barely managed to keep herself out of the way of that explosion. "A-Ahem…Juvia is unable to continue any further! The winner is Nina Roulette from Empyrean Dawn, thus granting them 10 points! …Kabo."

"What a turn of events." Siegrain had a smile on his face. "Both mages truly gave it their all out there. This was a match that went either way several times. Isn't this what the crowd came here to see?" His words did resonate with the audience, so it did bring some cheering while Gray and Wendy went to retrieve Juvia, and Nina went back to her side.

.

"And now it's time for the final match of the day!" Chapati yelled into his mic. "This one is an old fashion, but a good one! Fairy Tail A's Natsu Dragneel vs. White Eclipse B's Micaiah!"

"Oh, this is interesting!" Sting was already into this. "I didn't think I'd get to see Natsu-san fight so soon!"

"You're up, Natsu!" Lucy said while patting her partner on the shoulder. "You're up against that girl from White Eclipse. She fought Raven and Chelia yesterday, remember?"

Natsu was digging in his ear with his index finger, not really showing interest. "Nah…wasn't really paying attention to 'em. I'll just beat her up and get my rematch with Jack later." That said Natsu casually leapt over the railing to the battlefield.

"If that idiot gets his ass kicked for rushing…." Mii was already snickering.

Micaiah arrived at the arena shortly after Natsu did since she took the normal path. She could feel the pressure on since this was yet another White Eclipse vs. Fairy Tail match up. This was her first one…all the veterans were used to the winning, losing, or draws with their rival guild. Micaiah just wanted to get points for her team. "….."

"You got this, Micaiah!" Reiss exclaimed.

"You can win, Micaiah-chan!" Vanya shouted her support.

Luke sat back, crossing his arms as he waited for his protégé to get to work. "Good luck."

"Are both sides ready?" Hisui looked between the tense Micaiah and the battle ready Natsu. "15 minutes starts now! Begin!"

Micaiah calmed herself as the battle started, staring at Natsu. "I'm sure you've heard of the White Eclipse tradition. The weaker mage makes the first move…that is why…" The silver haired maiden extended one hand forward, creating a white magic seal just before her palm. "Light Spear Cannon!" From the seal a plethora of light lances shot forth one after another, all aiming to skewer Natsu with little to no hesitation at all.

Natsu was about to say he didn't give a shit about that White Eclipse tradition, but he was a little surprised Micaiah was humble enough to begin based on that. With the lances of light coming his way the fire dragon acted quickly, approaching while ducking and weaving through the lances. A few grazed him but it was nothing. Once Natsu was close his fist ignited in flames and he threw it forward. "Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!"

Natsu was faster than she expected. The gap was closed in a matter of seconds and the counterattack was already being launched! Micaiah threw her arms up to defend, sliding back as Natsu's fiery fist struck her arms and pushed her back. Her skin burned a little but she pushed forward anyway. "Light Demon's Rage!" Lips parted and with no warning other than the incantation, a funnel of black light shot out from Micaiah's mouth and towards Natsu. The only way Natsu was able to defend was to cross his arms whilst sliding back from the force of the attack.

"What was that light?" Sting quirked a brow. "That wasn't like anything I've ever seen before…"

"Was that Curse…?" Gray tilted his head. He did get a strange, vaguely familiar vibe from Micaiah the longer he looked at her.

"I dabble in both magic and curse…it's truly nothing special. I'm only human." She insisted. Due to the incident demons caused in the past, she didn't feel comfortable revealing that she was a half breed of some Etherious demon and a human. "Don't ponder on that for too long. Ponder on your impending defeat." Both arms were extended, two blades composed of light energy forming within her hands; one white, one black. These blades were not her physical ones and she dubbed these Light Brands. Pushing forward, Micaiah began to slash at Natsu and he started to step backwards.

"I don't care what you are! I'm still kicking your ass twice as hard just for being a part of White Eclipse!" Natsu stated smugly. Right after that he was slashed across the chest, but there was no physical wound on his body. The damage was still there and he deduced that these blades were unable to deal physical damage, but rather pierce. This was a problem if kept up for too long, so the Salamander dropped to the ground while swinging his burning legs at Micaiah's hands. Two consecutive kicks knocked the blades from the maiden's hands. Before she even had a chance to recover, Natsu stood up and gripped Micaiah's shirt tightly, having a near evil smile on his lips. "Fire Dragon's Grip!" And from his hand, a powerful burst of orange flame exploded from close proximity. The explosion was so strong Natsu's grip on Micaiah was released and she tumbled backwards with a cry of pain. Oathkeeper formed in her hands and she stabbed the blade violently into the ground to prevent herself from sliding back any further. Before she even had the chance to recover, Natsu was in the air with a large fireball held over his head. "And Dazzling Blaze!" Natsu hurled the large flaming sphere towards Micaiah like a meteor.

Due to her position, there wasn't much she could do. Micaiah hastily casted Shine Barrier, forming a barrier of light around her body to mitigate the damage. Since it was casts so quickly the barrier was nowhere near as durable as it should've been, thus is shattered upon contact and the Eclipse mage was engulfed in the fiery explosion. The rookie's body was marred with burn marks but she was fine. Standing up, the silver haired maiden threw her free hand out. "Light Chain!" Instead of a physical chain, sparkles of light started to form while making a line across the arena towards Natsu. Nobody knew what these sparkles did until they exploded violently, nearly blinding everyone with their flashes of light!

"Gah!" Natsu covered his eyes. His eyesight was temporarily gone from Micaiah's maneuver. This was the time for Micaiah to move in, but Natsu didn't need to rely solely on his eyes. Micaiah swung her blade and he avoiding the swing…what he wasn't expecting was the following slash of light to cut into his side. A hiss of pain escaped him but he fired back immediately with a flaming punch to Micaiah's chest. It was a hit noted by the grunt of pain she let out. Things continued like this for a while; Micaiah aimed slashes and Natsu had to deal with not one, but two blades coming at him since each slash of Oathkeeper. "Damn, this is annoying!" Natsu grunted.

"Try this on for size!" Micaiah stopped her assault, now extending her free hand once again. "Demonic Embrace!" From Micaiah's hand, a stream of demonic flames shot out to strike Natsu.

Natsu could only sense the flames so he was more than happy to capitalize on what he believed to be a mistake. His mouth opened hungrily and…he was basically starved! The flames Micaiah unleashed were ones he could not consume. "Huh…!?"

 _"_ _He doesn't leave himself open often, but when you find a chance, strike him as hard as you can!"_ Those words of advice from Luke the day prior were coming into play now. With Natsu distracted Micaiah pointed Oathkeeper forward as a bright cyan light shone on the tip of the blade. "Ragnarok!" From the blade of Oathkeeper, several blasts of light shot out in a circle formation, converging together to strike Natsu right in the chest with enough force to send him flying! Each individual blast was sure to leave a mark.

"Natsu!" Lucy was worried.

"And Micaiah the underdog hits Natsu hard!" Chapati yelled.

"What kind of advice did you give her?" Takeru questioned while staring at Luke. Takeru would've loved to duke it out with Natsu right now, but he had his own agenda in the city of Crocus and the Games would've impeded his mission. Didn't mean he wasn't going to watch the first day.

"She kind of had some weird premonition that she'd be fighting that idiot…" Luke said with a shrug. "So I told her what I know based on watching him fight. She's putting that information to good use."

"Is he getting his ass kicked? Please tell me he is." Jack was trying to hold back a balant snicker.

Natsu was still standing. He was nowhere close to being down, but even he had to admit when something stung. "Not bad…" Natsu said as his eyes finally returned. He could at least get into the battle now as fire wrapped around both fists. "I didn't think you'd hit that hard. But now that I know what you can do, I'm fired up…"

"So you're going to stop taking me lightly now? Good…" Micaiah's other hand was held out, black light manifesting into her Curse Blade: Oblivion. "That's all I want. That, and to win."

"We'll see about that!" Natsu then sped forward with flames trailing along his arms. "Fire Dragon's Wing Slash!" With the sudden burst of flame, Natsu was provided with an aerodynamic evasive maneuverability that increased his speed! Before he could actually reach Micaiah, she jumped into the air with a nimble flip to avoid him. Natsu grinned and pursed, stopping completely before bending his knees and launching himself into the air with flames wrapped around his entire body. "Sword Horn!"

"…!" Micaiah didn't expect to be pursued! Natsu's fiery skull cracked right into her gut, completely knocking the wind out of Micaiah as she released a pained gasp.

"And Talons!" Natsu continued off of this momentum and swung his flaming leg at Micaiah's skull. There was a satisfying crack as the maiden slammed right into the ground! Natsu then landed with a grin.

Micaiah had blood leaking from her skull from the impact, but she didn't stop. She regained her breath and crossed her two blades before uncrossing them quickly. This prompted a black and white X to travel across the field and slammed into Natsu with a surprising amount of force. Natsu let out a grunt as the impact made him slide backwards. "I'm not…finished with you yet!"

Natsu used his hand to wipe away some blood leaking from his lips. He then began to inhale, gut inflating, cheeks expanding, and orange wisps of flame surrounding his mouth in the form of a miniature vortex. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" Throwing his head forward, the fire dragon unleashed a massive funnel of flame that cut across the arena while making its way towards the Eclipse female.

Micaiah crossed her blades as the funnel of flame came her way. The roar clashed with her swords, spreading out in all directions. She was holding her ground despite the struggle. "Ngh…"

"Oi, doesn't she have summon's she could be using to mitigate her trouble? I saw her using them during her training…" Ramman said while stroking his chin.

"Of course she's not going to be using them." Calium said, flatly. That got looks from everyone, including Luke. "This is her debut as a mage to Fiore, against one of Fairy Tail's most infamous mages at that." As Calium spoke, Micaiah held her own against Natsu's roar, now summing miniature blades of cyan and black light to swarm at Natsu at all once, leaving him no choice but to defend or dodge them. "Perhaps it's her pride that has her acting solo…but this is something she wishes to do on her own accord, without the help of her summon spirits. If she is capable of holding her own against this mage, or perhaps even winning, that would give White Eclipse quite the boost in reputation along with her own."

"Do you think she can win…?" Sophie asked.

"I earnestly believe she's putting forth her best effort to do so." Calium nodded in response. "And that is everything we could ask for."

Natsu closed the gap between the two once again. Natsu jumped swinging his leg up in the process to catch Micaiah off guard. "Fire Dragon's Claw!" The blazing kick struck Micaiah in the chin, knocking her off balance briefly before she caught herself.

Micaiah stumbled for a bit before catching herself. Yellow eyes sneered at her opponent before she took both of her swords and smashed them together. Gray light swirled around in her hands before it took the shape of another blade: Two Become One! Both Curse and Magic blended together perfectly in this one sword! "I'm not finished yet!"

"This girl certainly knows how to put on a light show…" Jenny remarked. "But she may be nearing her limit…"

Micaiah gripped the newly formed blade within her hands and swung it horizontally. This prompted several large pillars of light to formed, rushing towards Natsu at blinding speeds! Natsu growled and crossed his arms as his options to dodge were extremely limited. The pillars crashed into him, turning the battlefield into a ruined landscape at the end of it. The crowd was silent, completely entranced by the intensity of this battle. Before the dust could even settle, fire and lightning erupted around Natsu's body. Lightning Flame Mode was here.

"And Natsu brings out the dual mode!" Chapati yelled.

"Huh…" Bacchus was honestly impressed by this. "So she forced it outta him. I honestly didn't think she'd even last long to see it…"

"Come on Natsu! Take her out!" Lucy cheered.

This is what Micaiah was waiting for. She saw Natsu use this the day prior and wanted nothing more than to force this out of him. For him to acknowledge her. Of course now that it was here, she was entirely unprepared for the power of the dual mode. Watching someone fight and actually fighting them were two completely different experiences in a situation like this. Natsu closed the distance faster than before, fire and lightning wrapped around his fist! He swung at Micaiah's face, but she blocked it with her blade. Natsu then followed up with a blazing kick to her side, but she recalled this from yesterday. _"The kick is a fake out….the real threat is…"_ Micaiah flipped to the side, avoiding both Natsu's kick and the incoming bolt of lightning that was to smite her. She thought she was in the clear, but Natsu's reaction time was far more threatening than she believed it to be. Before she could strike back, a fire and lightning infused punch hit her chest, the impact causing her to lock up.

"RAH!" Natsu then swung his head forward for a devastating headbutt against Micaiah's skull. Since Natsu was often credited for having a hard head, he wouldn't be feeling this as much as Micaiah did when she stumbled backwards and nearly fell over. Natsu aimed to finish this right here, forming one orb of fire in one hand and having lightning surge in the other. Natsu lifted both elements above his head, creating a shockingly powerful orb of flame. "Dazzling Blaze…of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" And Natsu hurled this forward with the intent finishing this battle.

Micaiah wasn't going down so easily. She held her sword up, allowing a bright gray light to wrap around the blade, it into an enlarged saber imbued with curse and magic. She reared her arm back before bringing the blade down with a battle cry. "Divine Saber!" The saber sliced through the Dazzling Blaze and landed right on top of Natsu, where a pillar of light erupted, launching high into the sky, visible to those in the city. After this attack Micaiah's sword separated and the two blades dispersed. Such an attack left her horribly exhausted.

"LET'S GO MICAIAH!" Waiston shouted.

"TAKE HIM DOWN!" Zalen got in on this as well!

As for Natsu…while that attack did leave a mark, he refused to flinch! His body was covered in bruises and cuts but he was rearing up for a true finisher. His arm was pulled back as fire and lightning blazed around his limb powerfully. "Lightning Flame Dragon's…FIRING HAMMER!" Natsu thrusted his arm forward, releasing a powerful wave of mother nature's most dangerous weapons that tore across the arena, incinerating everything in its path to Micaiah!

"Don't you think that's a little much…?!" Lucy inhaled sharply.

Micaiah narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. It was all she could do to defend against such a monstrous attack. The heat from the Firing Hammer was so strong even the spectators began to sweat profusely. The ground rumbled violently as Micaiah was seemingly consumed within the flames. She didn't let loose a cry of pain, only making her condition unknown to everyone watching. When the flames died down, Micaiah was nearly pushed up against the wall…but she wasn't touching it. Her clothes and skin were burned, she was covered in bruises, blood dripped from her head wound and she panted heavily. Everyone stared, expecting her to fall after such an attack, but she just glared at Natsu. "….W-What…? You think…I'm gonna fall…just like that…?"

"…." Natsu narrowed his eyes, preparing yet another attack to launch…but that was when the bell rung. Time was up.

"15 minutes have passed-kabo!" Hisui was still in a bit of shock. Thankfully the bell ringing snapped her back into reality. "Neither side has fallen thus resulting in a draw! Both White Eclipse B and Fairy Tail A get 5 points!"

"…Holy shit." Even Luke was surprised at this outcome.

"Well shit…" Jaxon let out a soft chuckle. "You go little lady."

"She did amazing!" Aira clasped her hands together.

The crowd loved that fight. With the tension dispersed, the crowd went wild and cheered for both sides. Micaiah panted heavily before falling to her hands and knees. She reached her limit a long time ago. The fact she was still able to stand after all that was miraculous in itself. "Ugh…" She passed out. Just a few short seconds after the bell rang.

"…I hate draws." Natsu grumbled as he exited his dual mode. With a grumpy expression, he started to walk off. Natsu wasn't even upset about the fact it was a draw. He was upset because it was very clear that he had the fight in the bag…he just lost track of time. Micaiah lasted longer than anyone thought she would.

"What an amazing first day!" Chapati was incredibly excited from how things ended up. "Every guild gave it nothing short of their all today!"

"I was very pleased with the events and the fights here today. I hope tomorrow will be even better than today." Siegrain said with a pleased smile.

"If today was any indication…these Games have only gotten started." Jenny said with a knowing smile.

"That's right! This is only the first of five days!" Chapati said in agreement. "Anything can happen over the next four days leading up to the final free for all! Thank you all for tuning in today everyone! We'll be back tomorrow with more exciting events and fights! Until then, have a good day everyone!"

End of Day 1:

1st: Sabertooth: 20

2nd: Empyrean Dawn: 18

3rd: White Eclipse A: 17

4th: Fairy Tail A: 12

5th: White Eclipse B: 10

6th: Fairy Tail B: 9

7th: Mermaid Heel: 6

8th: Blue Pegasus: 4

.

.

Next Time: The Aftermath of Day 1


	110. Chapter 110: Aftermath of Day 1

The first day of the Grand Magic Games was incredibly hectic. Thankfully everyone was now able to rest and take a bit of time to get their bearings straight. Fairy Tail regrouped in their own little section of the hotel to discuss the day's events and what the later days may have in store. Natsu and Juvia were being treated by Wendy after their fights. Neither of them were very pleased with their results. Natsu was grumpy and Juvia was just disappointed in herself. "Come on…you two did great…!" Wendy said in an effort to cheer them up. "Everyone's really strong this year…"

"I have to be stronger." Natsu stated. He already made up his mind. He wasn't strong enough to take Micaiah out in time despite being on the winning end of that fight the entire time. If a mage like that could hold him off for that long, then a fight against Zeref…that wasn't something he wanted to deal with right now, but it was on his mind regardless.

"Juvia failed Fairy Tail…I apologize…" Juvia said with a heavy sigh.

"You did fine." Lucy smiled reassuringly at the both of them. "Besides, it's only the first day. There are plenty of chances to get those points back up. So don't beat yourselves up about it, okay?"

"Yeah." Gray agreed with Lucy. "You'll get 'em next time, Juvia."

"…If Gray-sama says Juvia did well, then she will accept it." While Juvia said that with a smile, she felt a little bitter about her defeat. If she was able to push herself for just a few seconds longer, she would've won. But that was in the past and there was no sense in getting bitter about that. She'd use this as fuel to do better in her next event or fight.

"I want tomorrow's event." Natsu stated.

"Well, he got over that fast…" Laxus shook his head.

"Juvia wishes to do tomorrow's event as well!" Juvia followed suit. It seems the two were highly impatient to get their chance at redemption.

"If they're so eager, let them do it." Mii shrugged, relaxing in a chair lazily.

"Jeez…what are we going to do with you two? Not even a moment's rest and you already want to go out there…" Mira sighed, placing her hand on her cheek. "As long as you don't push yourselves out there. But if your injuries are too great, I don't want to see either of you doing anything."

"Yeah yeah…." Natsu crossed his arms. He was pretty much over the result of his fight now and just wanted to win again.

"I think the ladies who performed today were absolutely beautiful. I have to get their names again…" Zelos said aloud, but everyone was tuning him out.

"How about I inspire you all." Mii said while clearing her throat. Such an odd statement from her got eyes. At least she knew how to get people's attention. "Let's see…there are ten of you competing.…four of you a day…so let's say this…if you all can get at least 20 points, I'll share another interesting tidbit of my past with you! That's fair, right?"

"That's the least enticing deal I've ever heard." Gajeel stated flatly.

"No dice, huh?" Mii shrugged. "Well, it was worth a shot since you all are so curious about me. But I'll tell you something anyway!"

"You don't have to if you don't want to…" Erza stated.

"Nah!" Mii grinned. "Let's see…oh. This little fun fact works: The reason I somewhat despise all of you is because you make me kind of like living…"

"It's so nice to know you're very fond of us…" Levy said with a sweat drop. "Unless that's a lie….?"

"Nah, that one's the truth." Mii said while waving a dismissive hand. "It's only true because I'm supposed to be dead within the next year or so."

"W-Wait, what?!" Lucy wasn't so sure how Mii could deliver such news casually. "What do you mean by that…!? You can't just drop that bomb on us for no reason…!"

"Why not?" Mii shrugged. "I thought it would be best for you to know."

"Er…how do you know that…?" Cynthia cautiously asked. "I mean…how do you know that you're gonna die…?"

"Hmmmm…" Mii tapped her chin. "I told you how I'm half-angel, right? Well, when angels are born they usually get their fate handed to them by the leader of the angels. Ironically, mine was to die before I hit a certain age. Which happens to be in a year."

"I don't understand how you can be so casual about this…" Lisanna frowned.

"I'm not even supposed to be alive right now." Mii retorted. Despite the heavy news she was delivering, she still had that everlasting nonchalant tone and smile. "I really wanted to die on that island…but nobody would let me! You're all so annoyingly persistent. I liked not caring about my worthless life; why care about something when we're all just going to die anyway?"

"Why are you even here then? Weren't you looking for someone…?" Laxus asked, a bit annoyed by Mii's attitude. For some reason he felt like that was her goal.

"Ah ah…!" Mii wagged her finger. "Sorry, but if you want to know more about Mii, you'll have to do well tomorrow!"

"God, you're so annoying…" Gajeel grunted.

"Well…whatever the case…" Lucy turned to Mii, staring at her with a determined look in her brown eyes. "I promise that I won't let you die. We won't let you die. On my Fairy Tail pride, I promise!"

"Don't do this…" Mii sighed. "You're free to do what you want, but it won't amount to anything, just a fair warning. But enough about Mii! What's your game plan tomorrow? Natsu and Juvia are taking the event and they've already fought."

"Mii-chan is truly a beautiful piece of art, isn't she?" Zelos snickered.

"What a subject change." Erza rolled her eyes. "We'll just have to be careful for the fights tomorrow. We could be paired against anyone and the competition is no joke this time. Teamwork is imperative you two. As long as you both get within the top 4 we should be good."

"Juvia understands." Juvia nodded. She was ready to get a shot at redemption!

"Shouldn't be too hard. It's only the first day." Natsu had his second wind already. Whenever he was down, it wasn't for long. "Tomorrow, Fairy Tail strikes back twice as hard! I'm all fired up!"

.

"Nnn…" Micaiah regained consciousness slowly. She was covered in bandages after her battle with Natsu. Of course she didn't even get the chance to awaken as the cheer of her guild mates. "G-GAH!?"

"And the star of Day 1 is awake!" Cygnus grinned. "How ya feeling?"

"…Uh…sore…? D-Did I lose…?" Micaiah blinked slowly while looking around at everyone. "I don't remember anything after a certain point…I think I blacked out…."

"You held on just long enough for a tie. That was 5 points right there." Jaxon explained. "Despite being against a stronger opponent, you managed to show your stuff. Not bad."

"O-Oh…!" Micaiah was beaming at the news. "I'm glad I was able to get some points in…! But…man am I sore…"

"I healed you to the best of my ability." Aira explained. "But you're still going to need some rest. That means you aren't allowed to take any events for the next few days. If needed we can sub you out as well."

"Oh that's fine…" Micaiah waved her hand. "I'm just glad I was able to do my part for the team…but I'll be okay! I can absorb light and recover my injuries later."

"Don't worry about it. We'll take care of the rest." Ramman said with a flex.

"Even though I couldn't see it…I can tell you did really well out there, Micaiah-chan…" Vanya said with a soft smile.

"You did well out there." Mary gave a nod of approval. "Now let's get out of here and let her rest. We can discuss tomorrow's event plan as well. Sabertooth has a perfect lead so far and we can't let that last." That said, just about everyone left Micaiah alone excluding Rugal and Vanya. They stayed behind for a bit.

"You know…" Rugal began. "Perhaps you didn't notice…but in that battle, your eyes changed. You may be able to hide it from most…but you are still a demon. I saw that look in your eyes…a malicious look I used to bear when I was a part of Tartarus."

Micaiah stayed silent, gripping arm. Vanya wasn't sure what to say about this either but she tried to ease Micaiah's nervousness. "It's not like I want to keep hiding it from everyone…" Micaiah's voice barely rose above a whisper. "But…the word demon is usually synonymous with evil around here…with everything demons have done."

"I understand." Rugal let out a soft sigh. "I've seen the way people look at me before because of my blood and past actions. But I've long grown used to it. I intend to change their gazes with my actions rather than words. It will be a long road ahead…but do not forget that you share the brand of family with these people. They have accepted a full blooded demon such as myself…so I'm positive they will accept you. Never forget who you are and who you want to be." That said, Rugal left Micaiah and Vanya alone to ponder on his words.

.

"So, what are we doing?" Luke asked. "I'd be more than happy to get in that event for tomorrow. It's pretty tricky not knowing who's gonna be up next…"

"No need." Reve said with his usual grin. "I'll be taking part tomorrow. Sabertooth thought they were cute today. I think it's time to remind them why White Eclipse is on top. Day 2 will be our day."

"Then I'll go in for it too." Reiss said with a smirk. "After seeing what's in store, there's no way I'm gonna sit around! Plus Marissa's probably in the crowd watching."

"I could hear your sister cheering earlier…" Reve said, perhaps reminiscing a little bit. "No doubt she will be tomorrow then once I take first place in the event."

"…She'll be so glad to see you haven't lost that touch of confidence…" Reiss grumbled while rolling his eyes. Now there was definitely a part of him that wanted to do better than Reve.

While the others discussed their plans for the Games, Sophie zoned out. Rather, she was thinking of ways to approach Emmeraude without causing a public scene. It was far too late to reach the Palace and the others would scold her for going out so late. Speaking of…she did have a dog to feed early in the morning. There were many things on her mind and her unusually focused expression showed this. "My creator…is nearby…I must get to her…"

Sophie wasn't the only one with something weighing heavily on her mind. Adamantine somewhat isolated himself after the first day was over. There was something that caught his nose. Something familiar that should not have been around and it bothered him severely. "…"

"You got it too, huh?" Heather curiously inquired. "That scent. It belongs to them…but from what I heard, we were both presumed dead around that time, right…?"

"Yeah." Adam's reply was short. But if Heather also picked up on this then it meant that he wasn't mistaken.

Takeru was going through a similar issue. There was a scent far too familiar lingering about in the city. It was part of the reason he was in Crocus to begin with… "I know you're here. And I won't rest until I find you…"

.

"Sabertooth!" Sting led the cheer. Sabertooth was relishing in their perfect 20 point lead in the first day. It was a much bigger improvement than the last year, granted some of the events that transpired that were completely out of their control.

"This is a very acceptable result. I do hope Sabertooth's performance continues to remain dominate…" Minerva said while swirling around a glass of wine. "By the way…I wasn't around for the Games before this one. How well did Sabertooth do?" That was a question that made everyone sweat, and Minerva raised an inquisitive brow. "….Well?"

"The Games last year were all quite a mess, Minerva-sama…" Yukino said while waving her hands. "C-Cosmic Star…they weren't friends at the time, so they kind of took things out of hand and the results were…messy…"

"Perhaps that's one reason White Eclipse wishes to try so hard…" Rufus tipped his hat. "To my memory, Cosmic Star was guilty of cheating among other things, and by the end White Eclipse won only due to technicality. Cosmic Star was in first place, while White Eclipse was in second. Cosmic Star was disqualified for their unruly actions, leaving Eclipse in first."

"I see…" Minerva curled her lips into a smirk. "So, they want to start from scratch and truly assume the top, do they? That will be quite impossible when we're finished."

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Milady." Rogue said with a slight nod. "Orga said it earlier today…but he was right. This will be a fresh point for everyone."

"Fro think so too! Fro will be cheering for everyone!" Rogue's adorable Exceed exclaimed, causing just about everyone to chuckle at his attitude.

.

"We apologize for our unhandsome performance today!" Ren and Eve exclaimed in unison, bowing their heads apologetically to Ichiya, Jenny, Hibiki, and Darren.

"Your performances today are nothing to be ashamed of. Men~" Ichiya said as sparkles appeared around him. "You have all preformed handsomely in the name of Blue Pegasus! And it is only the first day."

"He's right." Jenny placed a hand on her hip and grinned. "There will be plenty of time to showcase our wonderful combination of handsomeness and beauty to Fiore. They won't know what hit them!"

"Especially with your charm, Jenny-chan~" Hibiki remarked with a wink. "They'll all be put into a state of shock and awe."

"Indeed…" Darren spoke quietly. "If you handsome men and lady wouldn't mind…perhaps I may take tomorrow's event? I wish to showcase my worth and handsomeness to the world. That's how it goessss, correct?"

"Of course!" Ichiya was more than happy for the new recruit to strut his stuff. "You radiate a mysterious parfum…but that alone has its own charm and handsomeness, men~"

Darren smirked at this. Everyone was on board with him taking the next day's event. "Thank you for giving me this chance. I promise I will not disappoint you."

.

Melody sighed heavily while staring out the window. Admittedly, she wasn't feeling so good after her day today. She didn't do well on the event nor did she win her fight, so it was only natural she was feeling pretty down. She was covered in bandages and she wouldn't be participating again any time soon. "Damn it…" The silver make mage grumbled.

"Don't beat yourself up so much!" Beth reassured Melody. "Ya know Kagura was lookin' pretty proud of you out there. You sure have come a long way!"

"Yup." Risley followed suit. These ladies weren't about to leave one of their own feeling bad. "You did great out there, Melody. You sure did do us Mermaids proud!"

"…Really? You're not just saying that?" Melody didn't turn around, but she could feel the warm of the words her fellow ladies spoke.

"Heck yeah!" Beth nodded excitedly several times. "People will see that us Mermaid's aren't to be underestimated! You opened the door for us again!"

Melody found it hard to stay upset when were like this were being spouted about her. She turned, offering Beth and Risley a smile. "Okay…but you guys better keep it up! You have to do better than me! Otherwise you'll be getting an earful!"

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Crocus was a peaceful city during the night, when there were no issues going no. It was a vibrant city with plenty of activity in the night just as there was in the day. But that never meant there wasn't shady business going on. Specifically, there was a female clad in all black standing on the rooftops of the building, staring directly at the Palace. "Crocus Palace…." The masked woman muttered before pulling out a picture of her assassination target. Her target was none other than the current queen of Fiore: Lady Emmeraude.

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Next Time: Race Through Crocus..


	111. Chapter 111: Race Through Crocus

Beginning of Day 2:

1st: Sabertooth: 20

2nd: Empyrean Dawn: 18

3rd: White Eclipse A: 17

4th: Fairy Tail A: 12

5th: White Eclipse B: 10

6th: Fairy Tail B: 9

7th: Mermaid Heel: 6

8th: Blue Pegasus: 4

"WELCOME LADIES AND GENTLEMEN TO DAY 2 OF THE GRAND MAGIC GAMES!" Chapati wasted no time in getting back into things! The crowd was even more excited today than they were yesterday after the events and fights! "Today with me here I still have Siegrain as a guest, but our lovely Jenny-chan is unable participate in commentary with us. In her place we have the wonderful former Councilman, Yajima-san!"

"Thank you for having me here again. It is truly a pleasure." Yajima said with a bow. "Yesterday's turn of events were truly something. I only wonder what today will have in store for us."

"I'm glad you asked!" On that cue a lacrima screen appeared all around the stadium to give everyone a fair view of Crocus. The streets were empty, save for the eight contestants standing at the city gate for today's event. "Todays' event will be a race through Crocus!" Chapati explained. "The eight contestants will race through the city back to the Palace gates. The first one to cross the finish line is the victor and everyone else will follow suit! The contestants can use any route available to reach the end!"

"Oh, and there is one additional bit of information I must add." Siegrain interjected. "If any property is destroyed on the way by a guild member, the entire guild will assume responsibility and pay for the damages and taxes." For some reason, it really felt like he was calling out Fairy Tail since Natsu was among those competing.

And to be fair, they had every reason to be worried. If things got extremely hectic out there, there was no doubt Natsu would end up destroying something due to his nature of causing collateral damage. "Natsu, please don't blow anything up…" Lucy said while bringing a hand to her face. "We beg of you."

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At the city entrance, Natsu, Reve, Juvia, Reiss, Kagura, Zinnia, Darren, and Sting were all ready for the race. While everyone was stretching, Reve decided to be himself and take a shot at Fairy Tail. "Just couldn't wait for a chance at redemption, huh?" The gunslinger asked Natsu and Juvia. "You had quite an embarrassing defeat, water mage. Especially you, Salamander. Considering you couldn't even beat one of our newest recruits, what makes you think you'd stand out here?"

Natsu wasn't about to let Reve get away with this. "You wanna fight!? I'll crush you and that stupid smile right into the damn concrete!" Natsu bellowed, preparing to swing at Reve's face, but Sting and Juvia both managed to hold him back. "Gah! Let me go! I need to punch him!"

"N-No! Not yet, Natsu-san…!" Juvia could understand where Natsu was coming from, however she refused to be baited so easily. "When the race starts, then!"

"Y-Yeah, what she said!" Sting said with a nervous laugh. "I doubt you'd want to get in trouble for acting before the event starts, right?"

"He sure knew how to get them angry…" Reiss muttered before smacking his cheeks. He had to focus!

The antics this early in the morning only made Kagura pinch the bridge of her nose and sigh. Considering this was a race, she was more than ready to get as far away from these people as possible and win. "Can this get started already…?"

"I agree. The noise is too much." Zinnia sighed. It didn't seem like she had a lot of interest in the competition in the slightest, but she was there nonetheless for only reasons she and Empyrean Dawn knew about.

"I too prefer the quiet." Darren shrugged while speaking quietly.

"Are all contestants ready?" Chapati's voice rang out through the city. "On your marks…get set…GO!"

The race began! And nobody was able to move a muscle because the gravity in the area intensified severely, making nearly everyone fall to their knees! Kagura had this planned from the start: using her Gravity Change to weigh everyone down. "Goodbye." Was all the ace Mermaid had to say before sprinting off!

"That's rude…" Reiss grumbled while trying to push himself up! But Kagura's gravity was a lot stronger than he thought and the strain did show on his face. "G-Geez…what the heck!?"

"And Kagura starts off strong by pinning everyone to the ground!" Chapati shouted. "She's already got the lead! Will she win with such a simple, yet clever ruse!?"

"No way…! Juvia, grab on!" Natsu clenched his teeth, pushing against the gravity as Juvia grabbed onto his arm. Fire exploded from the bottoms of his sandals and he used this to propel himself forward, escaping the field of gravity and tumbled along the street along with Juvia.

"Ooof…" Juvia rubbed her rear after the impact. "Good thinking, Natsu-san…"

"No time for thinking! We gotta move!" Natsu stood up, rushing off immediately to try and catch up with Kagura. "Get back here you bastard!"

"A-Ah!" Juvia nodded in agreement, standing up and chasing after Natsu.

Zinnia furrowed her brows, using her Shield Magic to form a pink barrier around her body. This protected her from the gravity and she casually waltzed out of it. "Rude, but I have to respect it."

As the field of gravity wore off, it allowed everyone else to finally get going. Kagura had a massive lead already, but there was one person unaccounted for the entire time: Darren. He seemed to completely vanish right around the time Kagura made her move, but she didn't have time to think about it. "If I remember correctly…last time there was an event such as this, there was a chariot. If that's still around, I assume it would be a free ride to the goal…"

"Sounds like an excellent idea, only I won't need that…" Darren's voice echoed from somewhere very close by, causing Kagura to come to a halt. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry. Are you lost?" Darren then emerged from Kagura's shadow, taking high into the air with bat wings sprouting from his back.

"When did you…?" Kagura gripped the hilt of Archenemy.

"I'm sorry, but I have places to be…" Darren parted his lips, releasing a high pitched wail of sound down on Kagura. The noise was so strong it caused an explosion that blew the Mermaid backwards. Darren was just about to fly off with a bullet ricocheted off a building and struck his wing, causing him to tumble back down to the ground with an annoyed hiss of pain. "Who daressss…?!"

All the way from the back was Reve with a highly impressive shot: off a flower pot, from the brick wall, to the window, and to Darren's wing. With his Precision Eyes active, there was a very low chance he was going to miss that. "You're out of your mind if you think I'd let anyone actually up and fly. I'm the greatest marksmen alive!"

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"And there's Reve with a highly impressive shot all the way from the back!" Chapati was quite impressed with Reve's marksmanship. "How did he even hit that!?"

"Who cares!?" Daryan exclaimed. "Let's GO KAGURA!"

"You know…for some reason…I feel like if she could hear you cheering, she'd end up doing worse…" Ace shrugged. His obnoxious habit of loudly eating some brand snack bar got annoying to the point where Tia slapped it out of his hand. "Hey!"

"You're not allowed to eat those anymore." Tia made the executive decision. Everyone around just blinked at the authority she held.

"Hmmm. Very impressive eyes…" Kaiho spoke casually, yet he'd already taken an interest.

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"Natsu-san, they're catching up!" Juvia glanced behind her and Natsu. Reiss and Sting were right behind them. Reve, Kagura, and Darren were already in the lead while Zinnia didn't particularly care too much.

"Not after this! Keep going, I'll catch up!" Natsu grinned, sliding to a halt while sharply pivoting on his foot. His cheeks inflated in the process and he parted his lips. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" From Natsu's mouth, a large funnel of flame barreled down the street towards the three mages behind them in effort to slow them down. As this happened, Juvia went on ahead as instructed.

"Whoa!" Sting and Reiss both dove into alleyways to avoid being roasted. Sting let out a heavy exhale at his narrow dodge. "Don't you know how to hold back, Natsu-san…!?"

"I feel like he was seriously trying to take us out there…" Reiss said with a weighed sigh. "Geez…"

Zinnia was still in the path of the flames and as soon as they collided against her, they exploded. Natsu grinned at having potentially taken out some of the competition, but as the dust settled, Zinnia had a pink barrier around her person that shielded her from the Roar. "You're obnoxious…I think you deserve a time out." Zinnia snapped her fingers and a pink sphere formed around Natsu, eventually turning into a dome that nearly had him face down against the ground.

"H-Hey…!?" Natsu tried punching the dome while he could with all his might, but the barrier was not giving an inch. "Let me outta here you pink bastard!"

Zinnia dusted her hands off and continued to walk nonchalantly ahead. "You can come out when you've finished thinking about what you've done."

"OH! And Zinnia has put a stop to Natsu completely! Will he even be able to get out of there!?" Chapati's voice echoed through the city.

"That idiot got himself stopped?" Reve had a slight laugh at that. But his focus did go elsewhere. He was competing with Kagura and Darren for first place. "A Mermaid and a Pegasus? They don't have any business being in the skies where the Eclipse is! Why don't you do yourselves a favor and stay grounded." As Reve spoke he fired off shots from two pistols at the current competition. Darren was weaving through the bullets with ease while trying to made his advance.

Kagura deflected the incoming bullets with her blade. She had to avoid going all out simply because she knew the ladies wouldn't take kindly for having to pay for any damages. "Your attitude has been nothing but insufferable lately. I think it's high time someone brought you back down to Earth!" Kagura's Gravity Change intensified the gravity around Reve. The mermaid rushed in, bringing her boot to Reve's chest. The moment she made impact, she lessened the gravity around him and increased it around her boot to send him flying into a building! "Oh my. Looks like you're going to have to pay for that later." With a slight smirk, she chased after frontrunner; Darren.

"Tch…" Reve grit his teeth. Kagura sure did know how to kick someone.

Juvia was starting to catch up at this point. She had an idea; one that Fairy Tail may have to pay for but she was going through with it anyway. Using the sewer system she began controlling the water, generating enough for one massive tidal wave. "HAAAA!" With a battle cry, she used all this water gathered to send it all crashing down! The massive wave started to flood the city streets, but she was careful enough to make sure it didn't end up shattering any buildings.

"Is she flooding the city with sewer water!?" Reiss asked with widened eyes. He didn't expect Juvia to take such a drastic measure to slow everyone down!

Everyone took evasive maneuvers when the wave came crashing down. Reve used a grappling hook to hoist himself up to higher ground, Darren's wings were still busted thanks to Reve, so he could only fly to a rooftop, Kagura used her gravity to reach the roofs as well. Sting barely managed to find some high ground along with Reiss, while Zinnia's lasting barrier just kept her from getting swept away. Darren looked down at the raging waters below and whistled. "That's an issssue…"

"Time for me to shine…" Reiss grinned. "Dune!" Reiss summoned the native spirit, who immediately unleashed a downpour of sand into the flooded city streets. The sand soaked up the water instantly to dry out the streets. Reiss dusted his hands off with a smirk as the city was back to normal and Dune was dismissed. "Not bad, right?" Of course, Reiss didn't notice that Juvia was now the frontrunner until he saw her way ahead of everyone else. "Whoa…!?"

"She won't be getting far!" Sting shouted from above. His voice caught everyone's attention and they looked up, spotting the guild master of Sabertooth high in the skies, right in front of the sun actually. "Behold! The holy light of the White Dragon!" Sting clasped his hands together, emitting a brilliant flash of blinding white light that was amplified due to his positioning. Needless to say, but everyone was blinding by Sting's maneuver.

"HISSSS…." Darren had by far the strangest reaction. He fell off the roof and into the shade, which he needed desperately as the blinding light made his body steam a bit.

"A-Ahh! Juvia's eyes!" The water mage covered her eyes immediately, stopping in place.

"Damn it…!" Kagura couldn't move a muscle with her eyes blinded.

"That's not cool…!" Reiss exclaimed while stumbling around.

Not even Zinnia's shield stopped the blinding light. Yellow eyes closed immediately from the sight and she let out a groan of discomfort. "Tch…"

Sting landed on the ground with a confident smirk. "Heh. Don't underestimate Sabertooth. We're winning these Games." Once he said that, he started to rush off. The Palace Gates weren't too far away now.

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"GO STING-KUN!" Lector cheered.

"What a clever move." Yajima nodded. "Using the sun to amplify the brightness of his light to blind everyone."

"Does this mean that Sabertooth will be winning TWO events in a row!? Can anyone stop the momentum Sabertooh has going for it!?" Chapati exclaimed.

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Just as Sting thought he had this event in the bag, his ears picked up a sound: a gunshot. Before he could do anything else, a bullet struck the back of his leg! "GAH!" Sting cried out in pain, falling to a knee. When he looked behind him, he saw Reve with a pistol extended. "What the hell!?"

"Heh…" Reve kept that infuriating grin on his lips. His eyes were red, signifying the use of his Thermal Vision. This allowed him to track Sting's heat signature. "Didn't you hear me? I'm the greatest marksmen alive! It doesn't matter what you do to get rid of my sight, I'll always hunt you down." Reve fired off another shot, but Sting rolled to the side to avoid this one. Once Reve passed Sting, he snapped his fingers. "Reiss, now."

"On it!" Reiss jumped forward, summoning Taru. "Let's go Taru! Rock Wall!" The tall native spirit slammed its hands on the ground, creating an insurmountable rock wall to block off any normal routes. Reiss stood behind the wall with a wide grin. "Good luck getting past that! You're not breaking these rocks so easily, and if you want to climb, you might as well just give up now!"

"Damn…" Sting grumbled. He was stuck behind the wall, but if he were a second sooner he wouldn't be. "Not bad, Reiss-san. But who are you trying to impress here?"

"Heh…" Reiss chuckled at Sting's statement. "If I were doing this for you, I'd have nothing left to prove." With that said, Reiss took a step back in preparation to run after Reve, but that was when an uneasy feeling set in. The rock wall was cleaved in half as though it were nothing more than butter to a knife!

Kagura took the liberty of slashing through the thick wall of stone with Archenemy, not even missing a beat as she stepped past Reiss. "You're in my way." She said, shoving him aside to hunt down Reve. Juvia, Sting, and Zinnia were following behind since the wall was no longer there.

"I appreciate the free ride!" Darren emerged from Reve's shadow this time after recovering from Sting's attack earlier. He moved to slash Reve with a claw of darkness, but Reve rolled forward to avoid it. There was nothing that was going to stop him from victory in the name of White Eclipse.

"This event…is over!" Reve exclaimed prematurely. The Palace gates were so close he could taste victory. But the closer he got…the more he felt the ground tremble. It wasn't just him, but the entire ground trembled violently. A massive blaze of orange flame erupted from the ground, nearly blowing everyone back as Natsu laughed manically.

"HAHAHA! I KNEW THAT WOULD WORK!" The Salamander laughed as the pillar of flame continued to erupt.

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"NATSU!" Lucy let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Where the hell did he come from!?" Cygnus questioned. "Didn't he get put down!?"

"Good question!" Chapati heard the same question flying in the arena, so the cameras panned back to Natsu's last known location. Turns out, there was a giant hole in the ground. "Well, I'll be…!"

"D-Did he really move his ass underground!?" Luke was flabbergasted at Natsu's maneuver.

"LET'S GO NATSU!" Cynthia exclaimed.

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With just about all of the competition off guard, Natsu found this the opportune time to strike! Fire and lightning blazed around his body and he lifted his hands into the air while generating orbs of both elements within his palms. The two merged into a large sphere of fire and lightning as usual. "Dazzling Blaze of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" Natsu hurled this sphere down, allowing it to explode upon impact. His target was actually Reve but the ensuing explosion did catch just about everyone in its destructive wake. Upon landing Natsu scoured the smoke for Juvia. "Oi! Juvia! You there?!"

"Y-Y-you almost hit Juvia!" Juvia flailed her arms about while rushing out of the smoke. The only reason she wasn't caught in the explosion was due to not being surprised about Natsu's arrival, which allowed her to get the distance she needed away from everyone else.

"Ah! You're fine! C'mon let's move!" Natsu was already off with Juvia behind him! Natsu was the first one to cross the finish line with Juvia right after him!

"AND FAIRY TAIL A AND B ARE THE FIRST TWO TO CROSS! NATSU IN FIRST, JUVIA IN SECOND!" Chapati yelled.

"Damn Fairies…." Reve grumbled while standing back up. The next person to pass him was Kagura, sliding in for third place! Reve picked up the pace, but Darren surprised him by speeding right on by at the last second for fourth! Reve grumbled and came in fifth! That definitely wasn't worth the cocky grin he'd been giving so far.

"J-Just made it…" Reiss slid in at 6th. Not the result he'd wanted, but Natsu really threw a wrench in the whole plan.

"Ah…" Sting made it in 7th! A severe blow compared to before. And last but not least was Zinnia, who walked the entire time. She stayed out of the action, but was surprised to see that Natsu made it out of her barrier. She didn't seem too concerned with her results, and neither did Empyrean Dawn.

"WHAT A TURN OF EVENTS!" Chapati yelled. "A mix up that nobody saw coming!"

"Take that, asshole." Natsu wore a large, toothy grin at his first place victory, practically shoving it in Reve's face that he won. In response, he got the reaction he was hoping for: a sneer from Reve.

Results after the Event:

1st: Sabertooth: 24

2nd Fairy Tail A: 22

2nd White Eclipse A: 22

3rd: Empyrean Dawn: 21

4th: Fairy Tail B: 18

5th: White Eclipse B: 16

6th: Mermaid Heel: 14

7th: Blue Pegasus: 11

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Next Time: Demon Blood


	112. Chapter 112: Demon Blood

Results after the Event:

1st: Sabertooth: 24

2nd Fairy Tail A: 22

2nd White Eclipse A: 22

3rd: Empyrean Dawn: 21

4th: Fairy Tail B: 18

5th: White Eclipse B: 16

6th: Mermaid Heel: 14

7th: Blue Pegasus: 11

The stadium was buzzing with excitement after the second event. Fairy Tail's comeback had their fans were talking about it all. During the intermission between the event and the daily battles, Darren had to ensure he walked out of sight into a dark corner. Sting's maneuver really did a number on him. "Tch…insufferable Dragon Slayer…"

Yumia and Yukia appeared together, fanning Darren frantically. "Shade! Are you all right!? That didn't look good."

Darren's form fizzled out to reveal that he was in fact Shade. The high ranking Wizard Hunter grumbled as his usual calm composure was broken. "I got carelessssss…but it's fine."

"It would be really bad if you broke cover." Yukia wagged her finger around. "Someone would probably recognize you from that last fluke of a job we took with that scientist…WHICH WE DIDN'T EVEN GET PAID FOR!"

"SSSSH!" Yumia smacked her mouth over her twin's mouth to silence her and not bring any attention to this shady dark corner. "I understand we're all grumpy about that. But that's not important right now. Our current employer is presiding over this event as we speak, and all we have to do is keep an eye on that old blond lady. Talk about easy money!"

"The people of this county are far too easssy to fool…" Shade chuckled quietly. His injuries faded as he soaked in the darkness and his form returned to that of Darren. "But if you ladies will excussse me, I have to return so those superficial fools don't cause a fuss." With that, 'Darren' walked off.

"They blonde one is really pretty!" Yukia pointed out. "…I bet Lady Nercon would looooooooove her…."

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Heather went to go grab some popcorn. She knew Reve was feeling bitter about his performance in the event, especially after he talked so big. She'd be sure to give him a hard time about it later, but for now the poison dragon also wanted to at least grab a snack for the both of them. Heather may have been a little mean, but she wasn't cruel. "…You're kidding me, it costs that much for some popcorn?"

"…That's business." The clerk said with a nervous smile. This was the same guy that basically ripped Kagura off for a single slice of cake. Normally this was a good business ploy, however with the amount of frightening women here who wanted snacks was starting to make him reconsider. This was strike two. Anymore and he was certain he'd be out.

"Sometimes these events really do feel like they try to squeeze out every last jewel out of you." A familiar voice hit Heathers ears. It belonged to none other than Kairi Ayres, a former White Eclipse mage.

"Long time no see." Heather said with a soft smile. "Not since the Dealer incident."

"I've taken some time off." Kairi responded with a shrug. "Anyway…walk and talk? Don't want to hold you up…besides, I've kinda missed everyone. Don't get me wrong though, I still don't know if I want to come back. After what happened with Skye, I'm just not sure…"

"Mmm…I'm sure the others will be happy to see you." Heather smiled nonetheless. As she and Kairi walked, her nose did pick up a familiar scent. It was brief and caused her to look into the crowd of people. She couldn't see anyone…but the scent was still there regardless.

"…Are you okay?"Kairi asked.

"Fine." Heather replied. "Let's go. There's still a little time left before the fighting begins."

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"HAHA!" Natsu held his fist in the air triumphantly after his victory in the event. "That went perfectly. I knew I was gonna win."

"…You were trapped for most of it, though." Mii pointed out. "But hey, you won in the end so I guess that's the important part."

"Way to secure those points." Gray gave both Juvia and Natsu a nod and a smile. "Nice job you two."

"WAAAH!" Juvia placed her hands on her cheeks, comical hearts flowing from her being. "Gray-sama has praised Juvia! She can die happily now!" And without a warning she clung to Gray.

"W-Wait! Hey! Get off…." Gray did try to pry Juvia off, but she wasn't budging so he just gave up.

"Ah, love is so beautiful." Zelos hummed while watching Gray and Juvia. "But if you ever get tired of him, know that I'll give you all the love in the world…~"

SMACK! That was the sound of Lucy smacking Zelos for his remark. "Stop that! Otherwise I'll smack you again."

"Don't say it after you already did!" Zelos whined. But he shook it off quickly. He was growing accustomed to how everyone thought and treated him didn't seem to mind. "Oh well. I know of plenty other ladies that would enjoy my company."

"Even though you are the way you are, it's still crazy to think how Mii is somehow worse than you." Cana said, slurring her words a bit since she was already drunk.

"H-Hey!" Mii actually took offense to that. "There's no way I can be worse than him…!"

"He only flirts with women. If it moves, you're on it." Bickslow snickered.

"I…" Mii closed her mouth, pondering the statement. "Well…huh. I sure know something I'd like to be on, but all of you are prudes and won't let a girl have any fun! This man actually goes through with his debauchery, while I'm still a pure innocent maiden. So…he's technically worse."

"I don't believe that for a second." Freed scoffed.

"You could stand to…change up your wardrobe if you want to make your story more believable." Erza suggested, and her tone was completely neutral.

"Oh no! Don't get me started on you." Mii pointed at Erza's Grand Magic Games Fairy Tail uniform. "The vest is fine, but you're not even wearing any pants! You're just letting your black panties show thinking that nobody's gonna notice! But I do, not that I'm complaining! This is just the pot calling the kettle black!"

Sweatdrop. Erza wasn't expecting Mii to actually come after her like that so now it was time for a subject change before people started looking and asking questions. "Why are we talking about this again…?" Erza asked. Luckily Wendy and Cynthia were off to buy some snacks so they didn't have to hear this inappropriate topic.

Mavis floated down with a big smile on her face for Juvia and Natsu. "Excellent work you two! You've managed to cut down Sabertooth's lead severely. We still have some catching up to do, but if we keep up performances like this, we should be at the top in no time!" The First Master's eyes lit up with sparkles of anticipation and excitement. "This time we will win! I can sense it!"

Zelos glanced at everyone staring at nothing. Since he had no Fairy Tail symbol on his body he was unable to see the excited Mavis. "…What's everyone looking at? I can't be the only one who's crazy here…"

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Reve had a bit of a sour aura around him. He didn't do as great as he envisioned and being even slightly humbled by Natsu and Kagura left a bitter taste in his mouth. But he played it off and shrugged his shoulders. "They got lucky. I didn't expect Salamander to pop out of the ground like that. If he hadn't, that event was as good as mine."

"Yeah, you did have that in the bag, I do admit." Luke said. "But that Natsu is really just a bag of annoying surprises. We're still up there."

"But we're tied with them now." Cygnus said with a twinge of disgust. "Granted it's only the second day, but I'm tired of these Fairies thinking they're really better than us."

"It'll be fine." Aira said with a supportive smile. "All we have to do is make sure they don't get the slip on us again! But we should really be wary of the others as well. Sting's maneuver was rather crafty….Kagura looked like she wasn't playing around either. The only one who didn't seem to be taking it seriously as that Zinnia girl…"

"…." Reiss was silent. He felt like despite how good he performed, he still dropped the ball.

"We'll be fine." Kuro said with a positive smile.

"We'll do what we always do." Reve stated. "Win."

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"WELCOME BACK EVERYONE!" Chapati yelled, raising the levels of excitement. "When we left off, Fairy Tail made a surprising comeback from the event and nearly managed to take the lead. Sabertooth is still the front runner but the gap has diminished severely! But it's now time for the Day 2 battles! Anything could happen here! We could see some huge upsets!"

"I agree. I'm looking forward to seeing what we'll be seeing today." Yajima nodded softly in agreement.

"One quick note before we begin…" Siegrain cleared his throat. "I've taken note of the damages caused in the city from the event. Certain guilds will be receiving a bill in the mail at a later date. Please continue."

"Our first bout of the day: White Eclipse B's Saraya vs. Mermaid Heel's Beth!" Chapati read off the list.

"Get out there and kick some ass!" Ramman grinned.

"I-I'll do my best." Saraya nodded and made her way down to the arena.

"You'll be fine! Just don't make the same mistakes I did!" Micaiah said while waving her bandaged arm around.

"Make her eat all her vegetables!" Melody shouted. It wasn't supposed to sound threatening, but the way Melody's voice was, it was a threat for sure.

"If I remember correctly…" Lisanna furrowed her brows. "I think that Saraya girl used Sand Magic. It was really helpful when Mira-nee needed time back during the Tartarus incident."

"Plants vs. sand? I'm no plant-expert, but I don't see this going well in general…" Cynthia pursed her lips.

"Well…if you want my opinion…" Zelos interjected. "I think Saraya will win. It's a common known fact that in a brawl between women, the most beautiful one wins. And while Beth is a beautiful honey…Saraya has the advantage of being wonderfully voluptuous."

"Zelos…" Levy had a fake smile on her lips which twitched with his unnecessary inputs with children around. "Remember…silence is gold, duct tape is silver. Please don't make me get it."

Saraya and Beth were in the battlefield, standing across from one another. Both females had a determined look in their eyes, neither of them planned to back down from this fight. Hisui noticed the growing tension in the air and glanced between the both of them while keeping her pumpkin mask intact. "Are both contestants ready? The 15 minute battle begins…NOW!"

"Heh…" Beth was pretty confident going into this battle. "I know about that little tradition White Eclipse is infamous for in battles. But let me tell you this: if you really think I'll sit here and…" Before Beth could make another sound, Saraya pointed her staff, Ramses, up into the air. This prompted a violent eruption of sand to occur under Beth's feet. Beth was just narrowly able to avoid the rising sand, staring at Saraya with widened eyes. "H-Hey! I wasn't finished yet!"

"That is too bad." Saraya had a serious aura around her. This was unlike anything anyone White Eclipse had seen from the female thus far. Pink eyes narrowed as she stared at her foe, stabbing her staff into the ground. "I have been chosen to represent White Eclipse…and that means nothing short of victory." The staff released a golden hue that soon unleashed a large tidal wave of sand to crash down on Beth and flood the arena!

"Whoa..!" Beth knew she didn't like how things were going. As the wave of sand crashed down she planted a large bean stalk into the ground, using its sudden growth to stay above the sea of sand that was now the arena. Saraya stood atop the sand, quirking a brow while waiting for any type of retaliation.

"Whoa…" Reiss blinked a few times. "I like this side of her…"

"Kick her ass!" Ramman shouted. "…And see if you can get those digits for me!"

"Saraya starts off strong! How will Beth counter? There aren't many plants that grow in sand!" Chapati said.

"Heh…" Beth was undeterred by the clear disadvantage she held in the battle. Beth leaned down the beanstalk, placing her hands on the stand. Multiple cacti grew immediately as they were the only plants she could think of that would survive in such condition. "Needle Barrage!" On that cue the cacti unleashed a storm of needles that raced across the sandy arena and right towards Saraya.

"…!" Saraya pointed her staff up, using the sand beneath her to form a wall for protection. She underestimated Beth's abilities and after a few short seconds her wall of sand fell and she was pelted by, and gazed by the needles. First blood was already drawn and it was only going to get worse from here. "Your plants will die in my dessert." The Eclipse female pointed her staff to the ground before raising it up. A dragon composed of sand rose up from the center of the sandy sea and roared, flying into the sky before diving down towards Beth at full throttle!

"YO! THAT'S COOL!" Jack's eyes were gleaming with excitement.

"What the heck…!?" Beth's eyes widened. Before she could even move the dragon slammed into her body and exploded. She was sent flying with cuts and bruises all over her body. She was thrown off the beanstalk she used as leverage and right into the sand.

"Time to finish this." Saraya pointed her weapon down. This prompted the sand to swirl in a counterclockwise rotation, growing faster with each complete spin. With Beth no longer having anything to support her in the sand, she was slowly starting to get dragged into the middle of the ocean of sand.

"Saraya controls sand very well. Very impressive." Yajima was intently watching this bout. "I believe she's a new mage to White Eclipse, yes? If so…then they are producing very solid mages."

"It's sink or swim." Tia stated. "If that vegetable freak doesn't get out of that in time…then she's finished."

"Swim! Swim! Swim!" Hiruka jumped up and down, cheering for the Mermaid because that's what Daryan was doing. Even though it wasn't Kagura, he felt as though he couldn't cheer against the guild regardless.

Magnus pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "They're hopeless…"

"Come on Beth! Get out of there!" Risley and Milliana cheered.

"It's over." Reve scoffed.

"I wouldn't count Beth out just yet." Kagura stated. "It doesn't matter the circumstances. Mermaids will always find a way to swim."

While it seemed hopeless for Beth swirling around in the sea of sand, she was actually plotting! She only had one chance to make things right and if she failed, then it really would be over. Beth stuck her thumb in her mouth, teeth grazing the flesh as she waited for the perfect moment. Things were moving fast and she had to act just as quickly. As she neared the eye of the storm, that's when she acted! "NOW!" Beth bit her thumb and jammed it into the center of the sandy sea that attempted to swallow her. "Haven't you ever heard of a Green Thumb? Because it looks like you could use one desperately!" With her spell active, the sand dispersed and was replaced with a large green garden with lush emerald grass filled with fertile soil.

"No way…" Even Waiston was taken aback by this action.

"She replaced the desert with a garden…had she been a fraction of a second too slow, that would've been the end of her." Mary deduced. "That was very bold…but it worked out for her."

From her special seat, Emmeraude crossed her legs with a smile on her purple painted lips. "Hmmm…I knew pitting sand against plants would be interesting...I'd be lying if I said I didn't expect a one-sided slaughter…what did you think, Arcadios?" The Queen crossed one leg over the other, looking to her right to the knight she appointed her personal bodyguard during the Games.

"….The results are surprising so far." Was all Arcadios had to say. He still felt uneasy around Emmeraude, but he knew full well of what she did to insubordination and he couldn't afford to deal with that.

"H-How?!" Saraya's eyes widened in shock at Beth's ploy.

"Don't underestimate us Mermaids!" Beth shouted confidently before spreading her arms apart. This prompted a magic seal to appear on the ground. "Carrot Cannon!" From the seal, a large cannon in the shape of a carrot emerged, rooted firmly to the ground while a plethora of sharp carrots shot out, colliding against Saraya with unrelenting force. The carrots not only sharply jabbed the Eclipse female, but also pushed her back against the soil towards the walls!

"Ngh…" Saraya planted Ramses firmly into the ground, creating another wall of sand to fend off the barrage of sharp carrots. It didn't last very long, but she had another plan up her sleeve as well. She just needed to buy time until her plan worked.

"ECLIPSE THE ECLIPSE!" Melody shouted. At this point her cheers weren't making any sense but her encouragement was the important part.

"Come on Saraya, don't let that little imp push you in to a corner." Heather scoffed.

"Will this be a ring out for Saraya?!" Chapati wondered.

"Just a little more and you'll be out of here!" Beth had a victorious smile on her face. That lasted until…the Carrot Cannon stopped firing. Everything steadily came to a halt, leaving Beth befuddled at the result. "Huh!? What happened to my attack?"

"It stopped…?" Yukino tilted her head curiously.

Saraya, bruised and bloodied from Beth's onslaught could only give a smirk. She had to use her staff to support herself, but she was standing nonetheless. "I took the liberty of using Ramses to pile sand within the top layer of the soil to choke out any 'roots' you may have laid. Since the plants you're using don't thrive in sand, it's easy to cut them off at the root."

"You're kidding me…!" Beth's jaw dropped.

"And now…it's time to bring this to a close!" Saraya lifted her staff up once more. She used all the sand she embedded within the soil to attack Beth once again. A rising pillar of sand exploded from under Beth's feet and lifted the Mermaid high into the air due to the intensity of the attack.

"GAAAH!" Beth was thrown into the air, her back slamming into the barrier since she went over the wall. The Mermaid then fell to the ground, struggling to move after that. "Ugh…"

"Beth has hit the edge of the arena!" Hisui exclaimed while pointing to Saraya. "That is a ring out, therefore the winner of this bout is Saraya of White Eclipse B, thus giving them 10 points! …Kabo."

"LET'S GO SARAYA!" Those at White Eclipse cheered after that swift turnaround. It was pretty scary for a moment but she somehow managed to turn it around!

"Amazing! Saraya managed to defeat Beth with our first Ring Out in Day 2!" Chapati applauded.

"That was quite an intense fight. Beth did very well despite having a bad match up." Siegain smiled, resting his elbows on the table while linking his fingers together. "But I could also say that Saraya performed admirably as well, despite having the situation turned on her."

"Both ladies fought very well. It could have turned at any moment, and it did various times. It warms this old heart to see these young mages showing their potential." Yajima chuckled.

.

"Onto the next fight of the day! I think this one will even top what we saw today. Another clash between ladies: Sabertooth's Minerva Orland vs. Empyrean Dawn's Cecelia Vibius!" Chapati was already getting excited from this. His nostrils flared at the thought of these two women duking it out.

"Chapati, don't get too excited. This is a public area after all." Siegrain had to point out.

"I'll make this quick. Don't wait up." Minerva waved a hand. That confidence of hers was something that never faded.

"I believe in you, Minerva-sama!" Yukino cheered.

"This'll be over fast…" Sting chuckled. Seems he didn't let his placement in the event bother him too much.

"Minerva, hmmm…?" Cecelia placed her index finger to her lips. "I'd love to play with this one…"

"Minerva, huh…?" Cynthia leaned against the railing while furrowing her brows. "I know it may seem odd…especially since I know she doesn't like kids, but I worry about Minerva sometimes."

"Is it because of Tartarus…?" Erza asked, because she had a sneaking suspicious as to what Cynthia was driving at.

"Mhm…" Cynthia nodded. Minerva and Cecelia were in the battlefield at this point. "I mean…she was in those tubes. The only reason I'm even here is because of the crazy strong regenerative process those tubes had. But Lamy is also the reason I'm part demon now…and you saw how crazy I ended up."

"And the only reason I was fine is because I'm already a demon," Mira added while placing a hand on her cheek.

"I don't know how Minerva has been affected by that…" Cynthia sighed. "…By the way, how did she even get fixed? I know it's a little late to ask that, but…"

"I took her to Porlyuisca." Erza explained. "She was able to get her appearance back to normal, but I don't know if it worked on the demon blood coursing through her. But Cynthia…isn't Devil Slaying an issue for you now?"

"Don't worry about it." Cynthia said while waving a hand. "Gray and I did some special training. I'll be juuuuust fine."

"…." Gray remained silent at that comment. He wasn't really a fan of what Cynthia had in mind for training, but things worked out well in the end.

"I guess we'll see how this goes…" Erza's lips curved down to a slight frown. She had a bad feeling about this.

Speaking of having a bad feeling, Hisui was right in the middle of Minerva and Cecelia. The two women only smirked at each other and the Jade Princess began to sweat underneath her mask. This was not how she envisioned her days in the Games going. "Are the two of you ready?" Hisui questioned, ready to hightail it out of there once the match began. Minerva and Cecelia both gave silent nods. "Right! 15 minutes beings now, kabo!" And woosh! She was gone.

"It's not so often anyone gets to clash with the mighty Minerva…" Cecelia snickered. "This will be quite the bout indeed."

"So you say…" Minerva had a smirk on her lips; however her expression showed nothing but disinterest. "But I will only need a few minutes for this."

"Oh?" Cecelia's lips curved upwards at that statement. "How bold. As one of Empyrean Dawn's strongest mages…I simply can't let that little statement of yours come to fruition." As the woman spoke, she dug her nails into her arm hard enough to draw blood!

Minerva scoffed at Cecelia's words. "Don't be so foolish. The moment you stepped into this arena, the battle was already over. I control everything in this space. Behold." Minerva swiped her hand once and her Territory magic came into play. Using the air around her, translucent spikes formed before her, all of them of varying temperatures. Some were boiling hot while others were cold to the touch. With a snap of her fingers these spikes began flying towards Cecelia, leaving little room to evade.

"Impressive, I admit." Cecelia kept her smile as the blood ran down her arm, dripping to the . She showed no fear at the incoming spikes and instead revealed her magic. The blood leaking down her arm was used to form a protective wall thick enough to withstand spikes with ease. "But I wonder how you will fare against my crimson destruction…?"

Minerva's expression didn't change as Cecelia formed a wall of blood. It only piqued her interest slightly, but not enough to where she'd ask about it. Instead her Territory was activated once more, warping across the space to appear behind Cecelia within an instant and place her open palm on the woman's back. "The power of the 18 War Gods will destroy you before that happens." From Minerva's palm, a wide blast shot forth, consuming Cecelia before she had the chance to retaliate and sent her flying across the arena.

Cecelia had a bit of a tumble, but she recovered with relative ease. When she landed, she only had a smile on her lips. That was the only indication of her attack. The droplets of blood that splattered onto the ground earlier soon expanded into large tendrils that hounded Minerva relentlessly. "We shall we about that, Tigress."

"What the…" Minerva couldn't make heads or tails of what was happening right now. But the most important thing was to defend. Territory swirled around her hands and she used them to deflect the tendrils that were so intent on stabbing through her. The more she defended, the more aggressive the assault became until a tendril finally pierced through her side. The sharp sensation was no different than a sword stabbing through a person.

"Minerva-sama!" Yukino could feel that sharp pain from here.

"…I don't recall seeing a magic such as this…" Rufus tipped his hat.

"Is she really fighting with her blood…? She'd bleed out long before a battle finished!" Sting pointed out.

"I don't think it's that…" Rufus interjected. "I believe she fights with blood. I'm not sure as to what type of magic this is…but it's very worth remembering."

"And First blood has been drawn! Or is it second blood?" Chapati wasn't sure what to make of this.

"Is it just me, or is this a little sickening knowing that she's actually using blood…" Sheri said with a bit of a pale face.

"Surprised, are we?" Cecelia questioned with that everlasting smile.

"Yes. Surprised that you won't shut up." Minerva responded before using her magic to rid the field of the tendril lodged so rudely in her side. Never mind her own blood staining her outfit and dripping to the ground. The Tigress then warped across the field once again, appearing to Cecelia's left with a Territory infused fist aimed at the woman's skull. Cecelia turned in the nick of time, blocking the strike with her arm. She aimed to retaliate, but by the time her fist reached Minerva the Tigress teleported again; this time to her right. A vicious kick was aimed at her head this time, but Cecelia flipped forward to gain the distance.

As Cecelia flipped, she pointed her finger at Minerva as blood swirled around the tip. "Blood Bullet." From the tips of the Empyrean's fingers, several powerful bullets composed of blood soared through the skies with more than enough power to pierce through their unlucky opponent. Minerva swiped her hand, creating a wall of territory before her. The bullets that threatened her safety were consumed into some other dimension before the wall dispersed. Upon landing, Cecelia gave a few nods. "I see. So such long range tricks won't work against your magic. That's very troublesome…but manageable nonetheless." Cecelia lifted her hand up into the air, using her blood splattered around to form a scythe. "Care to dance?"

"I bite." Minerva responded. It was in that moment that Cecelia vanished into a puddle of blood, completely disappearing from the battlefield! "…"

"Where the heck did she go!?" Natsu asked while peering along the field quickly. "She really vanished!"

"Into blood…" Levy shivered.

Minerva's eyes glanced along the field. She did control everything in the space, so she could sense Cecelia's presence. The problem was…The small puddles of blood Cecelia left after her movements contained her presence. It was difficult to pinpoint exactly where she was going to emerge. The Empyrean woman then appeared behind Minerva with her scythe raised high. The Tigress turned, using Territory around her body to act as a makeshift armor. That didn't stop the stcythe from cleaving through her side while pushing her back from the immense force it carred, but the damage was reduced at the very least. Unfortunately this attack also drew blood from Minerva and it flew into the air. Cecelia let Minerva's blood land in her palm. She brought her tongue to the crimson substance and licked it, savoring the taste. Minerva quirked a brow at what she deduced to be her opponent's pass time. "So, you just lick the blood of anyone you can? I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure you should get tested for that."

"Hmmmm~" Cecelia hummed after ingesting Minerva's blood. "Minerva Orland. Daughter of Sabertooth's former master: Jimena. They say the apple doesn't far too far from the tree…"

"..." Minerva's hands clenched into fists subconsciously at the mention of her father; rage began rise slowly.

"What…?" Rogue didn't like where this was going.

"Hey, she's going to be okay, right?" Lector asked.

"I suppose it was only a matter of time until this happened…" Hubert remarked.

"Better sooner than later." Zinnia shrugged. "Besides, this is actually interesting."

"Whenever I ingest someone's blood, I tend to know everything about them. It's like we're connected, you and I~" Cecelia laughed. "By the way, five minutes have passed. It seems your progression into nice territory has made you soft. I suppose that happens when you cope with the weaklings, hm?"

"Oh now I want to kick her ass…" Sting growled.

"You'd do best not to let any more slanderous remarks on Sabertooth fall from your lips." Minerva stated threateningly. "Otherwise I will take my time to mutilate and devour you in front of this audience."

"OH! There she is! That cruel, black hearted woman everyone was afraid of!" The blood mage clasped her hands together. She was enjoying this little interaction quite a bit. "I knew you hadn't changed."

"Stop talking to me as though we're friends." Minerva spat.

"Oh…hold on a moment…" Cecelia held up a finger, savoring the aftertaste. "Oh…that's strange. Now…why do I taste pitch black darkness in your blood? It's a strong aftertaste…the taste of a demon."

"Do you know what she's going on about…?" Chapati asked Yajima and Siegrain, however neither of them had a clue.

"I'm afraid not…" Yajima replied. But there was one thing he knew for certain: he did not like the direction things were heading.

"…" Micaiah pursed her lips. She knew this kind of agitation well back when she was younger. "…She's going to push that button…and I don't know what's going to happen if she does. Neither does she…"

"Did you say something?" Reiss asked.

"N-Nothing…" Micaiah replied nervously.

"Why do you insist on hiding your true form from the masses? We're here to entertain. There's no need to hide yourself from me! Show everyone who you really are!" Cecelia spread her arms, creating large globs of black blood around her. She turned a little of Minerva's blood into a massive attack; these globs then rushed forward at high speeds.

 _"_ _My body won't move…"_ Minerva made this realization a while ago. She wasn't sure when it started, but it was trouble. She had no defense for the incoming globs of blood and upon impact, a massive crimson explosion occurred!

"Minerva…!" Erza leaned over the railing in worry.

"That…didn't look good…" Lyon grumbled.

The smoke from the explosion cleared…as it thinned out, Minerva's form was revealed. She could not fight the sudden impulses of the demon blood implanted within her! Physically, Minerva's form reverted to that of Neo Minerva, black demonic markings covering her eye while her hands turned to claws; additionally, bruises covered her being as well. The crowd was stunned to see that this was the 'true' nature of Minerva. After what happened from Tartarus, Minerva simply was not the same person anymore…and now Cecelia exposed this fact to all of Fiore. "I think that's a wonderful look for you." Cecelia taunted.

"U-Unbelievable! Minevera has transformed…!" Chapati spoke into the mic, still unable to believe what he was seeing.

"Could this be…a demonic transformation…?" Siegrain wondered aloud.

"Minerva…" Mira bit her lip nervously.

"Now come…show me the 'real' Minerva Orland." Cecelia kept that smile on her lips.

Minerva's gazed remained low to the ground for a bit. When she finally looked up, there was a bit of a deranged smile on her lips. The same kind she had when she encountered Erza during Tartarus. All that hatred and malice within her body drove her demonic instincts. They were pulled out and were running rampant in her mind which urged her to do whatever she pleased! "You asked for me to devour you…remember those words." In a flash, Minerva vanished. She reappeared behind Cecelia in the blink of an eye, merging her demonic abilities with her territory to form a spike of horrifyingly hot temperatures. She stabbed Cecelia in her left shoulder, savoring that expression of pain she finally brought forth, along with the scream of pain. The spike then exploded violently, sending Cecelia flying forward towards the arena wall! There was no time for Cecelia to react and this looked like it was going to be a ring out…but Minerva then switched places with her! Minerva stood by the arena's edge and Cecelia's momentum still carried. The Empyrean flew into Minerva's hand, where another massive blast carried her away. Minerva teleported once more, meeting Cecelia in the middle of the field, lifting one fist up to slam her into the ground! The resounding impact caused the field to crack and quake a little.

"M-Minerva-sama! Please calm down!" Yukino cried out.

"I-Is she going too far…?" Hisui swallowed the nervous lump in her throat, unsure of what to do in this situation. Was Cecelia even down?

"Oooh…that was such a sweet sound you made." Minerva cooed, a blush forming on her face as she began to lose all sense of self. She was so lost in her enjoyment she was taken off guard as tendrils of blood stabbed into her legs, while two more coiled tightly around her arms to prevent movement.

"This is what I enjoy seeing…" Cecelia rose from the ground, bruised and bloodied from Minerva's assault. Her clothing was all but torn to shreds, barely covering her most important assets from the public view. "When one loses themselves to their true inhibitions. It's a rush, isn't it!?" The woman held her hand up once again, this time revealing the dark red gem adorned on her finger. This was the same bloodied hand that pressed against Minerva's chest. "Drown in crimson, you filthy demon." All of the blood within the immediate vicinity of these two exploded violently. Even Minerva was unable to contain that cry of pain as crimson smoke shrouded the pair of females from few.

"H-Hey, is she okay?!" Wendy panicked, looking at the others. No one could say a word; only tensely watch the situation.

Minerva was still standing even as the smoke cleared. Crimson liquid ran down her arms, legs, and chest. But that drive to annihilate her opponent kept her going. That drive to kill that all bloodthirsty demons had. Minerva raised her hands up as a spiral of Territory erupted from underneath Cecelia, throwing her backwards a great distance before she came to a halt. Throughout all the pain and torment her body faced, Minerva laughed manically and smiled. "Before I was even converted into a demon…I was one. You should know that already since you seem to know everything about me now. I will thoroughly enjoy consuming you…!"

"She's losing it…" Cynthia muttered.

"…But…" Minerva shook her head. "I will be…satisfied…with your defeat…and crushing you under my heel." It looked like Minerva wasn't completely lost just yet. She was fighting a desperate battle with herself to keep from going off the deep end.

"You should calm down…" Cecelia said while wincing. "Because now that I have your blood inside me…" A red aura flared around the woman as her Gema began to resonate with her body. "I can perform the ultimate sacrificial spell my magic allows: Sanguinem."

"D-Did she say sacrificial?!" Now things were getting out of hand, even for Chapati. "L-Lady Emmeraude, I believe we should call of this match and…"

"It's fine." Emmeraude responded. Her reaction alone caught a collective gasp from the audience and other competitors alike. "Things are getting good."

"She's insane…!" Jenny objected. To who? Pretty much every woman involved right now.

"Oh?" Minerva lifted a brow. "Are you threatening me?"

"Perhaps." Cecelia replied.

"Such a spell would have to take…an immense amount of concentration." Minerva lifted her hand up. She was still driven by bloodlust even as she tried to resist it. This action caused a large amount of spikes to fill the entire area from every angle, all of them pointed at Cecelia. "In the amount of time it takes for you to cast that spell, I could skewer every inch of your body and leave you in a blood bath."

"Is that so…?" Cecelia snickered. "I'll have you know…that even if my body 'dies' I can survive as long as I have one drop of blood left in me. It doesn't matter the distance this spell is used…you could teleport me to the other side of the world, and I would ensure the both of us die. Are you willing to gamble? I will wager both of our lives…while you will wager mine."

"With the powers at my disposal, it would not be difficult for me to find some way to incinerate every trace of you off this planet." Minerva responded. "You'll either disappoint me, or kill me. Go ahead. Flip that coin."

"That's not a gamble…that's suicide…" Ace couldn't help but think out loud. "…But even then…it feels like she still has the advantage no matter what…"

"Hold up!" Strong sprang up from his seat, pointing at the field. "I may be an idiot, but even I know what they're doing is stupid…! They're not seriously going through with that, are they!?"

Heartless yanked Strong back into his seat. "Strong! Stay seated….we cannot do much but watch. We are merely spectators…."

"They just might…" Magnus remarked. "…I can see it in their eyes. They are truly about to put everything on the line."

"Shouldn't someone stop them…?" Alex turned to shout for them to stop…but her voice just wouldn't work. This was not the work of any type of magic. The situation before her was so real…she just couldn't speak.

"…." Ace narrowed his eyes. What could be done about this situation was outside of their hands. Only Minerva and Cecelia could settle this…

"Those two...are they really going to..." Sophie had questions. Questions that could not be answered.

"...Shush." Was all Sidney had to say. There was nothing anyone could do but watch.

Things were getting too serious now. Hisui wasn't sure what to do in this tense situation. Interrupting was suicide. She looked up to see what Emmeraude really had to say…but when she looked at the Queen, all she saw was a smile. A smile that showed she was truly enjoying the tense spectacle before her. _"N-No way…"_ When she glanced at Sabertooth, it was easy to look at the shocked expressions on their face. It was a contrast to the disturbingly calm expressions those at Empyrean Dawn held. Did they really not care about this situation? About their own comrade!?

"I have many War Gods at my side…" Minerva began. "The unwanted power of demons, and the near irrepressible urge to slaughter you it brings me. Do you truly wish to test my limits now? Because as I said before…I will devour you. That is what Tigers do."

"Is that what Tigers do? Or is that what demons do?" Cecelia inquired. "Because right now, I'm having a difficult time discerning which one you are." Everyone remained silent. The tension in the air was unlike anything so far. This tension…this was the tension of death lingering in the air. The tension was so thick nobody could utter a word; they could only stare as the two women metaphorically held each other at gunpoint. A double edged blade sat between the two of them, pressing against them. The slightest movement and they could both die.

 _"_ _Don't do it…"_ That was the only thing Erza could think. She wanted to scream it, but her voice failed her.

Cecelia and Minerva didn't budge. Their gazes locked on one another. Just the slightest move…after what felt like ages, Cecelia sighed heavily and shrugged her shoulders. "I've had my fun, but I can't afford to die here of all places. I concede." And just like that…Cecelia began to walk off, leaving everyone stunned at such an ending.

"…." Minerva remained completely quiet. At the very least, the bombardment of spikes she prepared in the air vanished. She had to leave. She could feel herself slipping. Before Hisui could gather the breath to announce the results, Minerva teleported herself away.

"…A-Ah…uh….." Hisui exhaled. The tension deflated in an extremely anticlimactic manner, but that was much better than it continuing to escalate to something horrible. "U-Uhm….C-Cecelia has conceded…! T-That means…S-Sabertooth's Minerva is the victor! T-Thus granting them 10 points!" It was easy to tell how shaken Hisui was. Even with that mask on her head, the people could tell. They were shaken as well, so how could anyone blame her?

"S-Sabertooth gains another 10 points…! This makes them the frontrunners still!" Chapati tried to calm down. He didn't imagine a battle between those two women rising to such stakes. The crowd couldn't even cheer after that. Everyone has having a hard time processing the turn of events.

"By the way…" Siegrain spoke directly to Emmeraude. "Lady Emmeraude. You did enforce a 'no killing' rule, yes?"

"But of course." Emmeraude responded. "Had either of them actually gone through with their actions, I would have had no choice but to suspend Sabertooth and/or Empyrean Dawn from the Games. It would have been a shame…but I was positive they weren't going to go through with it. That's so much legal action for you and I, Siegrain."

To that, Mavis narrowed her eyes. She sensed something very wrong with the way Emmeraude spoke. "…She says that…but she didn't say that she objected to the idea of them potentially killing each other. She didn't say she was going to stop them either." Her wording made those at Fairy Tail turn.

"F-First…are you saying…Lady Emmeraude would've let them die…?" Lisanna didn't want to believe that. "B-But…she's our Queen! She wouldn't…"

"…Do not trust her. I've had a strange inkling about her a few months ago...I don't have any proof to my claims yet…but do not place your loyalty in her like you would the Princess. I could be very well be wrong about this…but for the time being, do not raise any suspicions about her."

"…That's a weird thing to say…but okay. We trust you." Laxus said.

"Hmmm? Who are we trusting?" Zelos asked. "If it's about Emmeraude, I wouldn't trust her." He turned his back after he spoke, just narrowly managing to hide that sly smirk. "What do you think, Mii-chan?"

"…I don't trust anyone." Mii shrugged.

Now that Mavis brought it up…there was a strange aura emanating from around Emmeraude. It was difficult to tell what it was. The Queen of Fiore merely smiled to the audience in attempt to ease their worries. Once she sat back, there was a sinister grin forming on her lips. "Don't worry, Fiore. Soon fools like these will all be weeded out. For now, please bear with me, your Queen. I will steer you into the right direction. Until that time comes, please enjoy the rest of the Games. I promise that no one will lose their lives during this competition. You have my word as your everlasting ruler." Ever since Emmeraude ascended to the throne with her Queenly Majesty and threw Toma in the depths of the Palace prison, the people of Fiore loved her. She always managed to calm down their anxiety with a smile and wave. No one knew it just yet…but the words Emmeraude spoke would soon bring dark days on Fiore. Their love and unyielding adoration for this woman were nothing more than stepping stones for her grand scheme….

.

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Next Time: Modeling Debut.

Writer's Note: College begins for me again on Wednesday. As such, chapters will likely slow down for a bit, especially these combat heavy chapters. I will try my best to update regularly! And for those who are already in, or going back to school soon, you can do it! Just do your best!


	113. Chapter 113: Modeling Debut

A brief intermission was needed after the Minerva vs. Cecelia fight. That was a little too much excitement for one day and the battles were only halfway over. Lisanna leaned back in her seat, placing a hand on her chest while letting out the heaviest sigh of her life. "Oooooh…that was too much. I'm so glad nobody ended up dying…I felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest at any moment…"

"That was so scary…" Wendy let out a shaky sigh.

"To think she'd goad Minerva like that…" Carla placed her paw against her chin. "That Empyrean Dawn group looks like nothing but trouble."

"Agreed." Erza pinched the bridge of her nose. She was rattled for lack of a better term. And if that's how she was feeling she could only imagine how Sabertooth felt after that near catastrophic event.

"Listen well." Makarov's voice made everyone turn. "It's clear that Empyrean Dawn is not a guild to be trusted. From this point on, I want you all to proceed with cautious against them."

"Yes, Master." Everyone responded. Except Mii, who just gave an uncaring shrug.

"Yeah yeah…" Mii replied.

.

"You really know how to stir up trouble, don't you?" Marshall said with a smirk as Cecelia returned to her guild mates. Her injuries didn't seem to bother her so much and she was more or less pleased with the outcome of her match.

"I got a little carried away, I admit." Cecelia smiled. "But I believe it was worth it, don't you think? That expression on her face, filled with vehement anger and rejection…."

"You are indeed quite the wild card at times…" Kaiho admitted. "But nevertheless, I am glad you did not go with your own little proposal. We still need you."

"Don't worry. I have no intentions of throwing my life away just yet. But I would be lying if I said I wasn't tempted to pull the plug on both our lives right there." Cecelia hummed while taking a seat. She was still a bloody mess but she didn't seem to mind.

"It would be best if we didn't get too carried away in such antics. We're not here to get the Council eye on us." Hubert spoke while adjusting his glasses. "But it seems that we caught a lucky break with Lady Emmeraude's comments on the matter."

"What an interesting woman she is." Zinnia admitted. "By the way, Bert-chan you don't need to be so uptight all the time. We're here to cut loose. If we wanted to ignore your stingy commands we'd stay home."

"Tch…" Hubert scoffed. "Whatever the case is, this will keep the people talking for a while. They'll have their eyes on us now."

"I like the attention." Nina grinned.

.

In the midst of the brief intermission Sabertooth scrambled all around in attempt to find Minerva after she vanished. Unfortunately they didn't have any luck. "She's really not here, is she!?" Sting said with an exasperated sigh. "Damn it…"

"I'm really worried…" Yukino frowned. "That battle was horrifying…I can't believe that woman did such a thing….is it my fault…?" It had been quite some time since Yukino thought of herself as a bad luck charm, but with such a misfortunate incident, she couldn't help but think she was unintentionally at fault here.

"This is not your fault." Sting shook his head.

"He's right." Rogue agreed to that statement. "It's the fault of that woman the Lady fought."

"I believe that she will return soon." Rufus tipped his hat down. "I believe the best course of action is for us to wait. The Lady seemed rather distraught…and she may need some time to herself."

"Fro hopes she will be okay…" Frosch pouted.

"She'll be fine." Lector gave Frosch a reassuring pat on the back. "She's the strongest lady in the world!"

"Fro thinks so too!" That little statement was more than enough to lift the spirits of the green exceed. With Frosch smiling the other members of Sabertooth could smile too. It did help lift a little bit of the uneasiness that weighed down on them.

.

Hisui stomped up to Emmeraude with a displeased expression. She was not a fan of the events that transpired in the previous fight. "What on earth was that back there?!"

"Hmmmm…?" Emmeraude was sitting comfortably in her seat, one leg crossed over the other, fingers gently tapping on the arm of the chair. "Are you referring to that previous fight?"

"Of course I am!" Hisui huffed. "That was really serious out there! They really could have killed each other…!" Hisui's yelling made all the knights feel a little awkward. They wouldn't dare speak out in a situation like this.

"Oh, my dear Hisui…" Emmeraude let out a heavy sigh. "I know you mean well. But you honestly didn't think I would let those women kill each other, did you?"

"Y-You said…" Hisui stammered. Now that she was actually confronting Emmeraude about this, she wasn't sure what to say. Things seemed a lot easier in her head.

"I know what I said." Emmeraude placed her chin in her hand. "But my dear…I would have not let it come to that. If things truly came to the worst possibility, I would have personally intervened. The only reason I said it was fine is for the ratings."

"T-That ratings…?" Hisui blinked. Those jade colored eyes of hers failed to grasp Emmeraude's meaning.

"To be enthralled in such dramatic situation…This is what the people signed up for, no? We were granted quite a show; one that people won't be forgetting for quite some time. I was personally invested in it myself…I couldn't help the comment I made." Emmeraude leaned forward, cupping Hisui's cheeks within her hands. "Hisui dear, I promise I would never do anything to intentionally hurt the people of this country you and I hold so dearly. Don't you trust me…?"

Hisui stared into Emmeraude's eyes. What she was looking for as any hint of deception or lie…but she saw nothing. That was precisely what she was hoping for. "…I trust you." The Jade Princess nodded slowly. "I'm sorry for overreacting."

Once the trust had been confirmed Emmeraude released Hisui and snickered. "It's fine. You have concern for your subjects. You'll make a fine Queen the day I abdicate the throne to you."

"You think so…?" Hisui's eyes lit up at that remark.

"Of course." Emmeraude smiled. "But I think it's time to end this little break and get the show back on the road. Your little pumpkin hat is quite adorable. Guard, go tell Chapati that it's time to begin again."

"Yes ma'am!" The guard saluted and ran off.

"…" Arcadios remained silent. It was difficult for him to distrust Emmeraude when Hisui placed her trust in the Queen. Even so, that didn't dispel that odd seed of doubt in his chest…

.

.

"And we are back!" Chapati was clearly feeling better after the previous event. "We still have two more fights to deliver today! And as they say: THE SHOW MUST GO ON!"

"Guess we're still goin…" Luke said.

"We have another fan favorite clash waiting to happen!" Chapati read down the list. "Fairy Tail A's Erza Scarlet vs. White Eclipse A's Cygnus Gwydion!" Immediately the crowd went into an uproar of excitement!

"WOO! WILD!" Bacchus yelled.

"At least these two won't try to kill each other….maybe…" Lyon scoffed.

"KICK HIS ASS ERZA!" Natsu shouted in Erza's ear, which got him a fist to the skull that knocked him into the ground.

"Don't scream in my ear." Erza snarled, already a little irritated that she had to go against a White Eclipse mage. Perhaps more so that it wasn't Reve she got to beat down…but that was neither here nor there at the moment.

"Don't lose your cool." Laxus warned. He could see it in Erza's expression; she was probably still rattled about what happened earlier with Minerva as well.

"I'll be fine." Erza responded coolly while making her way to the arena.

"Heh…I'll kick her ass." Cygnus stated confidently. "She may have taken a few of us down before…but when it comes to our top tier mages, she doesn't stand a chance." Cygnus then made his way to the arena.

"….." Reve was utterly silent. Instead, he had a focused glare on Erza. Ever since the Tartarus incident…no, even before that. Back at the Isle: he saw a side of Erza he'd never seen before in their countless battles: an Erza that could quite literally do anything, even if it was breaching the limits of human capabilities. Why did he never see that side of her until Tartarus? Ever since Happy proclaimed 'Because she's Erza!' it ate away him every minute of every day. She was able to fight without any senses. What made her so special!? Why didn't she ever show him this side of her!? All he ever got was her unwavering determination until one of them fell…but it was so much different when it was a life or death situation. When that happened…it was like she was invincible….

"…Reve, are you okay?" Kairi asked while waving a hand in his face. "If looks could kill, I think Erza would be dead right now."

"…I'm fine." Reve replied. Calium and Mary took a glance at Reve. While they didn't know exactly what it was that ate away him, it was clear it had something to do with Erza.

"So…what exactly is the record here?" Mii asked while placing her index finger on her chin. "I remember Erza getting tossed by Reve back on the Isle…and Gray lost to Luke…so is it always that way…?"

"Hell no!" Gray exclaimed. "It goes back and forth at times. A rivalry that never ends. Sometimes they beat us, sometimes we beat them."

"It's a very close middle ground…even if they are just lucky half the damn time." Gajeel spat.

.

Erza and Cygnus stood across one another. Erza had a glare while Cygnus wore a grin. "Hey hey, what's with the sour look? Already preparing the face you'll make for when I take you down?"

"You're all so cocky…" Erza held her hand out, a blade manifesting within her grip. "I see that aspect of you will never change."

"Heh…" Cygnus reached back, grabbing the hilt of Rebellion as it appeared before him. "Nah. But how about we have a good old fashion swordfight? I've never gotten the chance to cross blades with you."

"You will lose." Erza stated rather confidently.

"I assume both of you are ready…" Hisui looked between Cygnus and Erza. This was the kind of growing tension she could handle. "Your 15 minute start now! Good luck, Erza-san. Kabo."

"…Is the announcer allowed to pick favorites?" Cygnus glanced at the pumpkin headed Hisui. Now that he stared at her, he felt like he could see through this disguise…but that wasn't important! "Anyway…you know the tradition, Scarlet."

"I do." Erza responded. The knight's lips curved up slightly, grinning slyly at the gravity god before her. "Which is why I'm wondering why you're still standing there."

"Oooooooh…" The crowd murmured at Erza's retaliation. Now Cygnus couldn't just sit there and take that, especially as the audience got involved.

"If the crowd wasn't here, I wouldn't let you goad me like this." Cygnus admitted. At the very least Erza knew how to play a crowd. "But I can't back down now that they've got expectations. I'm gonna smash through that weird invisible armor you have that prevents you from losing, got it?" Without another word Cygnus blasted forward while raising Rebellion. Once got close to Erza he swung it down, adding a hefty amount of gravity around the blade to increase his striking potential. Erza swung her blade forward immediately, sparks flying as steel kissed steel. "Heh…I was hoping you wouldn't falter to such a trick! Using his free hand, Cygnus unleashed a powerful blast of golden gravity that succeeded in pushing Erza back. As soon as Erza was sent backwards he swung Rebellion forward, watching as the blade spun towards Titania with malicious intent. "Roundtrip!"

Erza regained her footing quickly. As soon as Rebellion was flung in her direction she darted forward, slashing the blade out of her side and into the ground. The Queen of Fairies then lunged forward, a golden shine wrapping around her body as she entered her Giant's Armor. With momentum and monstrous physical strength at her side, she slugged Cygnus right in the face! Cygnus barely managed to keep himself from flying and slid across the arena a great deal. "How was that?"

Cygnus turned his head to the side, spitting out some blood. "Not a bad jab." Cygnus smirked. The grounded Rebellion immediately came back to complete its Roundtrip. Erza noticed this and jumped to the side to avoid the blade. To her surprise, Cygnus caught Rebellion smoothly, transitioning into his next attack with ease. "Stinger!" A fierce stab was aimed at Erza's side, and it connected, breaking through her armor. The Eclipse mage followed up by unleashing a potent blast of gravity from his blade's tip. The explosion broke half of Erza's Giant's Armor while sending her soaring backwards. "It was a good jab, but not good enough! Your arms are still too short to box with a god."

Erza tumbled across the ground before coming to a halt on her feet. The right side of her Giant's Armor was totaled for the time being and she'd have to save it for later. Erza returned to her standard Heart's Kruz armor, now having two blades in hand. "We'll see about that!" Titania proclaimed. Once that was said she lunged forward, swinging both blades at Cygnus viciously. The two ended up in a stalemate shortly after.

"It looks like we've got ourselves a fight here!" Chapati grinned.

"Now this is what the people came here to see. I'm at the edge of my seat already." Yajima said with a smile.

"Indeed…" Siegrain agreed. "I always take pleasure in seeing this scarlet rose rise above the challenges faced before her. It's always quite a sight."

"Kick her ass, Cyg!" Waiston shouted. "Don't let her think she's better than you!"

"You're totally better than him!" Natsu shouted in retaliation to Waiston's cheers. "Kick his ass, Erza!"

Both Cygnus and Erza jumped back after the stalemate. Cygnus took the initiative and held his hands forward, firing off multiple blasts of golden gravity towards the Fairy Queen. Even if they failed to hit their mark, the gravity on the field began to intensify regardless. "It would be better if you just quit!"

"Not in your dreams!" Erza responded while preforming various flips to avoid the blasts of gravity. She was no fool and could see where this was going, so she took to the air while changing into her Black Wing armor.

"Just as planned!" Cygnus then launched himself into the air, preparing to meet Erza with another swing. Unfortunately Erza's reaction time was much better than he anticipated and he was met with a parry! Since he was wide open, Erza took some joy in changing into her Purgatory armor, swinging her powerful spiked blade into Cgynus's side to crush him into the ground! The impact left a small crater. "Oof…that stung…"

"It's going to get a lot worse from here on. It may shock you." Erza lasted, shifting armors once again. This time she entered her Flight Armor, coupled with her Aqua Sword and Lightning Lance. With the sonic speed granted by said armor, Erza attempted to blitz Cygnus. She appeared at all sides at once, striking fiercely with her Aqua Sword.

"Trying to blitz me!? Are you out of your mind!?" Cygnus grinned, but that didn't mean he didn't have trouble keeping up with Erza. She wasn't giving him any time to focus on changing the gravity since she was everywhere at once. A few slashes from the Aqua Sword did land on him, but the damage wasn't much. Erza then stopped, appearing a few yards away from Cygnus. "What, tired already!?"

"Cygnus, you idiot…" Jaxon shook his head. From the outside it was easy to see what Erza was trying to do: make the arena floor as wet as possible.

"Haaaaaa!" Erza then stabbed her lightning lance into the wet battlefield, allowing a powerful discharge of lightning to explode! The lightning conducted through the water and turned the field into a high voltage danger zone with Cygnus stuck right in the middle.

"GNK!" Cygnus let out a choked grunt of pain as the lightning began to fry him! Erza was really going all out and this made him grin. "Not bad…but like I said…you're still too short!" The Gravity God then snapped his fingers, a powerful pulse of magic erupting from around his body. The lightning dispersed and there was a noticeable aura around Cygnus' body. "God Trigger: State 2." It wasn't difficult to notice the increase in strength this God Trigger presented.

"It looks like Cygnus is finally upping the ante!" Said Chapati. "How will Erza respond!?"

"I see we're getting serious now…then I will oblige." Erza sped off once again, mixing up her movements with her high speed. She wasn't going to allow Cygnus any time to breathe! But her blitz only lasted a few seconds this time as she completely stopped. The gravity intensified and her knees buckled under the pressure. "Huh?!"

"Now we're gonna have some fun! Gravity God's Heavy Smash!" Cygnus swung his gravity infused fist at Erza's stomach. The impact was so terrible a shockwave echoed out and Erza let out a cry of pain as she was flung backwards!

"Oh, a direct hit…!" Diamond cringed from that.

"Wait…is it just me, or is she not stopping!"

Erza was flying back…and her momentum wouldn't stop! Cygnus sent a crushing wave of gravity along with his punch; it was clear he was going for a ring out with this tactic, and if Erza couldn't get past a simple maneuver then she had no right to show her face against White Eclipse. Acting fast, Titania turned, stabbing her Lightning Lance into the arena wall and pressed her foot against it. She was dangerously close and barely had time to pull this off. The lance exploded in a discharge of electricity that shot her forward. Using this newfound momentum, Erza changed into her Heaven's Wheel armor; two blades in hand while several blades circled around her body. "Dance, my blades!"

As Cygnus expected, Erza rebounded from the ring out attempt and came at him with full force. "I was hoping it wouldn't be that easy!" After Cygnus spoke, three clones composed of poison appeared in a triangle formation around him. These clones, along with the creator, began to swing their swords to parry the lone blades Erza sent after them. Unfortunately, there were a few too many blades for their liking. This allowed Erza to slip past the clones and close in on the original.

"Pentagram Sword!" Erza flew past Cygnus, slashing her swords in a Pentagram formation in a flash. The impact left Cygnus reeling a little even in his God Trigger State. The Queen of Fairies then landed on the ground, keeping her guard up.

"Whew!" Cygnus exhaled. "That actually stung too!" The gravity god admitted while turning around. "Don't think you can slack on me yet! Clones swarm her!" Right after giving that command, the three poison clones began to rush down Erza once more. They wasted no time surrounding Erza in a triangle formation, aiming slashes, punches, and kicks all over her being in attempt to overwhelm Titania before she could gain too much momentum against them.

"Numbers don't mean anything! It doesn't matter how many of them there are; I'll cut you all down!" Erza exclaimed, now going on the extreme defensive at the moment. She refused to allow Cygnus the upper hand at all. Her blades blocked their swords and she had to weave through the punches. Since the clones were made of poison, physical contact was going to result in being poisoned, and Erza didn't need that.

"Amazing! Erza is holding her own against three of them!" Chapati said in amazement.

"But while she's doing that…." Siegrain took a glance at Cygnus, who was preparing quite the Bellow while Erza was preoccupied.

"Erza look out!" Lucy shouted.

Erza heard Lucy's cry in advance. But she couldn't exactly do anything at the moment as the clones swarmed her. At the last second she summoned several swords, slicing through the clones before they could cause her anymore grief. "Finally…"

"Poisoned Bellow…of the Gravity God!" Cygnus lurched forward, unleashing a golden wave of gravity that was stained purple with the poison imbued within. This large funnel of energy tore through the arena while soaring towards Erza.

Erza recognized the danger and crossed her arms, forming her Adamantine armor. With the plated shield before her, the Bellow slammed right into it! This didn't stop her from sliding backwards as the bellow still consumed her being. Titania was easily able to hold her own, but that poison within the bellow did get into her system. She could feel it and it made her grimace a little. The Bellow overall did moderate damage to her defensive armor. "Tch…"

"Still standing? Eh, you won't be for much longer." Cygnus took a deep breath. A black and white aura – almost twilight – wavered around his being. His power increased once again! This time even the audience could feel it. "This one's still incomplete…but I think I can muster enough time to finish you off with it. This is God Trigger: State 3. But I like to dub this…Eclipse Trigger."

"What's he doing? Can he even sustain it long enough?" Aira questioned.

"He's going for the win." Sidney said simply.

"The last thing he wants is a draw. I'm sure that's the last thing either of them want." Mary explained. "He must have been keeping track of time during the entire match. Since it's winding down, he's going to try and finish things as soon as possible. Whether by ring out or knock out."

"But knowing Cygnus, it's likely he'll try to flatten her in one move." Luke quipped.

"…." Erza's brown eyes glared at Cygnus. Her body was a little numb from the poison, so her reaction time for whatever he had planned was going to be a little slow. "Very well then. Come at me with your best shot."

"Heh…." Cygnus had a wide grin on his face. "Let's see you survive this then: one of the spells in the Book of Calium!" The gravity god placed his fist in his palm, gathering Eclipse Magic. "The old man himself taught me this move! Eclipse Hammer!" Above Cygnus, Eclipse magic accumulated into a large mass. This mass was extremely potent in raw destructive power and he dropped it down on Erza without a second of hesitation. The only thing Erza could do in this situation was bring her Adamantine Armor up once again and hope for the best as the Eclipse Hammer struck. A massive explosion of Eclipse magic erupted from impact, causing a bright flash of light that blinded everyone spectating. The entire stadium rumbled violently for a few moments before slowly dying down. Now there was a cloud of dust that covered Erza from view.

"That was quite the attack…" Yajima said while adjusting his hat. "I wonder if she'll be okay after such a blow."

"I could feel that one from all the way over here!" Chapati stated.

"Hm…" Siegrain tilted his head curiously. "I doubt such a beautiful flower would wilt away so easily…"

As the smoke cleared, one could see the broken pieces of Erza's armor scattered around her. As for Titania herself, she was face down in the dirt, covered in bruises and cuts. Hisui blinked a few times, wondering if Erza was down for the count! "E-Erza…? Is she down…?"

"Heh…" Cygnus grinned. "Like I said…her arms are too short to…"

"I'm not finished…" Erza spoke. She was pretty beat up after taking that Eclipse Hammer head on, but she pressed her hands to the ground and slowly pushed herself up. "I've taken attacks that hit harder than that…that was nothing!" Erza exclaimed. And soon, Erza was right back on her feet!

"She really shrugged that off!" Natsu said with a wide grin. "Take him down!"

"You're shittin' me…" Cygnus' smirk immediately turned into a scowl. Now he was starting to get annoyed!

"….." Reve didn't say a word. He just watched. Just watching Erza fight recently angered him to no end.

"And she stood up!" Chapati yelled! "Erza's infamous resilience shines once again! But time is quickly winding down! Will this end in a draw, or will one of these mages swipe victory away from one another!?"

Time was running out in more ways than one: Cygnus wasn't going to be able to hold Eclipse Trigger for much longer, Erza could feel her body slowing down from the poison, and it was safe to assume they barely had a few minutes to spare for this match. It had to end now! "Let us finish this!" A golden light wrapped around Erza's body once more, now requipping into her Clear Heart armor, holding her Demon Blade: Crimson Sakura. The sword flared with a scarlet aura worthy of the Queen of Fairies herself.

"Less than two minutes remain." Emmeraude chimed in, allowing the pressure to build.

Cygnus drew Rebellion once more and charged forward as Erza did. The two swung their blades forward, clashing in the middle of the stadium! Their blades crossed, causing a minor shockwave to boom out! Just as the beginning of the match, the two mages were locked in a fierce sword fight. In this field, Erza had the slight advantage; however because of the poison taking toll on her body her movements were laggy and slow. Cygnus on the other hand was pushing himself in Eclipse Trigger. The burnout was going to be severe on his end if he didn't wrap this up within the two minutes they had remaining. Because of this, both sides were receiving noticeable injuries from slashes they failed to parry. The tension was high as time rapidly decreased! All eyes were on Erza and Cygnus as neither mage refused to yield to one another.

"Come on Erza!" Milliana cheered. "Don't let him beat you! Kagura-chan and I are rooting for you!" Kagura wasn't as vocal about her cheering as Milliana, but it was clear she was supporting Erza in this endeavor.

"Cygnus! Cygnus!" White Eclipse hollered in support of their talented mage.

The relentless clash of blades finally came to an end as both parties jumped back for space. Cygnus and Erza panted heavily, yet their tired, determined gazes were never off one another. Emmeraude crossed her legs, making yet another announcement. "30 seconds~."

"Time is nearly up! This fight just may be a draw!" Chapati leaned forward, practically screaming into the mic.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Cygnus drew Rebellon back, going all out with this next attack. Cygnus' signature blade flared in a golden aura, soon tainted black and white with Eclipse mage. The blade radiated with power that could challenge even the strongest of mages. "This was fun, Titania! But this battle is over!" Cygnus pushed forward with malicious intent, planning to end things right there.

Erza stood calmly as Cygnus approached. A hint of a smile on her face. "I agree. This battle is over."

"HUH?!" That look Erza had on her face only served to piss Cygnus off. "How dare you talk like you've won…!" And before Cygnus could take another step, a sharp sensation pierced his chest! It was almost as though he'd been stabbed! But…that was impossible! He made sure all of Erza's blades were dealt with and accounted for. "…!?"

"An invisible blade that cuts through the darkness….I'm surprised it took you so long to notice it struck you. But that's fine…" Erza began to sprint forward, the golden light swallowing her body once more. Her broken Giant's armor returned and she reared the only fist she had left, putting every inch of her being into this one final punch! "Tell me, are my arms too short now!?" With Cygnus temporarily immobilized from the pain, he had no choice but to eat Erza's final punch! She made sure to sock him right in the fact, the momentum she carried shifting to the Gravity God, carrying him all the way to the other side of the arena until he hit the arena wall.

"GAH…!" Cygnus choked out. He happened to click out of Eclipse Trigger and hit the ground on all fours, groaning in pain. Right after that, the bell rang: time was up.

"Cygnus had been pushed out of bounds! This means that the winner of this fight is Erza Scarlet of Fairy Tail A! They get 10 points-kabo!" Right after Hisui announced the results, the crowd erupted in a large cheer. Fairy Tail fans were ecstatic!

"LET'S GO ERZA!" Fairy Tail cheered. Another victory over White Eclipse was always something to savor. Meanwhile, White Eclipse just had to take that loss. Cygnus was pretty pissed

"AMAZING!" Chapati had a wide smile on his face. "At the last second, Erza managed to ring out Cygnus!"

"With their level of strength, that was probably the best option." Yajima added. "With time running out, there didn't seem to be any time to unleash anything truly devastating."

"I expected as much." Siegrain stated. "When it comes to a true challenge, that scarlet flower will always bloom." As Siegrain spoke, Erza lifted up her free hand, pointing her index finger and thumb out. The Fairy Tail symbol was there for all to see in wake of her victory!

.

"It's now time for the final battle of day 2!" Chapati looked at the names on the list and this time his cheeks turned red. "Ooooh! It's a good one folks! We have Fairy Tail B's Mirajane Strauss vs. Blue Pegasus' Jenny Realight! Are we going to be blessed with another battle between models!?"

At the mention of this fight, Zelos' eyes were replaced with comical pink hearts. "Two voluptuous hunnies posing in front of everyone!?"

"…Please." Mii and Zelos were agreeing on something for once.

"If you'll excuse me." Mira smiled and made her way to the arena.

"Boys, sit tight. I have a rematch I need to settle." Jenny gave a flip of her hair. There was an odd sinister aura wavering around her being. She truly could not wait to get her revenge on Mira for how their last bout ended up! Even though it was Jenny's idea in the first place, she never expected to lose to begin with…

"Last time these two battled…" Lucy had a flashback to all that modeling every female was dragged into. She was secretly praying they wouldn't have to experience this a second time.

Soon enough, Mira and Jenny met each other in the battlefield. The tension this time was…different. Two models going head to head…most of the men in the crowd were pretty excited already. They could only pray their hopes wouldn't be dashed if the two girls actually decided to duke it out like everyone else before them. Jenny placed her hand on her hip, staring at Mira with a smirk. "Well well…it's been quite some time since we've faced off against each other."

"Mhm…" Mira nodded. The two were smiling sweetly, but the aura they were giving off told a different story about their feelings. "Are we going to do the same song and dance again? Personally, I wouldn't mind."

"Given all that's occurred, I think everyone could use a little bit of peace of mind, don't you think?" Jenny suggested. Mira nodded in agreement, and with that, it was settled. Jenny threw her arms out and spoke out to the audience. "That settles it then! Everyone, Mirajane and I will be having yet another modeling battle for you all!" That was news everyone wanted to hear. The crowd erupted into a large cheer.

"Uh…." Hisui blinked several times behind her mask. "A-A modeling battle…? You know there are only 15 minutes left in the day, right? …Kabo."

"Of course." Jenny waved a hand dismissively. "But a good model can make the most out of such a short time frame. 15 minutes is the perfect amount of time!" Jenny then pointed at Mira. "And we're making the same wager as last time! The loser has to pose naked in the next issue of Sorcerer's Weekly!"

"This again…?" Mira placed her hand on her cheek and smiled bashfully.

"THIS AGAIN!" Waiston cheered. "Whenever Jenny gets involved in something, she always has to make it good. I remember the last time she goaded Aira and Selene into a modeling contest…that was a damn good day." This Frozen dragon's hormones were already off the charts.

"…I try not to remember that." Aira said with an awkwardly embarrassed expression.

"So, if you would be so kind to begin the match. I'll be sure the final category is battle armor once again. I have a new trick up my sleeve I'm dying to show the people~" Jenny hummed. Even though Hisui was the one officiating the matches, it sure felt like Jenny was the one running the show now.

"R-Right…the final match of day 2 begins now!" Hisui exclaimed, and once she did that, everything was completely out of her hands.

"The first category!" Jenny snapped her fingers, soon clad in a two piece orange bikini. The model held her hair back while posing for the crowd. Mira followed suit by donning a two piece herself, letting the crowd see just about everything she had to offer. Immediately the crowd began to hoot and holler at this sight.

"The modeling battle has already kicked off into high gear!" Comical steam came from Chapati's nostrils as he spoke.

"This is already starting off good." Mii said with a firm nod. "Very curvaceous, that's 10 points from me already."

"DON'T SAY THIS OUT LOUD!" Lucy flailed her arms about.

"Why not!? They're literally putting it out there for us to see it!" Mii pointed out. "And I'm gonna look! Do NOT take this from me!"

"She's pretty scary when she wants something…" Cynthia said with a nervous sweat drop.

"At the very least, this is getting the crowd's attention off of what happened earlier…" Mavis deduced, and suddenly it became clear to her why such a contest was being held to begin with! This just made the spirit grin…it was a very familiar grin that she had once before. "I just got the best idea!"

"Oh no…" Lisanna gulped. "Please, not again."

Unfortunately, this was happening again. Everyone was going to get involved in this! Mavis magically had two pieces ready for every female as the clothing comically rained down from above. "Everyone should get involved in this! It's the perfect opportunity since there are more eyes on us than before! All the ladies, put these on!"

"I'm injured, do I have to?" Erza questioned. Wendy's healing did take care of most of her wounds, but she was still wrapped in bandages.

"The bandages would add some appeal." Zelos remarked.

"What's going on over there…?" Aira pointed at the rain of clothes over by Fairy Tail.

"I dunno, but I think I like where it's going." Waiston said with a perverted grin. "I think you ladies should get in on this too."

"I don't know about that…" Roxanne said with narrowed eyes.

"This doesn't seem like the best idea…" Marlene said while rubbing her cheek. "Should we really get involved?"

"Heck yeah!" Waiston was taking the initiative on getting the females of White Eclipse in the modeling fray as well. "Come on, Marlene! You've been on countless Sorcerers' Weekly cover pages, you're already a model. Besides, Aira, don't tell me there's not a tiny part of you that doesn't want to pay Jenny back for what happened. Dragging you into a modeling match and beating you, too?"

"Well…" Both Aira and Marlene had to think this over. Waiston did make very convincing points.

"I can't believe he's actually made them think about it…" Zalen whispered to Luke.

"All right ladies! If we're doing this, we're doing this together!" Aira exclaimed. Seems she couldn't resist the temptation for a rematch after all. This meant she was dragging Kanade, Micaiah, Saraya, Marlene, Roxanne, Kairi, Evelyn, Vanya, and Heather into this swimsuit match!

"It looks like we've got quite the massive battle going on…" Siegrain said offhandedly.

"This is incredible!" Chapati shouted with nostrils flared. And from somewhere in the crowd one could hear Jason shouting "COOOOOL" at the top of his lungs, along with a few flashes from his camera.

Jenny could see the direction this was going, and it only made her smirk. With all the ladies from White Eclipse and Fairy Tail being forced into this fray, she couldn't just let this opportunity go to waste; she had to take advantage of the situation. _"We're doing this again? This is perfect. Now I can use everyone else to accurate my improved looks. This couldn't be better! In fact…"_ The blonde snapped her fingers, pointing to the audience. "Dealer! Cosmic Star! I know you're here! So why don't you send your ladies down here to join the fun?"

"Ugh!" Alex froze as Jenny called them out. "How did she know we were here!?"

"Probably because a certain someone wouldn't shut up about Kagura…!" Diamond glared daggers at Daryan, who was just chilling with Shadowlore.

"I wouldn't keep them waiting if I were you…" Shadowlore whistled. "Jenny seems quite testy about this."

"…Don't make me go down there." Tia pleaded Ace.

"Oh no. If I have to suffer, you do too." Diamond grabbed Tia by the wrists, dragging both her AND Heartless with her. "BOTH of you."

"I…do not see any merit in this…" Heartless would try to argue, but it was pointless.

"Come on Alex, we can't keep the crowd waiting~" Gaia seemed to be enjoying this a little more than she should've been. Alex's response was only a comical whimper that was supposed to be her objection.

"My…it's starting to get crowded again…" Mira smiled towards her female comrades, all of them clad in two piece swimsuits for everyone's viewing pleasure. "This sure brings back memories."

"Doesn't it? I just love the huge crowd we've gotten…but it's not quite big enough. I need a few more volunteers!" Jenny was truly enjoying this and it had only just begun. "Mermaid Heel! You think you can hide from us again? I don't think so!"

"…" Kagura blinked several times before taking a subconscious step backwards as Jenny called them out as well. "…Can we pass?"

"Nope!" Jenny shouted back. "You think we'd let the woman only guild skip this? Come down here. Isn't there a certain someone who would just LOVE to see the Ace mermaid in a swimsuit?" Jenny was truly pulling no punches here; using Daryan's infatuation with Kagura to pressure her into joining.

"…That only has the opposite effect on me." Kagura pointed out…but suddenly she was feeling a lot of disappointed stares in her direction from the audience. As much as she wanted to spite Daryan, if she let one audience member down, she'd let them all down. "…ugh."

"Today just keeps getting better and better…" Daryan grinned.

"You too, Yukino! Everyone's invited to this!" Said Jenny.

"I…I was afraid of this…" Yukino didn't even bother putting up a fight. She just accepted defeat and went to the arena.

"You can do it!" Sting cheered. Do what, exactly? He didn't know.

Soon enough, the entire stadium was filled with all females. Emmeraude had a brow quirked at the display before her. "…You know, when I put this fight together, I did not expect this outcome. But considering this is how they wish to spend their time…I won't stop them. It's pretty entertaining."

Mii was ironically in a one piece outfit, but she was staring at everyone else with a look in her eyes. One that Lucy could not allow to continue. "Mii! Close your mouth…and your eyes!" And if one was wondering how Lucy covered up those unsightly black marks along her arm, she had a sleeve at the ready. No way was she going to willingly let everyone see those!

"Noooo way! This is the jackpot!" Mii exclaimed. "Nobody lets me touch, but I'm sure as hell gonna look! And the loser of this modeling has to pose naked later? I'm not sure who I want to win…"

Kagura was feeling a little self-conscious since her aforementioned scar was still visible on her stomach. She could also feel Daryan's piercing gaze right in her soul. Milliana felt the same way with how Shadowlore was gawking at her. "I hate this…"

"K-Kagura-sama…you look nice…!" Yukino could see Kagura's discomfort. She hoped a little encouragement would make the Ace not feel so out of place. It worked a little bit.

"Is anyone else trying to figure out how Mii looks LESS revealing with a swimsuit on…?" Wakaba questioned. Not that he and Macao were looking or anything, because they'd totally get in trouble if they were found out.

"…." Romeo noticed. All he could do was shake his head at his father's idiocy.

"This is the best day of my life." Waiston had the biggest grin on his face.

"Everyone looks great!" Mavis exclaimed. Her eyes darted all around….all around until she realized the slight fatal mistake she made in this process: everyone had a bigger chest than her. The spirit fell silent and placed her hands to her chest, a sullen expression forming on her face. "….Oh…oh no…" She wasn't the only one that felt this way. Both Micaiah and Levy shared a similar experience as they looked at the other, well-endowed women around them.

"This is getting out of hand…" Laxus said while pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I don't see the problem." Makarov stated firmly.

"I agree. This is everything anyone could ever want." Zelos nodded in agreement.

"Is this was kids enjoy these days?" Mary asked. Seems like the looks on the guys' faces answered her question almost immediately. "Unbelievable…"

"This is very embarrassing…" Tia grumbled.

"Hey, isn't that the girl who flooded Ryuzetsu Land a while ago…? She seems scary…?" A child said from the audience.

Tia overheard this remark and her eyebrow twitched, water beginning to swirl around her. "Scary, huh? I'll show you scary…"

Lucy and Diamond had to latch onto Tia's arms to keep her from doing anything rash. "T-Tia! Calm down…we don't need you causing another incident…"

"This is super embarrassing…" Alex crossed her arms while standing next to the flustered Wendy and Cynthia. "You two too, huh…?"

"I feel uncomfortable…" Wendy cried out.

"Don't forget to get my good side~" Gaia was having way too much fun with this. It was actually embarrassing for Alex and she had to look away.

Yumia and Yukia merely whistled at the show before them. They were both snapping pictures with their cameras to send to Nercon later. "Oh yeah…Lady Nercon is most definitely going to love this. Fiore has some very nice ladies…"

 _"_ _It's all going as planned. Everyone's showing off their stuff unintentionally. It's just about time to hit everyone with the biggest showstopper!"_ Jenny cleared her throat in preparation for her next move. But she was interrupted by an old lady's cry.

From up above, the silhouette of an old lady could be seen. This gave everyone horrid flashbacks of what happened before. Ooba Babasama was about to strut her stuff again… "You youngins want to see some moves…!?" Off came her cloak…and she posed in a one piece, gyrating violently for all to see.

"COVER YOUR EYES." Raven tried to warn everyone…but it was too late. The entire stadium went pale in shock at Lamia Scale's Master's moves. If there was one thing everyone could go without seeing in several lifetimes, it was an old, saggy lady showing off. With that done…the excitement in the stadium completely died and the ladies returned to their original positions.

"…..I don't ever want to see an old lady ever again…" Cygnus said in disgust.

"I'm afraid even I have my limits…" Mii said with a disgruntled sigh.

"…Well…." Chapati cleared his throat. "Now that that has been ruined for everyone…how many minutes are there left on the clock?!"

"Only…5…" Emmeraude tried to keep her composure…but even she was unable to after seeing that old lady move. She was sick.

"Hm…that put a wrench in my plans…" Jenny sighed while turning her gaze back to Mira. "Oh well. I suppose we'll just have to settle this the old fashioned way…?"

"I figured things would come to this…" Mira smiled as she entered her Sitri form. "We'll just have a repeat of last time, no?"

"Most definitely not…" Jenny had a coy smile. She was prepared to unleash her trump card. "I won't be defeated so easily like last time! Behold!" Jenny's body was shrouded in a heavenly bright light. Her body started to change; metallic, armor-like scales formed along her arms and legs, a silver draconic helmet formed on her head, followed by wings and a tail sprouting from her back, lastly, a purple gem was on her chest. "This is the modeling debut of my new form! Machina: Takeover: Dragon."

"What's this?! Jenny reveals a new takeover!" Chapati's eyes widened at this shocking reveal!

"H-Hey…" Cynthia narrowed her eyes. "That looks like that stupid artificial dragon 'he' made…"

"That's exactly what it is!" Jenny explained. "Did you think I'd let such a creation go to waste! Besides, it would've been a pain if he was able to pick up the pieces…so I decided to take it over since it was broken. I would've used this a while ago, but it's surprisingly difficult to control. I can manage a few minutes."

"So that's why you wanted to wait so long." Mira deduced.

"This is without a doubt my strongest takeover. Just watch what it can do!" The purple gem on Jenny's chest began to shine multiple colors before it finally settled on a light blue. The model held her hand forward and a powerful gust of Sky Dragon Slaying was unleashed with the intent to lift Mira off her feet and blow her away! The intensity was more than anyone could expect and the fierce gale made everyone cover their eyes.

"T-That's my magic…!" Wendy recognized it as soon as Jenny used it.

"I recall that machine being able to use the slayer magic of those from the incident…I suppose it makes sense that Jenny is able to use it with that form…" Cana tilted her head. "I can't believe she's got such a trump card…"

Mira caught herself, using the flames from the soles of her feet to speed forward. Jenny refused to let Mira get away so easily and the gem on her chest changed to a lighter shade of blue. "Freeze!" From her palm, a trail of sharp glaciers formed under Mira's feet. Mira was just a little too fast for the ice to keep up with, so it was nothing but a fruitless endeavor. Mira was close now, rearing back a fist to sock Jenny with all her might! Jenny changed the gem from blue to yellow while extending one claw forward. "Lightning Claw!" The blonde swung lightning infused claw at Mira…only to miss! "Huh!"

"I'm sorry, but I can't afford to waste too much time with you." Mira spoke as she reappeared behind Jenny, gripping the metallic tail that formed. "Perhaps you will have better luck with this form elsewhere…" With all her strength, Mira then hurled Jenny into the nearest wall! It all happened so quickly, Jenny didn't even have the chance to retaliate and just slumped back to her normal clothing.

"And Jenny suffers a ring out! That is a victory for Mirajane Strauss of Fairy Tail B! Thus granting them 10 points! Kabo." Hisui stated. "That is the end of Day 2!"

"What a short battle." Yajima remarked. "But an entertaining one nonetheless."

"WHAT A DAY FOLKS!" Chapati said. "An astounding show of fights today! Thank you all for tuning in! Tomorrow will hopefully be just as intense, but less frightening as well!"

Results as of Day 2:

1st Sabertooth: 34

2nd Fairy Tail A: 32

3rd: Fairy Tail B: 28

4th: White Eclipse B: 26

5th: White Eclipse A: 21

6th: Empyrean Dawn: 21

7th: Mermaid Heel: 14

8th: Blue Pegasus: 11

.

.

Emmeraude sighed after the day's completion. As everyone began to exit the arena, she stood up and stretched. "What a day…I could use a bath…" Before she could get too far, an unfamiliar lacrima found itself within her area near the guards. It beeped a few times and that was all the noise she needed before shouting to the guards: "GET DOWN!"

BOOM! A large explosion occurred, putting the civilians into a panic. "W-What's going on!?"

"Is Lady Emmeraude okay?!"

"Council soldiers! Act immediately!" Siegrain commanded.

Correll grinned, cracking his knuckles as soon as Siegrain gave him the go ahead. "I've been waiting for someone to mess up! You're all mine now!"

Sophie turned at the scene of attack. Emmeraude was in danger; there was no better time to act than now! "I must go…" She uttered silently, sprinting off towards Emmeraude's high location.

As the smoke cleared, Emmeraude coughed a few times. "An assassination attempt..? How cute…" From the smoke, a bladed ring resembling a hula hoop flew forward! The rainbow colored blade was caught by Emmeraude. Her grip tightened on the weapon as a bright light shone, causing it to disperse into multiple pieces! The use of Crash magic too minimal effort from her. Before she could do anything else a chained sickle wrapped around her arm to entangle her within its grip. The masked assassin briefly emerged, closing in with the sickle to slice Emmeraude's head off!

However…before they could get much closer, Sophie bashed them away with a Reaper's Toll. The strike to their ribs made them retreat briefly. Sophie glared at the assassin before turning her gaze to Emmeraude. "…Are you all right…?"

"Ah…." Emmeraude's eyes widened in overflowing joy! What she had been searching for so long…it finally arrived in her lap! This was just her luckiest week ever. "Protos Heis…."

"…Creator…" Sophie's head tilted. She let her guard down and realized this just in the nick of time. The assassin retaliated with a large broadsword. Their aim was to take Sophie out, but the girl blocked such a heavy hit with her gauntlets and ended up being thrown backwards and down below into the panicking crowd!

"Oh…!" Emmeraude sucked her teeth in annoyance. She turned to the assassin with her whip sword at the ready. "A public assassination? I thought those were out of style…it must be tough having to listen directly to the orders of such an incompetent fool…you seem quite talented. How about you tell me the price you're working at, and I can arrange for something higher if you tell me your employer. It's a deal you won't be able to refuse…" Of course as Emmeraude spoke the Council soldiers were closing in on them. Without a word the assassin used their acrobatic skills to swiftly escape. "…Shame." She shrugged. "But…Protos Heis is in this city…! I may have lost her now…but I know she's here…"

Reve watched the entire thing up until Sophie's interference. He and Adam were in shock about the same thing: the weapons used. They only knew one person who used that sort of weapon and style of attack. "….It can't be…" Reve mumbled under his breath. These Games were just going from bad to worse for him….

.

.

Next Time: The Aftermath of Day 2.


	114. Chapter 114: Aftermath of Day 2

After the assassination attempt on Emmeraude's life, the Palace and its guards were on high alert. Hisui was tending to Emmeraude's arm injury, wrapping bandages around her. "Are you all right? That was almost extremely bad…I'm sorry I wasn't by your side…"

Emmeraude only chuckled at Hisui's worry. "Oh, my dear. Thank you for your concern. But I find the ordeal quite amusing. An attempt on my life? I could only imagine who would order such a thing."

"How do you find enjoyment in this?!" Hisui spoke seriously. "Someone tried to kill you! If you died then I…"

Emmeraude's amused smile faded at Hisui's genuine concern for her. "…You'd…?"

"I don't know…" Hisui sighed while glancing down. "I just don't know what I would do. My mother was gone when I was a child, and I don't even remember where my father has gone…you're all I have left that I can consider family…."

Emmeraude pursed her lips as Hisui spoke. To Hisui, it had been like Emmeraude had been by her for years, when in reality it had only been a few short months prior to the Tartarus Rebirth incident. Despite the short time they've spent together, Emmeraude would've been lying if she said she didn't feel some maternal feelings. "Oh, Hisui darling." Emmeraude merely smiled. "It's quite all right. I promise that I won't go anywhere. There's no need to worry about me, although the sentiment is greatly appreciated. Besides, after that attempt Siegrain was so generous in having a few of his men guard me now. A little taxing to manage them, though."

"…Okay." Hisui gave a slow nod. She could trust Emmeraude.

"Now…if you'll excuse me. I have to go find the courageous girl that stepped in to save my life." The Queen stood up and stretched.

"A-Are you sure it's safe to go into a city at night!?" Hisui questioned.

"I'll have that wonderful Correll and Justice fellow accompanying me. Such an act cannot go unrewarded…besides, I believe that girl was Protos Heis. So it is of the upmost important that I find her as soon as possible now. Don't worry my Jade Princess, I will return."

.

.

Back at the hotel, a wave of exhaustion crashed over everyone after the day's events. To Sabertooth's surprise, Minerva reappeared with her own wounds tended to. She was also back to normal after being away all day. "I need a drink…" Minerva exhaled, taking a seat.

"Minerva-sama!" Yukino's expression lit up and Sabertooth rushed over to her. "Are you okay?! We were all extremely worried about you…!"

"You're not hurt too badly, are you?" Sting questioned.

"…." Minerva looked at the worried expressions of her guildmates. It always rubbed her the wrong way that lately, she could do nothing but make them worry about her one way or another. The Tigress sighed while leaning back in her seat. "I'm fine. I just needed some time to myself after that ordeal. I apologize for that unsightly display…"

Rogue shook his head. "It wasn't your fault. You aren't to blame at all, Milady. It was that woman from Empyrean Dawn that caused all of it to begin with."

"I fell for it nonetheless. It was humiliating to be exposed like that…" Minerva clenched her hand into a fist. "I was truly tempted to tear that woman to pieces. If it were the me in the past, I would have done so without hesitation. But now…"

"It's a good change of pace." Rufus remarked. "I, for one, am glad we are no longer remembered as savages in a terrible way. The bite of a tiger is fierce, but I believe you made the correct decision back there. Had you gone through with things…that would have surely turned you into the old you…"

"You're right." Minerva sighed once again. She was truly just out of it. "I need a break…I know I was going to take tomorrow's event, but could you take it for me Yukino?"

"Of course." Yukino nodded. "You rest up, Minerva-sama. I'll be sure to do well in your place tomorrow."

.

"Nice job today everyone!" Mavis exclaimed. "Truly, wonderful! We completely had the lead over today and scored the most points possible. I knew you'd be able to do it!"

"Heh." Natsu grinned smugly, rubbing his index finger under his nose as it comically extended along with his ego. "It was easy! I told you I'd be able to win, and it felt really good to put Steve in his place!"

Awkward silence. "You mean Reve, right?" Evergreen quirked a brow.

"Whatever!" Natsu dismissed the issue quickly. "Either way, Fairy Tail made a comeback!"

"And yet, Sabertooth is still in the lead…for two days in a row…" Gray grumbled. "Tomorrow will have to be another good performance on our part if we want to finally take them over."

"Shouldn't be too hard!" Zelos remarked. "You're all pretty strong and your ladies are so oh wonderful. I don't think you'll have an issue at all! Plus, Mira-chan is the absolute best for defeating Jenny and making her pose nude. That is an issue I'll most definitely have to pick up later."

"I didn't want to have to make that wager again…but she gave me no choice, so I had to oblige." Even though Mira said she was reluctant, there was a bit of a twinkle in her eyes the entire time. Of course she'd never admit it aloud, but it was pretty clear she was happy on some level to subject Jenny to that fate again. Mira had been slowly reverting back to her teenage self recently… "But on that note…I was truly not expecting her to come out with that new Takeover. I wouldn't have imagined she took over that Dragon from a while ago…"

"No kidding…" Cynthia sighed. "She said she had a hard time controlling it, right? It kind of makes me wonder what else she's taken over. Everyone else has gotten stronger under our noses, it's extremely hard to notice until it's in our faces like this…"

"It's been a few years…it's only to be expected." Laxus stated calmly. "In response, we'll just have to keep our guard up. I refuse to be shown up."

"Ahh! And that's what makes this place so wonderful!" Zelos exclaimed once more. "Competition truly brings out the best in people. I'm looking forward to seeing how you all react later!"

"You're very annoying." Freed sighed.

"More importantly…" Daryan chimed in. "That swimsuit competition was amaaaazing~! Kagura looked so cute!"

"I think that was because she was extremely nervous and apprehensive about that scar on her stomach…." Gaia pointed out. "Poor dear. She's really quite beautiful, but that scar is something she's not fond of…and now just about everyone saw it. Well…not true. I suppose it varies depending on who was looking. There was a lot of eye candy out there, and I'm not afraid to toot my own horn and say I was one of them."

"GAIA." Alex couldn't stand hearing Gaia speak like this. Gaia was practically her mom so this was making her gag. Cynthia and Wendy didn't exactly take kindly to this too.

"Hm…" Daryan sighed. True, he noticed it. If he tried to talk to her about it, she'd probably just hit him again….oh well.

"I think I saw our friend Yakuza over here actually smiling though…!" Shadowlore nudged Yakuza, whose expression never wavered from the stoic frown he always wore.

"I think that was just your imagination…" Yakuza replied, bored of the subject while just chewing on some ice.

"…Man, nothing really gets you going, huh?" Shadowlore sighed.

.

.

Lucy dragged Mii and Tia along for a stroll through Crocus. Since part of the city was a little waterlogged from the event earlier, the streets were empty and somewhat quiet. Lucy let out a heavy sigh. "Geez…what a day."

"I enjoyed myself." Mii grinned. "You have quite the nice body, Tia! You really surprised me. Here I thought you were going to be saggy…but your figure is…" The angel licked her lips. She was getting those perverse thoughts again and Tia frowned.

"You know…" A comical tick mark appeared on Tia's forehead. Every time Mii spoke it just irritated Tia. "Every time you open your mouth to say something, I just want to wring the life out of you with my bare hands…"

"Oh?" Mii quirked a brow, giving an insufferable smile to Tia's remark. "Go ahead. I certainly won't stop you."

"Hey!" Lucy stepped between the two females, afraid their squabbling would escalate into something. "I didn't bring you both with me to fight..!"

"Why DID you bring me along?" Tia crossed her arms.

"…Because I can't traverse this city alone. The last time I did, I got mugged for Aries…" Lucy admitted a little shamefully.

Hearing this made Tia blink, head tilting in confusion. "So…you got mugged for Aries…Heartless stole your spirits…we fought that weird demon in the Palace which traumatized you…and you have those weird markings alone your arm and neck that you really think I wouldn't notice…" Tia was a little too observant for Lucy's own good. Lucy clutched her arm subconscious as Tia exposed her. "You really go through a lot, don't you?"

Lucy glanced away, rubbing her sleeve covered arm. "Mmm….how did you know…?"

"I saw it earlier." Tia explained. "I mean…I know you're not the type to hold back on showing off your sex appeal. So it felt a little strange to see you cover your arm like that."

"Y-You really do know me a little too well…" Lucy sighed.

"So…what is…that thing on your arm?" Tia questioned.

"I don't know…" Lucy let out another sigh. "All I know is that ever since I noticed it, I've been aggressive at times…and that stupid Sophie keeps trying to attack me!" Never mind the voice she kept hearing in her head, but that was a detail she opted to leave that detail out since she didn't really understand it herself.

"You need a long vacation…" Mii said while patting Lucy's back…inching her hand around slowly to grope her. Her hand was swatted away quickly. "No."

.

In an alley in the city, Erza was meeting with Jellal. It was pretty dangerous for Jellal to be around the city with the Council on high alert, but it was a risk he felt he had to take. Even so, Erza felt the need to remind him of the danger. "It must be urgent if you needed to meet with me immediately."

"Mhm." Jellal responded. "Before I do, though…excellent job on your battle earlier. You shone beautifully today."

That remark made Erza smile sheepishly. "Ah…think nothing of it. I was simply establishing my dominance over White Eclipse. The Games are fierce this year. But that's not what this meeting is about, is it? Where are the others?"

"Safe and nearby." Jellal explained. "And actually, it is about the Games. Empyrean Dawn does pose an interesting issue as a potential threat based on how that one woman acted earlier…but they are not the reason I've come to you. Erik overheard some…unpleasant voices earlier. We have reason to believe that the Wizard Hunters are lurking about within the city."

This was certainly news to Erza. The Wizard Hunters were constantly popping up in unexpected situations, and they were a forced to be reckoned with. "Again…? They haven't appeared in months….If I recall correctly, their base of operations isn't even in Fiore. So then why…"

"That's what we are trying to ascertain. However….." Jellal stared up at the orange sky. "Things have become…difficult with the attempt on Emmeraude's life. The Council is now in full force around the city. Just getting here was hard enough."

"So what do you intend to do?" Erza questioned. She did wonder who it was that attacked Emmeraude, but there was no way to even begin that investigation.

"Allow me to masquerade as Mystogan for one of your teams for a little bit. I have the necessary materials." Jellal said.

"I'll discuss it with Master." Erza responded. "Just…don't do anything to expose yourself. I don't trust Empyrean Dawn either. Furthermore…" The scarlet knight would've continued, but she heard someone else in the alleyway. "Huh?"

Sophie was walking through the alley. Behind her, the dog she was feeding over the last few days. "You stay there, okay? I'm going to ask if I can bring you to White Eclipse." The young female then turned, staring at Erza and completely ignoring Jellal. "Oh. You're the woman that beat Cygnus earlier…he was not happy."

"Oh?" Erza quirked a brow. She remembered this girl…this was the one Lucy claimed to attack her in Tartarus. It was hard to believe seeing how innocent she seemed. "What did Cygnus say?"

"…I'm not allowed to repeat those words." Sophie replied while shaking her head. She then kept on her way.

"What a strange child…" Jellal remarked.

"Strange indeed…" Erza agreed. "But she was also the one who rushed to Emmeraude's aid earlier…."

.

Sophie's little trip didn't last very long. As soon as she rounded a corner, she saw Lucy, Tia, and Mii! Pink eyes shone a vibrant hue as she shifted to attack mode…but she didn't move just yet. She realized she was very outnumbered and starting a fight in the middle of the city could've been…bad. Even so, something inside her was screaming to attack! "You…"

"You!" Lucy pointed at Sophie. "That's her! That's the little brat who keeps coming after my life!"

"Brat…." Tia blinked slowly. She was starting to believe Lucy and the mysterious increase in aggression, because she was positive Lucy would never say such a thing normally. "Wait a moment…this girl looks like…"

"Well I'll be damned…" Mii chuckled quietly. Almost as if she knew something the others didn't.

"You're getting worse." Sophie's gauntlets formed along her arms. "I must take care of this quickly…"

"You want to do this a third time!?" Third? Wait…when was there a second? Lucy wasn't even sure, but it sure felt like they encountered each other more than once.

"Lucy…fighting a little girl in the middle of the city street is not a good idea." Tia chided Lucy. "Don't turn into Natsu. Although I fear that transformation may be a little too late."

"Wh-?! I'm not like him!" Lucy shot back, although the way she rose her voice was certainly reminiscent of Natsu's boisterous ways.

"Now now…how about we all calm down…?" Heartless appeared with a few bags in tow. Seems she did a little shopping in Crocus. "I heard your shouting all the way from the shop and…" Pink eyes turned to Sophie. Heartless blinked a few times while staring at the girl. "…Little Queen…?"

Sophie turned to Heartless, tilting her head curiously. "…My name is Sophie." As direct as it came. Sophie didn't know to whom Heartless was referring to, because it certainly wasn't her.

"Is something the matter?" Emmeraude appeared on the scene with Correll and Fullbright alongside her. Everyone straighten up as the Queen of Fiore made her appearance.

"That's more like it. You better show some respect to the Lady." Correll and his arrogant smirk never seemed to go away.

"L-Lady Emmeruade…" Lucy did give a slight bow of respect. Tia and Mii followed suit, however Heartless did no such thing.

"Hmmmmm?" Emmeraude lifted a brow. _"It seems she really doesn't remember me,"_ This was too perfect. Because when her eyes landed on Sophie, they sparkled and she went to her immediately, embracing the small girl in an embrace. "Ooooh! There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you my darling daughter!"

"HUH!?" Needless to say, just about everyone present was shocked!

"Y-Your daughter…?" Heartless asked.

"That's right! We were separated, but fate brought us back together earlier today as that assassin tried for my life!" Emmeraude squeezed Sophie so hard; the poor girl had to comically flail her arms about for air. "She did save my life! I'm so happy!"

Fullbright had a handkerchief at the ready as the tears started to stream. "O-Oh! What a truly beautiful reunion between mother and daughter! This is such a happy day! All my tears of justice…they can't be stopped!"

"Put a sock in it…" Correll sighed.

"Creator…I've been looking everywhere for you…my mission…" Sophie began.

This was…a strange feeling for Lucy. Something she could not describe. But with Emmeraude and Sophie both present, something inside of her churned. For a brief moment, her eyes flashed red and her hands clenched into fist. An internal struggle took place as she tried to keep herself calm and composed. "…"

"It's okay dear." Emmeraude finally released her hold on Sophie. "I know you've been working tirelessly, but you can rest easy now. Come, I'll take you to the Palace and we can catch up there."

"But….White Eclipse…" Sophie pointed at the hotel.

"Don't worry. I'll send a messenger over to let them know what's going on, and if you wish to return to them after tonight, that's fine. I just want a night with you." Emmeraude gave a motherly smile, one that was impossible to deny.

"Okay." Sophie nodded. As long as she knew White Eclipse wouldn't worry over her, she had no complaints.

"Excellent!" Emmeraude took Sophie's hand and began to walk off, but not before turning to glance at Lucy. "Things are getting entertaining, no? The curtain will soon rise on our little play. I do hope you'll provide me with a fantastic show later, Lucy Heartfillia~" That tone…such familiarity. It made Lucy shudder visibly.

"Heh. Don't try anything funny…" Correll said while looking at Lucy. "Actually, please do. I wouldn't mind putting a pretty lady in cuffs."

"I think that'll be all." Heartless said while shooing Correll away. "Go protect your 'Queen'." Not that Correll needed any incentive to leave, so he and Fullbright did just that.

Mii leaned against a brick wall, still having a smile on her lips. "If you're going to make such an angry face, at least do it when the cops aren't hanging around. That kind of gives the impression that you're thinking about doing bad things. We really gotta work on your poker face."

Lucy blinked once before realizing that was directed at her. She was calm now… "I-I'm okay…"

"Queen Emmeraude, hm…?" Heartless shrugged. Being unable to display emotion period certainly did come in handy, because she would've been highly annoyed at what went down. "I have questions…"

"As do I…" Tia pinched her nose and sighed. "What a stressful evening…"

.

On a rooftop up above, Zelos watched the entire scene go down with Emmeraude and the ladies. With his arms behind his back, he whistled and laughed. "I didn't know an evening walk would be this satisfying. Things are certainly picking up…right ladies?" Who was he talking to? None other than the current Wizard Hunters on duty: Yumia and Yukia. The three watched the event together. What could this mean, however? Only time would tell…

.

.

Next Time: Naval Battle!


	115. Chapter 115: Naval Battle

Beginning of Day 3:

1st Sabertooth: 34

2nd Fairy Tail A: 32

3rd: Fairy Tail B: 28

4th: White Eclipse B: 26

5th: White Eclipse A: 21

6th: Empyrean Dawn: 21

7th: Mermaid Heel: 14

8th: Blue Pegasus: 11

"GOOD MORNING EVERYONE! WELCOME TO DAY 3 OF THE GRAND MAGIC GAMES!" Chapati exclaimed to the crowd. Yesterday was nothing but a thing of the past as the renewed excitement for the Games kept the crowd going. "And today we have with us another guest!"

"This is so COOL!" Jason exclaimed from his seat between Siegrain and Chapati. The reporter absolutely loved the shots he obtained yesterday from the Jenny vs. Mira battle and couldn't wait to get more! Chapati then began going over the events of the previous two days.

"It's almost like yesterday never happened…" Cana said while taking a swig from her flask. Of course this only got a disapproving glare from Tia, who happened to be pulled into the Fairy Tail stand by Lucy's courtesy.

"Really? It's still morning…" Tia huffed.

"Never too early for a bottle." Cana responded. She then lifted a brow, glancing at the Dealer members present in the stands. "Eh? Where'd Heartless go?"

"She briefly returned back to our base of operations last night after encountering that Sophie girl with Emmeraude. She said it looked like the Little Queen she mentioned before." Tia explained. "She seemed incredibly puzzled. She's…very hard to get a read on. Her lack of emotion makes it difficult to understand her. Although I feel like she still feels something about the Dealer incident." Clearly this topic had been on Tia's mind for a while. She didn't mean to ramble, and considering that she was rambling showed how much she changed from her former quiet and brooding self.

"I see…" Cana spoke with high disinterest in her voice. "Well, whatever."

"…Er…is something wrong…?" Tia questioned.

"Peh…" Cana scoffed. "I don't care about her, that's all. Even if she was on our side or not, she still watched as Joker beat the crap out of me and nearly left me for dead. Ally or not, I'm still not going to forgive that, and I know she's done other things to people as well. Her transgressions sure as hell ain't sliding by me. I don't even know why you guys brought that piece of crap back either. You sure like talking a lot now don't you?"

"I-I see…" Tia rubbed the back of her neck. While the thought did cross her mind, she didn't think it was this severe. Likely because it was hardly ever talked about; the higher ups the Dealer really did some damage. And when she realized what Cana said, her face lit up a bright red hue. And upon being called out on her changes, as usual, Tia had to huff and sharply turn her head away in the most tsundere manner. "N-No! I was just explaining my thinking, that's all! I wasn't rambling because I intended to!"

"Okay Tia." Cana said with a sarcastic shrug.

"Fun fact." Ace chimed in, casually appearing out of nowhere much to the shock of Fairy Tail. "We may have discussed this already, but Joker is being watched by Daigo back at the base. Since it would be pretty bad for the main ringer of the whole Dealer incident to be wandering around here, we didn't bring him. Daigo is a very special case. He is the embodiment of Heartless' deck of cards. So he can be summoned anywhere at any time, however she can only summon one of him at a time. So if he's dismissed or defeated, he can appear anytime! Pretty handy, right?"

"NOBODY ASKED FOR THIS LESSON!" Cana shouted.

"W-What are you doing here?! Go back to your seat! The event is going to start soon!" Tia said while shoving Ace back to the stands to sit with the others.

Lucy watched the events unfolding with a sweat drop. There were still a number of issues that needed to be smoothed out, but that was for another time. For now, she was starting to pump herself up. "Don't worry guys; I'll be sure to win this event!"

"You got this, Lucy!" Natsu said with a wide grin. "Also, be sure to punch any White Eclipse members if you can."

"Why does everything devolve into violence with you…" Lucy said while placing her hand upon her forehead. Granted, the event today was likely to involve some sort of violence, so she had to prepare herself for an inevitable face off.

"Just remain calm." Mavis said with her usual inspiring smile. "And remember, Cynthia will be there to work with you today as well, if things work out that way."

"Mhm!" Cynthia nodded towards Lucy. "This'll be my first time actually competing in an event…but you can count on me!"

"I know." Lucy offered a smile to Cynthia. "Let's do our best out there!"

Jellal stood in the corner, disguised as Mystogan. He was going to be taking Gray's place in Fairy Tail A for the moment as he began his investigation. The threat of the Wizard Hunters looming around in Crocus was one he could not ignore. His Mystogan act was also getting better, noted by the subtle nod Laxus gave him. _"The Wizard Hunters are smart. For an operation in a large crowd, they'd likely use no more than two…perhaps even one person. For what purpose are they here, though…?"_

.

"So Sophie's really with Lady Emmeraude is she?" Yayuya said while staring up at the section where Emmeraude watched the Games. "I'm jealous! She gets a VIP seat!"

"Still…" Aira began. "To think that she was really Lady Emmeraude's daughter…I never would've expected that!"

"We should've turned her in earlier. I bet we would've gotten some mad cash…" Kanade mumbled. "Even so…they don't look anything alike, so that's why I wasn't expecting it. Maybe our little Sophie was adopted?"

"…." As usual, Sidney didn't say anything regarding the matter. He already knew there was something off about Sophie since he was unable to detect a soul coming from her presence. There was a theory in his mind; however he had no means of proving it. Not that it mattered since his focus right now went to the Games.

"We can discuss that later." Zalen interjected while adjusting his glasses. He then turned to the two competing for White Eclipse today: Luke and Micaiah. "Luke I understand…but Micaiah, are you sure you're feeling well enough to compete?"

"Yup!" Micaiah nodded. She was fresh off her bandages. "I want to do better than that day 1 performance! And all I really needed to do was absorb some light and let my wounds heal."

"What are you, a plant?" Waiston quirked a brow.

"Maybe." Micaiah joked. "But I'm ready to compete again!"

.

Once Chapati was all up to speed, he asked of those who were competing in today's event to step forward. In the arena there was: Lucy, Cynthia, Luke, Micaiah, Yukino, Jenny, Arana, and Nina. Luke was feeling a little uneasy with all these women surrounding him. Did his bad luck with woman strike in a public setting!? "Now then…today's event will be a repeat of one before! The Naval Battle! So I hope you all have your swimsuits ready!"

"This again…!?" Lucy gasped. She didn't have very fond memories of the first Naval Battle that occurred because of Minerva. Even though time passed, it wasn't something she enjoyed looking back on. Luckily for her she didn't have to worry about hiding the marks on her arm this time, for Spade and Diamond worked together to create a flexible diamond sleeve for Lucy to wear that wouldn't inhibit her arm movement. In fact, she was wearing it right now.

"This is COOL!" Jason grinned. "Another chance at seeing all these ladies in swimsuits? This is going to make for a great issue next week once the Games are over!" For Jason, this was simply a goldmine in terms of content. This report could not have been happier.

"Something about this rubs me the wrong way…" Roxanne grumbled.

From Emmeraude's VIP spot, Sophie leaned on the railing while watching everyone hastily get ready. For some it was pretty awkward, while others like Jenny just happened to have their swimsuits at the ready. "This event has been done before?" The young female asked the Queen.

"Indeed." Emmeraude nodded while sitting back. "When I was planning out how to do events…I realized that trying to come up with new ones is very difficult and that's effort I don't wish expending for 5 entire days. So for the first three days I decided to recycle some ideas from a previous Games a few years ago. A little familiarity never hurt."

"I see. It looks fun." Sophie said with a nod before turning her gaze to the arena. Her eyes fell on Lucy and she pointed. "But her…that's the dangerous one. I must deal with her…it is my mission…I have to save…"

"I know it is. I was the one who gave you that mission." Emmeraude said with a nod. She stood up, placing her hand on Sophie's head. "But please, don't make a scene. She may be dangerous, but right now, she simply wishes to enjoy the time with her guild. I wouldn't want to risk sending the public into a mass panic with the information we share. They deserve to enjoy the festivities as everyone else. But once this is over, you can resume your mission, Protos Heis."

"Okay…" Sophie gave an understanding nod. She was glad she held off on attacking now, because she reunited with Emmeraude.

Hisui was off the field for the time being until the fighting starting. From her seat, she watched Emmeraude dote over Sophie. The Jade Princess would never admit it out loud, but there was a surge of jealously welling up within her. Up until last night, Emmeraude's attention and affection had only been on her. But now that she found this Protos Heis she was looking for, was she to be cast aside? _"Maybe I'm overthinking things…"_ Hisui thought quietly to herself. But there was a strange feeling of unease within her. She felt as though things were going to get worse before they got better…

.

Once the ladies and Luke were ready, a large sphere of water appeared to envelop them and lifted above the arena. There was quite a lot of room and the objective was clear: be the last one swimming within the watery sphere. Chapati leaned into his mic, once again fuming at the sight of the ladies in their swimsuits. There were some complaints about Luke, since he was the one person who was ruining the dream of having an all-female brawl, "We're in for a show now folks! For those who are worried and unfamiliar with this event, the goal is to be the last one standing in the sphere of water! There is an infinite amount of oxygen within the water so there is no need to be concerned with drowning! Let the third day event BEGIN!"

With Chapati ringing the bell for the event to start, the first one to move was Jenny. She yearned for redemption after her embarrassing defeat to Mira the day before. "I won't be losing again!" With a surprising amount of speed for a woman just clad in a binki, she went for the easiest target: Luke. You wouldn't expect Luke to be such an easy target, but there was one fatal flaw with the otherwise powerful copycat: he couldn't swim very well. So when Jenny kicked at him, he went flying in the sphere of water.

"Gah…!" Luke grunted as he was thrown back. He had enough swimming ability to prevent being the first one out.

"YEAH! TAKE HIM OUT!" The men in the crowd shouted. There was now a vendetta against Luke for ruining their teams.

"Man…" Luke grunted while shaking his head.

"I don't see what the big deal is…" Micaiah said while casually swimming towards Luke. "But hey, keep your head in the game! I can't do this alone!" As the demoness spoke she swiped her hand forward, sending multiple beams of light towards the competition. These beams of light exploded when close, causing a lightshow within the sphere of water to blind everyone else. "We're in this together!"

"Whoa…!" Lucy crossed her arms, shutting her eyes as the brilliant flash of light nearly blinded her. The same could be said for just about everyone else that wasn't an Eclipse mage. It seemed their tactic involved pushing everyone off one way or another.

"Hey! Who turned up the sun!? I can barely see…!" Nina shouted while blindly swimming around.

"Heh…" Luke grinned at the advantage he and Micaiah had at the moment. With everyone blinded, this was the best chance to take them all down in one fell swoop! Luke cupped his hands to his sides, gathering White God Slaying within his palms. "White God's Holy Ray!" Luke thrusted his hands forward, unleashing countless rays of holy light upon the other females.

Jenny wasn't going to be such an easy opponent. As soon as the light blinded her, a heavenly shine wrapped around her body; another two piece covered her body this time, however googles were added to her eyes and covered them, rendering her unable to actually see anything. This was her Takeover: Battle Submarine! While it appeared as though she blinded herself, Jenny's goggles actually served as a sonar radar She could clearly make out the other contestants along with the incoming attack and used her new underwater mobility to swiftly evade anything that might harm her person.

Cynthia's eyes were closed, but her superb senses still worked acutely even underwater. With this she was able to swim her away out of a sticky mess, but she was also capable of providing Lucy instruction for dodging. "To your left!" She exclaimed to her older guild mate.

Lucy trusted Cynthia's instruction, swimming to the left to avoid the incoming rays. "Thanks…!"

As for Nina, Yukino, and Arana, they weren't so fortunate to avoid the rays and were struck, but it wasn't going to knock them out of the game so easily! After the initial Eclipse assault, the ladies opened their eyes and could see once again. Nina wore a smug grin on her face, presenting it to the Eclipse mages. "Heh. That was cute and it got me all riled up! Now it's time to mix things up a little!" Snap! Nina's fingers snapped together and her Random Select activated once again. Just what would she get this time!?

"I'm afraid I can't let that happen!" Arana acted fast, shooting a web from her palm to wrap around Nina's wrist. "Your unpredictability is a factor we cannot let roam free."

"H-Hey! Lemme go…!" Nina said while tugging her arm forward.

Yukino saw this chance to act and swam forward, aiming her leg for Nina's midsection! It was quite the powerful hit and it sent Nina tumbling backwards in the sphere of water. Yukino didn't want to make it seem like it was an intentional tag team, however Nina was one of the more threatening opponents due to her spontaneous magic. "I-I'm sorry…!" She had to apologize; otherwise it was going to weigh her conscious down for the rest of her life.

"Things are really picking up! No one has fallen out yet!" Chapati yelled.

"This is COOOOL!" Jason grinned.

"Fairy Tail and White Eclipse have the advantage of being able to work with a partner. This leaves everyone else to fend for their own safety. However, it appears that even with teamwork, this won't be an easy challenge for either guild." Siegrain remarked while leaning back in his seat. Oh, how he enjoyed these festivities.

"Now I just need for one of their tops to pop…" Daichi muttered. Waiston overheard this and merely grinned himself.

"Yeah, that would be quite the sight, huh? I like where your head's at…" The frozen dragon responded.

"Star Dress: Deneb!" Yukino exclaimed to the surprise of many. Lucy wasn't the only one capable of using her Spirits power! Yukino's two piece bikini shifted from white to black and lightning surged around her hands. The power of the black swan was hers to use, and she had her sights set on Nina. Pushing her hands forward, purple lightning shot forward to zap Nina!

Nina could clearly see that she was a target for many…but when Yukino aimed a lightning based attack at her, she merely smirked. "Heh…" Zap! The lightning struck Nina directly, giving Yukino the impression she scored another direct hit. But that confidence was quickly erased when the lightning suddenly dispersed, leaving everyone inside the orb of water shocked.

"W-What the…?" Yukino's jaw dropped as her lightning was render ineffective.

"We're in water…and the lightning didn't work…?" Cynthia questioned.

"See this gem on my ring?" Nina said while holding her hand out, showcasing her Ruby Gema. "Not only does it allow me to expand the use of my Random Select, but it grants me immunity to any and all lightning!"

"That's super convenient…" Luke grumbled.

"Thank the boss man for giving it to me." Nina grinned and snapped her fingers freely. The random factor everyone was dreading finally came into play as…Nina vanished!

"Huh!?" There was cause for alarm. Where did Nina go?!

"Right behind ya!" Nina grinned as she appeared right behind Arana, aiming a fierce kick at her back. The impact was almost enough to knock her out the Naval Battle completely, but she recovered just before being eliminated. Arana fired off another web to constrict Nina, but she vanished before they made contact.

"Teleportation?" Jenny could only guess since Nina was literally popping in and out of her radar. She could 'see' Nina appear behind her. The Empyrean aimed a swift kick at Jenny's back, but Jenny avoided the kick and returned fire with a kick of her own, only to miss as she teleported out of the way at the last second! "Tch…! Hold still!"

"Nina's got them wrapped around her finger now…" Hubert remarked while adjusting his glasses. "As long as she doesn't botch her momentum, she may as well have won already."

Nina continued teleporting around the Naval Battle much to everyone's chagrin. It was difficult to get a read on her location since she wasn't actually aiming for people, just messing with their heads. Things grew more complicated as the second of three magics Random Select allowed turned into Wind Magic! Nina appeared behind Arana, releasing a powerful burst of wind to her back. The explosive wind caused the web mage to fly forward!

"Gah!" Arana shouted. She was en route to be eliminated first, but she shot a web out to wrap around Luke's leg.

"Hey…!?" Luke growled as Arana's web attached to him. His first instinct was to tug at it, which was the saving grace Arana needed to stay in the game. Upon realizing this mistake, Luke used his Black God Slaying to slice the web before it could cause more harm. "This is getting really annoying…!"

"You said it…" Lucy nodded in agreement. Luckily she had her whip at her side and brandished the weapon, using it to attempt to wrap around Nina as she appeared behind Cynthia. "Cynthia!"

Cynthia's senses were sharp, so she detected Nina right as she appeared! Cynthia turned to avoid Nina's punch while simultaneously gathering sky dragon slaying around her palm. She acted with just enough time to strike Nina before she got away. "Wind Palm!" A powerful burst of her own wind exploded in front of Nina's face, blowing the Gema away. This also allowed Lucy's whip to firmly wrap around her waist. "Take her out, Lucy!"

With Nina secured tightly within her whip's grip, Lucy's body gave off a bright shine as her two piece turned into a cow patterned bikini. Star Dress Taurus was active and Lucy planned to use this sudden increase in strength to hurl Nina out of there! With a clockwise spin, the celestial blonde put all her might into tossing Nina away. "Haaaaaaa!"

"Whooooa…!" Nina was taken by surprise by the joint efforts of Cynthia and Lucy. Before she knew it, Lucy's strength sent Nina flying towards elimination! Nina had to act fast to preserve herself. Just before she flew out of the Naval Battle, she teleported once again; this didn't completely halt her momentum and she was aware of this. Because of this she had to pick someone to slam into and that person was Yukino. Nina reappeared before Yukino and slammed into her. The momentum carried the Tigress farther than she expected.

"Ahhh….!" Yukino cried out before being pushed out of the sphere of water. Her bad luck seemed to strike once again and she was unable to save herself and landed right on the ground, drenched and eliminated.

"And Yukino of Sabertooth is the first one eliminated!" Chapati shouted.

"…I'm sorry…" Yukino frowned, feeling like she disappointed Sabertooth with her last place.

"You did great Yukino!" Sting said in an effort to cheer her up.

"As well as one could in such conditions…" Dios remarked quietly.

"What a strange tactic…" Sophie muttered while watching the Naval Battle. Just by watching the people battle, she was learning new things already.

"Whew…" Nina exhaled softly. She saved her hide at the cost of Yukino, which was a pretty good trade as far as she was concerned.

"That's one down…" Jenny muttered. "Now for the rest of you to follow suit….starting with you!" Jenny started swimming forward, having her sights set on Cynthia. She was well aware of what the growing teenager was capable of under pressure and she didn't want to deal with that. Arms drew backwards and she unleashed a powerful spiral of water in her direction!

"Muh…!?" Cynthia blinked as she was the sudden target for Jenny's aggression. She didn't have much time to bolster up her defenses, but luckily Lucy had her back and wrapped her whip around Cynthia's waist to pull her out of harm's way. The twister of water ended up striking Arana instead, almost knocking her out of the battle. "T-Thanks Lucy…"

"No problem!" Lucy responded with a smile before turning her attention to those who remained. Arana was still reeling from being on the receiving end of Jenny's attack. Logically speaking, this meant she was the next person to go. Lucy swam forward, preparing to knock Arana down…until Nina came in, attempting to intercept!

"Hah!" Cynthia swam forward, covering Lucy by aiming a fiery kick at Nina's shoulder. Nina blocked, but Cynthia succeeded in holding her off. "Huh…so fire does work in here." Meaning she didn't even think to try it until she instinctively went to protect Lucy.

Arana shook her head; finally recovering from Jenny's hit. Just in time because she noticed Lucy coming in with a famed Lucy kick! Arana moved to swim out of the way, but Lucy managed to catch up to her and slammed her leg into Arana's chest. The impact was more than enough to push Arana out of the Naval Battle and onto the ground. "Oof…."

"And Arana is the next one to go!" Chapati yelled. "That leaves six competitors left! Jenny, Lucy, Cynthia, Nina, Luke, and Micaiah!"

"Just a few more left…" Lucy sighed. She then felt a disturbing presence above her and turned, brown eyes widening in surprise before narrowing.

Luke was above Lucy with a Black God's Bomb pointed at her from his open palm. "Not bad, Lucy. But this is where your time runs out." Luke unleashed the sphere towards Lucy, only for it to be intercepted midway through by Cynthia's roar. The funnel of flames collided with the bomb, resulting in a large explosion that filled the sphere of water with smoke. "Gah! Stupid kid…"

Jenny was unaffected by the smoke due to her sonar radar. She could see everyone perfectly…but while White Eclipse and Fairy Tail duked it out, she had her sights set on Nina. She wasn't going to let Nina use her element of surprise to score any higher than she needed to. The model swam forward with incredible speed, closing in on the unsuspecting Nina's location. A swift kick was set in Nina's direction, landing a direct hit! "You are excused!"

"Guh!" Nina grunted while flying out of control. With the smoke still lingering in the area, she couldn't exactly see where she was headed. She was going to use the wind magic at her disposal to propel herself forward, but she didn't expect Jenny's follow up: multiple torpedoes flew towards Nina! Where exactly did Jenny send them from? …Don't ask. It was part of her Takeover and that's all we need to know. As for Nina, she was in a bit of a sticky situation. The wind magic exploding from her palms wasn't enough to maneuver her out of the way of the malicious torpedoes. She was going to be pushed out at this rate! "…! Ah ha!" Nina spotted Cynthia's figure in the smoke. She needed a good roll of her Random Select now more than ever. "Hurry up…!" Ding! Lady Lucy was so in Nina's favor right now. Territory Magic! Without wasting a second Nina used this magic to switch places with Nina.

Cynthia blinked. She was so confused. One second she was near Lucy and the next…she was being bombarded by torpedoes!? Cynthia crossed her arms as a yelp of surprise escaped her. Unfortunately there wasn't too much she could do aside from being pushed out of the Naval Battle, landing her 6th place. "Oof…ouch…what happened!?" She groaned, frustrated at the turn of events.

"And Cynthia is now out!" Chapati yelled.

"You did great Cynthia!" Wendy and Carla cheered. It probably wouldn't help too much, but the support was always there.

"Heh…" Nina let out a sigh of relief. She had a number of close calls but Lady Luck didn't abandon her!

"Cynthia?!" Lucy turned only to see that Cynthia was indeed out…and Nina was the one near her. Forgetting Luke for a second, Lucy acted for revenge of her younger guild mate. Switching from a Taurus themed swimsuit to a Sagittarius themed suit, she now held a large bow within her hands. "Take this!" Lucy drew the bowstring back before unleashing multiple arrows composed of light towards Nina and the rest of the combatants.

"Whoa whoa! Chill!" Nina didn't even have any time to act. A few arrows exploded around her body, pushing her out of the Naval Battle before she could react. Nina landed on her back, comical swirls in her eyes as she felt a little dizzy from the impact. "…Guess my luck ran out…haha…"

Luke formed a Black God's Bubble to shield himself from the onslaught of arrows, Jenny nimbly swam her way out of harm's way, and Micaiah literally ate one of the arrows since she was able to consume her own affinity. "Mmm…those arrows tasted sweeter than I thought they would…" Micaiah shrugged.

"Nina is down!" Jason smiled. "Coool!"

"This is getting close…" Tia murmured. "Come on Lucy…"

"I'm rooting for the hottest one…" Shadowlore remarked.

"Which is…?" Spade asked, regrettably. But Shadowlore only responded with a cryptic smile.

"KICK HIS ASS LUCY!" Natsu shouted much louder than he needed to. But he really wanted Lucy to beat Luke as well; he knew how much their record bothered her.

That only left Luke, Lucy, Micaiah, and Jenny as the four remaining competitors. Micaiah swam next to Luke. "I think we can win this..!"

"Me too." Luke nodded in agreement. "You take Jenny. I'll take Lucy."

"Mhm!" Micaiah nodded and swam towards Jenny.

Meanwhile, Luke went to go deal with Lucy. Lucy was well aware of Luke's presence and faced him with a glare. Of course she'd have to deal with Luke now. Close friends, but also rivals. Their 0-4 matchup in Luke's favor constantly tore at her…she just needed to beat him one time to prove she could do it again! "Luke…you're going down this time!" Lucy pulled the bowstring back, unleashing another plethora of arrows in Luke's direction.

"We'll see about that!" Luke swiped his hand, creating a large mirror in front of him. This mirror bounced the arrows back, and not only that, but soon after the mirror shattered and the multiple glass shards flew in Lucy's direction.

"Tch…!" Lucy had to change once again; Stardress: Aquarius! A barrier of water formed around her body, shielding her from Luke's reflection of her attacks. It was a bit of a struggle but she managed to hold on. The shield dispersed shortly after and she spread her arms apart before twisting her body. "Aqua Metria!" With a sharp turn, a twister of water surged and swelled before expanding rapidly, rushing towards the copycat's location.

"I hate not being able to swim well…" It was a miracle Luke made it this far anyway. Arms crossed, he had to metaphorically hold his ground to prevent being consumed by the powerful flow of water. It did succeed in pushing him back a great deal, but it just wasn't enough power to push him out. As soon as he was freed his fingers snapped and a yellow magic seal appeared above her.

"Not this again…" Lucy knew this trick. Anyone who knew Luke knew this trick and the only option was to avoid it. Lucy kicked off, swimming forward to strike Luke. She knew he couldn't swim well and planned to use this to her advantage to take him out. However…Luke pushed himself forward with a small black explosion, meeting Lucy sooner than expected. His palm met with her stomach and her eyes widened.

"Boom." A decent sized black explosion occurred from Luke's palm. Nothing strong enough to cause major damage, but enough to send Lucy at an awkward angle. The explosive force was more than enough to push Lucy out of the sphere, where she landed on her side with a groan.

"And Lucy goes down at fourth!" Chapati exclaimed.

 _"_ _Again…."_ Lucy thought to herself. She lost to Luke again. This frustrating thought made that red aura briefly appear around her. Sophie was about to lunge but Emmeraude held her back.

"It's fine…" Emmeraude reassured Sophie.

"That was close…" Luke admitted. Any slower and Lucy no doubt would've taken him out first.

"LUKE LOOK OUT!" Micaiah screamed from behind him.

"Huh!?" Luke turned and…was met with Jenny's ass. Jenny pushed herself away from Micaiah and propelled herself backwards. With the momentum at her disposal, she slammed her ass into Luke's face and practically carried him out of the Naval Battle with ease.

"AND JENNY STRIKES BACK, KNOCKING LUKE OUT!" That was definitely a surprise for Chapati.

"…There are worse ways to go…" Luke admitted while sitting cross legged on the ground.

Now it was just Jenny and Micaiah in the Naval Battle. Micaiah narrowed her eyes at Jenny. "I don't appreciate you taking out my mentor like that…"

"Don't worry about it. You'll be next to follow." Jenny said confidently.

"Winning the event won't make you not have to pose naked…you know that, right?" Micaiah questioned.

"Ooooh! That's enough out of you!" Jenny grew annoyed and began to spin around. Her rotation began to create a whirlpool in the water that was starting to become a little too strong for Micaiah to handle.

"G-Gah…! Hold on…!" Micaiah pleaded while trying to swim desperately out of the strong current. But alas she couldn't fight against it and was slowly being pulled in. Jenny then stopped the spinning, leaving Micaiah to her own momentum. There was naught the light priestess could do but fly out of the Naval Battle, landing on the ground at second place.

"AND THERE IT IS! MICAIAH HAS BEEN KNOCKED OUT AT SECOND, MEANING THE WINNER OF THE DAY 3 EVENT IS BLUE PEGASUS' JENNY REALIGHT!" Chapati shouted loud. The Blue Pegasus and Jenny fans were ecstatic about this outcome! The audience cheered her name while there were some bitter feelings coming from others.

"Cool cool cool cool COOOL! The model takes first place against all odds! Coming on top of both Fairy Tail and White Eclipse! This will make for a great article!" Jason said while jotting some notes down.

Jenny presented her best smile to the crowd, waving to everyone while basking in the glow of victory. She may have lost the previous day, but this was a total victory in her name. "I'll be taking autographs when this day is over! Please don't be afraid to say hello!"

Results after the Day 3 Event:

1st: Fairy Tail A: 39

2nd: Sabertooth: 37

3rd: White Eclipse B: 35

4th: Fairy Tail B: 33

5th: White Eclipse A: 29

6th: Empyrean Dawn: 27

7th: Blue Pegasus: 21

8th: Mermaid Heel: 18

.

.

Next Time: The Walking Sin

Writer's Note: Hi hello I am SO sorry for the lack of updates. My internet was out for two weeks after the last chapter, and things were pretty sticky until recently. But I'm happy to say updates will resume regularly! I've felt bad being unable to update and I've missed writing, so I'm glad to be back!


	116. Chapter 116: The Walking Sin

Results after the Day 3 Event:

1st: Fairy Tail A: 39

2nd: Sabertooth: 37

3rd: White Eclipse B: 35

4th: Fairy Tail B: 33

5th: White Eclipse A: 29

6th: Empyrean Dawn: 27

7th: Blue Pegasus: 21

8th: Mermaid Heel: 18

"Mwah! Mwah!" During the intermission of the event and the fights, Jenny was engrossed in her fans after being the star of the Day 3 event. "I love each and every one of you! Thank you for your constant support!" Jenny was feeling so good it was almost as though she forgot she had to pose naked in the magazine AGAIN. Or perhaps she embraced it and used that second loss against Mira as fuel to further her performance. "Everything I do from the Games is for you all!"

"Jenny is truly the beauty of Blue Pegasus!" Eve excitedly exclaimed. Even though Blue Pegasus wasn't doing so well in the standings at the moment it was extremely clear that no guild could be counted out.

"It was only expected as the most beautiful one here." Hibiki said while draping his arm around Jenny. Jenny eased into his arm immediately and comical hearts began to flow from the two.

"Truly a handsome and beautiful sight. Men." Ichiya said with a firm nod.

 _"_ _Keh…what a bunch of odd individuals…"_ Darren thought. But aloud he said: "Truly handsome. I had the upmost faith that she would prevail."

"Your support for her was outstanding, Darren-san." Eve said with a slight nod and smile. "I could hear you cheering so loudly for Jenny-san and the rest of us during the events. You've fit into Blue Pegasus so well!"

"Heh…" Darren bashfully rubbed the back of his neck. "It's nothing…"

"Wow…" Gaia said, looking on at the crowd of Jenny enthusiast. "She really bounced back from yesterday and looked good doing it. Perhaps I should ask for some pointers on how she does it."

"Please cease." Alex said with a groan. "I had to see you in a swimsuit yesterday. Don't make me relive that experience."

"I may be old, but I still got it~" Gaia said with a wink. That and the tone used just made Alex shiver and groan.

"Mom please…" Alex let that one slip. She actually hadn't called Gaia mom up until then, so image the sparkle in the dragon's eyes.

"Y-You called me Mom!? Have you felt this way all this time?! Oh…!" Gaia grabbed Alex and began to squeeze the life out of her unintentionally. The earth dragon was just filled with joy and couldn't control her strength.

"A-Ack…help…" Alex gasped for air desperately.

Meanwhile, Yumia and Yukia watched the Jenny fandom swarm with excitement from afar while sipping on soda. And in case you were wondering, it was totally stolen without anyone noticing. They were ace hunters after all. "Yup…" Yukia said while looking Jenny over. "That's pretty much everything Lady Nercon loves to see in a woman and more. If we can get to her, we'll get paid so much!"

"We'll swim in cash! The others will be jealous." Yumia nodded in agreement with her twin. There was a sinister sparkle in their eyes as they eyed Jenny. Oh, they had plans….

.

Lucy and Cynthia returned to their comrades after drying off. Both of them seemed rather upset at the turn of events in the event. Wendy hurried over to Cynthia to give her a hug to cheer her up. "You did great out there! You helped Lucy last long!"

"…Mmm…I guess…" Cynthia sighed. She wanted to be upset at her poor placement; however it was difficult to remain anything but happy when Wendy hugged her like that. "I just wish I knew what happened back there! That Nina chick totally should've gotten out…" She could still be bitter, that was for certain.

"I'm sorry." Lucy sighed.

"What are you sorry for? You got fourth, and we're still in the lead!" Romeo said with a smile. He looked at the others and a few of them nodded in agreement, however for Natsu and Erza it was easy for them to see what was bothering her.

"I lost to Luke again." The blonde clenched her hand into a fist. "I thought I could take him out this time, but…"

"Don't worry about it, Lucy." Mavis said with a reassuring smile. "He may serve as a wall to you…but I have no doubt that you will be able to overcome him sooner or later. You're one of the most determined mages I know, so you will defeat him eventually and we will win. That much I promise you."

"Yeah." Natsu grinned. "First is right. You'll kick his ass and I'll be there to watch."

"…Thanks guys…" This encouragement was enough to make Lucy smile.

"Huh…?" Zelos blinked a few times. Once again he found himself in a situation where he could tell that somebody was talking, but was unable to discern who. His lack of being able to see Mavis really made things confusing for him. "Someone wanna tell little ol me what's going on here? I'm pretty lost."

"Beats me." Mii shrugged.

"That's a lie and you know it, Mii-chan." Zelos remarked with a smirk, and Mii responded with a coy smile.

.

The next fight had already begun. It was White Eclipse vs. Sabertooth, and while Takeru would've loved to watch his guild mate fight, there was a more pressing concern on his mind right now. He picked up the faint scent of someone too familiar in the crowd. Pushing through the people with haste, he finally spotted the person he was looking for! Despite the fact they were wearing a hood he could make out who was wearing it. Once he was close he yanked the hood off Selene's head. "There you are, Serena!"

"Ack…Tak…!?" Selene's eyes were wide and she looked around to see if people were looking. "What are you doing…? I can't…"

"I've been looking all over for you since Tartarus. I knew you'd be here." Takeru spoke firmly. "Come on…I'll take you back to the others."

Selene pulled her self away instinctively. A frown was on her lips and she shook her head slowly. "…I attacked them…no doubt they're all mad at me. I can't go back…"

"Nonsense." Takeru shook his head. "It's been a solid few months since that Tartarus incident. They may not have forgotten, but there's no way they'll shun you if you come back. Remember who we're dealing with."

"…" Selene still shook her head. The idea of going back to White Eclipse after bringing harm to everyone made her extremely apprehensive. "I don't know…I'll have to think about it…" Without thinking she wrapped her arms around Takeru for a tight embrace. There weren't any words she could use to describe how much she missed him…but right now they had to be apart for a little while longer while she figured things out. As soon as the hug was over, Selene vanished into the shadows.

Takeru was left alone after that. His lips curved into a frown. There were a mix of emotions going through the Shadow Dragon's mind. He was happy to finally see Selene again, but the thought of her not returning to White Eclipse did bother him. With a heavy sigh, Takeru did the only thing he could and returned to the stadium. "At least she's safe…"

.

.

Currently, the battle between Luke and Rufus was halfway over in terms of time limit. Even after coming from the event Luke was still pretty fresh and was able to battle Rufus with only some difficultly. "You're quite the evasive opponent." Rufus said with a smile. "I've secretly been looking forward to this matchup for quite some time, Luke Cloud. Our time is halfway up…and you have yet to turn this into a memorable battle. Memory Make: Blazing Hurricane." Rufus placed his fingers on his temples as a red magic seal formed behind him. This seal unleashed countless blazing twisters imbued with several types of wind and fire magic, all of them rushing towards Luke.

Rufus' words had no effect on Luke. The copycat merely smirked in response. "I'm just getting warmed up! I'm confident I can finish this in a few minutes." Luke skidded to a halt and began to inhale. When his lips parted, a cold blizzard barreled from his mouth. The Frozen Dragon's Roar covered an extremely wide radius, slowing down the twisters until they were frozen over.

"What..?" Clearly, Rufus was surprised to see this.

"Try this!" Luke darted forward while opening his palm, a pitch black sphere forming within his hand. "Black God's Bomb!" The copycat then hurled this explosive sphere towards Rufus.

"Memory Make: Giant's Shield!" Rufus extended his hand forward, using his Memory Make to craft a shield that was similar to Erza's Admantine Shield. The bomb exploded against the shield, blowing it to pieces while throwing Rufus back. He wasn't horribly injured, but he was forced to deal with the brunt of the explosion while sliding backwards.

"A heavy hit from Luke sends Rufus back!" Chapati shouted.

"Oh good, I didn't miss it…!" Micaiah scurried over to the White Eclipse section, now having fully dried off and changed thanks to Vanya's assistance. "I was worried that he'd be tired after going through the event first…"

"Luke's tough." Roxanne stated firmly. "He's got plenty of tricks up his sleeve too."

"He has been working hard." Aira added.

"Memory Make: Icicle Crash!" Rufus went on the offensive once again. From above, large spears of icicles crashed down. Luke was forced to evade, but several icicles slammed into his being and forced him backwards. This was an opening needed and the Memory Make mage grinned at this and pointed his hand forward, going for the coup de grace before Luke could regain his footing. "Memory Make: Black Lightning Cannon." From his palm, a massive tri beam of blue, black, and yellow colored lightning shot forth. Clearly with all the lightning magic he'd seen used, he was bringing it all together for one shocking impact. The three beams merged together and barreled towards Luke.

"Aw crap…" Luke realized the severity of this attack and crossed his arms. That was all he could really do since he was unable to dodge and upon impact, a large pillar of lightning rose from Luke's location. The resounding shock was so strong the Domus Flau was shaking.

"Whoa…!" Jason had trouble holding onto his seat. "That was strong! I expected nothing less from Rufus of Sabertooth, but he's really improved!"

"Indeed…" Siegrain concurred. "I wonder if the mage of White Eclipse will be able to handle such a shocking development…"

"…" Lucy remained silently, keeping her eyes on the cloud of smoke that surrounded Luke. There was a part of her that didn't want to see him go down, if only because she wanted to be the one who took him down.

"That looked like it hurt…" Mii spoke absentmindedly.

"Sorry Luke-san…" Sting was speaking with a proud grin. "But Rufus' memory can be far more impressive than your copy ability!"

"Getting a little presumptuous, are we?" Reve spoke with a scoff.

As the smoke around Luke cleared, he was shown to still be standing. Lightning danced around his body as the residue from such a strong attack. But a white aura flared around his body: his White God's Shield successfully reduced the amount of damage dealt to his person. It would've been a nasty hit otherwise. "Whew…"

"Impossible…" Rufus spoke with widened eyes. "That was the magic of Orga, Laxus, and other lightning mages combined!"

"Pretty nifty trick…" Luke admitted while rotating his shoulder. "How about I show you one of mine now?"

Rufus regained his composure. From Sting's words, he knew about Luke's tricks. "Will it be your dual-mode? I've more than enough spells in my arsenal to defend against that. You'd fall in a matter of no time."

That response made Luke chuckle quietly. "Oh? Everyone knows about that at this point…but what kind of fool do you take me for? You think someone like me wouldn't come up with new tricks?" As Luke spoke a black aura mixed in with his white one…but there was something different about it. The magical pressure Luke was giving off caused the entire stadium to rumble.

"W-What's going on…!? Is that Luke?!" Chapati questioned while trying to hold onto his toupee.

"I can feel that from all the way over here…!" Happy said while clinging onto Natsu.

Luke's hair and eyes turned green, and bright blue scales formed along the right side of his body. Instead of going with his dual mode, he opted to use his Chaos Unison form; the same form that gave him slight leeway against Marde Geer back during the Tartarus Rebirth incident. This was the first time he was unveiling this form in front of a massive audience, so the looks of surprise were amusing to him. "Heh…what's wrong? Cat got your tongue…?"

"Oh my…" Emmeraude lifted a curious brow. "Now that's some power…"

"I didn't know he could do that…" Rogue spoke with widened eyes.

"Wh-What is that…?" Lucy asked. Not that anybody had an answer…but she held onto the railing and she started to tremble. "He was hiding that this whole time…? And he was holding back on me…?" Just that thought was enough for Lucy's sour thoughts to rise. She started to squeeze the railing and the faint aura began to appear around her once again. Brown eyes flashed red and anger started to take over. Was Luke always going to be ahead of her by miles!? Would she never really be able to beat him if he had power like this?!

"Why so quiet!" Mii wrapped her arm around Lucy's shoulder, snapping her out of her shocked trance. "You know, you look much better with a smile, you know? It's not like you to be super tense. It actually freaks me out."

"Indeed…" Zelos added. "There's nothing quite as daunting as a woman's silence."

"It's nothing…" Lucy replied while turning back to the fight."

Mavis turned her eyes to Lucy. Mavis was aware of Lucy's condition the entire time. While she couldn't pinpoint the exact cause of Lucy's sudden shift in behavior…she knew something was very wrong. That much was made clear when she glanced at the railing Lucy was squeezing in her anger and how she practically twisted it off. Right now, things were all right thanks to Mii and Zelos, but how long would that last? "…."

"Now then…we don't have a lot of time left…" Luke pointed to Rufus. "So…I'll make this quick and fair. You hit me as hard as you can, and I'll return the favor. Sounds good, yeah?" That air of confidence almost came off as complete arrogance. It wasn't often Luke spoke this way…but with this boost in power, he had complete faith in his abilities.

"Tch…" Rufus placed his fingers to his temple. "Such a tone does not suit my memories of you. But you will regret taking me lightly for even a second. I will ensure that you do not forget this painful moment that I will forever inscribe into your memory! Memory Make: Luminous Saber!" Rufus was pulling out the exact same move that won him first place by a landslide in the first day event. Lifting his hand up, the large rainbow blade extended from his arm and reached into the heavens. With a battle cry, Rufus swung his arm down, sending the blade directly towards Luke to tear the copycat's pride asunder with this one strike! Upon impact, a large dome of rainbow light expanded, blinding almost everyone who set eyes upon it.

"Rufus pulled out the big guns! But I can barely see!" Chapati reported while using his arm to shield his eyes from the bright light. "Was it effective on Luke's new power boost!?"

Slowly the smoke settled and Luke was seen with his arms extended. His Black God's Bubble was ungraded in this state; a gray sphere surrounded Luke and it soon shattered after the force of Rufus' attack. It was hard to tell if Luke himself was damaged or not, but considering the fact he was still standing, completely unbothered by it, was enough to shake Rufus' confidence to the core. "Not bad…" Luke admitted while rotating his neck. "But now it's my turn…" Snapping his fingers, multiple mirrors began to appear around Rufus, having him surrounded on all angles. "Eclipse Mirrors!" A beam of Eclipse Magic shot out from one mirror. Rufus dodged this beam, but it bounced off another mirror and struck Rufus attack! This was a problem as the beam continued to ricochet off all the mirrors, growing faster and stronger with each passing second.

"What is this spell?!" Makarov questioned. This exceeded anything he'd seen with Mirror Magic.

"Yo…this is kinda raw…" Jack said with widened eyes.

"I've never seen a spell like this before…" Gaia admitted. She often kept making fun of herself for being an old rock…but she'd lived for 400+ years and this spell was still something new to her.

"Allow me to clarify…" Calium spoke to the clearly distraught crowd and Makarov. "Certain mages in White Eclipse, upon being promoted to S class, are allowed to learn of the many spells in the Book of Calium: a record of all the spells that I know. You saw this yesterday when Cygnus unleashed the Eclipse Hammer upon Erza. Sidney, Mary, and myself are privy to the knowledge of this book and they know one other spell. Jack Royal also has a rather…special spell from the book as well. Reve, Jaxon, Aira, Cygnus…and Luke are all S-classes of White Eclipse. So it's only natural that they know spells from my book. There's been a lot of training the past few months for these Games."

"…." Lucy stared at Luke. There was just no way someone could be that strong! Lucy recalled Erza's battle against Cygnus yesterday. Even though she did manage to take the Eclipse Hammer…it would've been a lie if she said she didn't see Erza sweating because of it.

The other guilds were starting to feel the same way. Every time it seemed like they were starting to catch up, something from Fairy Tail or White Eclipse just blew them out of the water. Kagura narrowed her eyes and merely scoffed. "…"

At this point, the beams multiple and it was impossible for Rufus to evade despite his efforts. There wasn't enough time for him to conjure up a Memory Make spell. "Time to finish this!" Luke clenched his hand into a fist and every single mirror presented exploded. A dome of Eclipse magic spread out with Rufus right in the middle of it all. The smoke cleared quickly and when it was gone, Rufus was lying on the ground in defeat. Who would be able to withstand such a powerful attack?

Hisui was in awe at what she just witnessed. Eventually she had to snap herself out of it to call the match. "Rufus is no longer able to continue! That means the winner is Luke Cloud of White Eclipse A, granting them 10 points!" The White Eclipse fans in the audience went into an uproar.

"Man…" Reiss rubbed the back of his neck. The rookies and the kids were in shock and awe. "They really don't play around…"

"Intriguing…" Hubert adjusted his glasses. "Kaiho…"

"Yes, I know." Kaiho responded with a curt nod. "Something worth looking into."

"Incredible!" Chapati yelled. "White Eclipse continues to raise the stakes! With strength like that at their disposal, are they set to win the Grand Magic Games a second time!?"

"Who knows?" Siegrain spoke with a grin. "Their show of strength has only made things far more interesting…"

"I agree! This was COOL!" Jason said while pumping his fists.

.

.

The exciting fights weren't over yet! It was now time for the second battle of the Day 3 fights. Chapati cleared his throat as he announced those who were already in the arena. "Next up we have: Mermaid Heel's Milliana vs. Empyrean Dawn's Marshall Izumu!"

"WOO!" Shadowlore cheered. "That's my kitten! Kick his ass!" His obnoxious cheering made Milliana shudder…but that was only to hide the slight anxiety he was feeling when he laid eyes upon Marshall. There was something off about that man and his animal instincts were screaming to him about it.

"Another Empyrean Dawn mage…" Kagura had her worries, but she was certain Milliana could hold her own.

"…Milliana may be in danger." Jellal told Erza and the others.

"What do you mean…?" Erza asked.

"I battled that man on the Isle…he was extremely dangerous. I was lucky that he stopped." Jellal explained. "I don't understand his magic…but this matchup is far from favorable. Milliana should concede if things get too much for her."

"That's up to her…" Erza turned to look at Milliana. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach about this fight when Jellal mentioned it. After what happened with Minerva yesterday, there was no way she could trust Empyrean Dawn to not pull something.

"Are you both ready-kabo?" Hisui asked while looking back between Marshall and Milliana. Luckily that pumpkin mask prevented Marshall from seeing Hisui's stare. She felt like she'd seen him once before, but it was very difficult to remember. Her time on the Isle was mostly hazy excluding the beginning and end. "15 minutes starts now! Begin!"

"Kick his ass Milliana!" Melody and Risley shouted.

"I got this…!" Milliana glared towards Marshall, who simply gave an empty smile. The aura radiating from him was extremely intimidating…but Milliana shrugged that off and began sprinting forward. A pink magic seal formed in front of her and she released numerous tubes in Marshall's direction in attempt to constrict his magic. "Kitten Blast!"

"….." Marshall remained completely silent. The Empyrean merely grabbed the hilt of his blade and brandished the sword quickly. The slash itself hit nothing but was the catalyst for a massive shockwave that easily sliced through the incoming tubes while tearing the ground asunder. Milliana recognized this threat and leapt to the side. The slash struck the magical barrier protecting the audience and its impact left it sparking slightly.

"This battle will be easy for him…" Zinnia hummed.

"Whoa…!" Milliana panted after narrowly dodging that. "H-Hey…! That could've killed me and hurt some people!"

Marshall didn't care. His Wrath was increasing with each passing second, making him grow stronger and stronger. The Gema on his finger shone a bright red color, increasing his physical prowess tenfold! With his sword in hand, the Empyrean began to rush Milliana down! His speed was impressive and he began to slash at Milliana! Luckily for the female she was nimble enough to evade his slashes. Milliana took a chance and swung her leg at his temple, and to her surprise it was a direct hit! He didn't make any effort to block it at all; instead he just retaliated with pure offense and smashed his fist into Milliana's chest with such force the feline was sent tumbling along the ground. "Do cats have nine lives…?" He questioned.

"Ngh…" Milliana was reeling from that impact. When she looked up, Marshall was really giving her no time to breathe and aimed to swing his blade down on her! Milliana only managed to back away to avoid being cut, but the ensuing explosive shockwave sent her tumbling again. She was getting closer to the edge of the arena at this rate. "Ouch…" But she wasn't going to stay down! Milliana quickly fired off a Nekosoku Tube that wrapped around Marshalls wrist to seal his magic.

This actually got a rise out of Marshall. His eyes widened for a split second as his magic was completely sealed. "W-What…!?"

"HYAH!" Milliana used this pause to her advantage. She pulled herself and Marshall forward, using her lunging momentum to her advantage to swing her leg across Marshall's face for a direct hit. The tube was released, but before Marshall could react, Milliana used her nimbleness to wrap her legs around Marshall's head and slam him to the ground! With a flip, Milliana stuck the landing and panted softly.

"Oooh, that was nice!" Alex cheered.

Marshall wasn't down for very long. He stood back up, but the aura of Wrath surrounding him was gone. It was something of Lust…an insatiable Bloodlust that couldn't be contained. Marshall grinned towards Milliana as his desire to fight rose. "Hehehe…come on…give me more…!"

"This guy's a freak…" Milliana mumbled before sprinting forward once again. She fired off several tubes in attempt to distract or wrap around him. To her surprise, Marshall's speed exceeded a few moments ago and he was closer than she was expecting! Despite this the cat swung her claws at him for a vicious strike…but he dodged it! "How…!?" Marshall's retaliation came in the form of a brutal knee to her stomach, which was followed by a roundhouse kick to her temple. Milliana let out a cry of pain as she flopped onto the ground. As she struggled to get up, Marshall stood there and let it happen. Already he was acting different than a few moments ago.

"Come on, get up." Marshall spat. "Give me more."

"Incredible! Marshall just got even stronger!" Chapati reported. "This doesn't look good for Milliana. Will she be able to turn this around!?"

"This isn't good…" Jellal muttered.

"I have faith in her…" Erza stated.

Milliana stood up, gritting her teeth as Marshall waited for her. If he wanted more she could deliver. Several magic pink magic seals appeared in front of her, all of them unleashing tubes to hound Marshall. The Empyrean grinned and sprinted forward. The increased boost from Lust allowed him to maneuver around the tube with ease! Marshall then took to the air and Milliana followed suit. The Mermaid flipped past an incoming punch from Marshall and wrapped her tubes around his wrists while using her momentum to hurl him into the ground! "…!" Problem was, he was much heavier than she anticipated. The toss was successful, but Milliana had to exert even more strength to even do some damage! Upon landing, she panted softly and turned to Marshall to see how well it worked.

Marshall was on the ground, yawning and stretching. It was similar to how he acted after his run in the MPF. "Man…"

"Huh…? He's stopped attacking…?" Yukino couldn't wrap her head around this.

"Hey, he's totally open! What a sloth! How dare he relax?!" Melody exclaimed. "Throw him into the wall!"

"Right…!" Milliana could wrap this match up in an instant now. Multiple tubes were unleashed to wrap around Marshall and the most unbelievable thing happened: he evaded with no effort. To be more precise, the raven haired male rolled around in an effort to get comfortable to no avail. It was as though he paid no attention to Milliana's attempts to attack! "Huh!?"

"That had to be a fluke…" Kagura grumbled.

Milliana tried again and again. Tube after tube, they all failed to come even close to wrapping around Marshall. Milliana's confusion and frustration only grew with each second of failure. Hubert shook his head at such antics. "Such conventional methods will not work against him…"

"Indeed…" Kaiho nodded. "Marshall is a unique case in both his magic and Gema. He is the embodiment of the seven deadly sins…and his Gema's abilities differ depending on the sin he uses. He is the walking sin…but it difficult for his opponents to determine which."

"Although…he could've won this by now." Cecelia remarked. "But it seems Pride will forever be his main Sin."

"Strange…since I told his Lust side that he could fold my laundry for me if he won…" Zinnia shrugged. Lust had very many implications after all…

"Enough of this…!" Growing impatient, Milliana decided to do things the only fashion way and throw him out herself. But the moment she got close…Marshall's hand grasped onto her wrists tightly.

"Your magic is something else…I want it." Marshall said with a tone oozing of envy and jealously.

"Oh no…" Jellal recognized that look.

"Get off me you creep!" Milliana swung her leg at Marshall in attempt to get him to release her. It worked and Marshall staggered backwards. She didn't have time to relax as Marshall pointed his hands forward, pink magic seals forming as he unleashed the very same magic sealing tubes Milliana could! "Huh…!?"

"Now he's using Milliana's magic?!" Jason was very intrigued by this. It was…for lack of a better word, cool.

"This man…" Mavis began. "There is something frighteningly abnormal about him…"

Milliana didn't expect to be dealing with her own magic today! Her evasive movements were filled with panic, and everything went downhill as a tube wrapped around her leg. "Ah…!" She was going to use her claws to slice it, but Marshall then began spinning around, preparing for a mighty toss.

"Is he going to toss her out!?" Chapati asked.

That question was quickly answered as Marshall slammed Milliana onto the ground with what could be considered murderous intent. Millana let out a choked cry and suddenly people were realizing how bad this was. "…And I thought I was the worst one…" Minerva remarked with a hint of a scowl.

"Oh…" Emmeraude shifted in her seat a bit.

"Isn't this…bad…?" Sophie turned to ask Emmeraude. "She doesn't seem strong enough to combat against him…it's…unfair."

"When making these matches, I simply tried my best to make them as entertaining as possible." Emmeraude explained. "However…I didn't expect to witness a one sided slaughter. It's a shame, but these things happen."

"…" Shadowlore snarled. He could tell Marshall was playing with his food at this point. It was really one of the rare times anyone heard such a serious noise come from him.

"He…" Kagura unconsciously placed her hand on the hilt of Archenemy. Hubert noticed this from afar.

"I wouldn't, if I were you." Hubert remarked. "It seems your red headed friend has caught the gist, too." Erza also wanted to lunge into action, but she couldn't. This was Milliana's fight….

Marshall continued to slam Milliana on the ground until she was eventually let go. Each impact left a bigger bruise on her body than the last. The feline was on her stomach, panting heavily. "I won't…give in…" There was determination even in a fight such as this. She fired off another tube to wrap around Marshall's ankle, and with a little force, swept him off his feet! The fact he was more weight than she could carry was the biggest problem.

Marshall sat up and scratched his head. He then grabbed the tube that previously ensnared his ankle and…took a bite out of it! The insanity of his actions only grew! "Mmmph…"

"He's…eating…" Milliana couldn't believe what she was seeing! Just what kind of hellish monster was she put up against! And to make matters worse, she could see the few injuries on his person fading away the more he ate, and at this point he resorted to eating dirt. "He's open…" Milliana fired off another tube to wrap around him, but in that instant the Gema on his finger turned orange and his arms were coated in orange armor. The tube wrapped around him, but it failed to seal his magic this time. "Huh?!" Marshall then reached out for the tube and pulled it forward, chomping it down it to bring Milliana closer. By the time Milliana tried to escape…Marshall grabbed hold of her tail and opened his mouth wide.

"He's gonna bite her tail!" Chelia panicked.

"N-NO!" Milliana had to act quickly. Her heel rose to boot Marshall in the face, forcing him to release her. She scurried away, panting hard to catch her breath. "I have to end this quickly…" Otherwise she'd pass out. She could feel her consciousness slipping away already from the beating she took. A large pink magic seal formed in front of her, unleashing perhaps the biggest tube thus far to wrap around Marshall, who was still in his glutinous state.

"Of course…! A bigger tube will carry more weight! She should have this in the bag!" Melody said with hope.

"Haaaaaaaah!" The tube wrapped around the unsuspecting Marshall, who realized the severity of the situation at that moment his magic was sealed. "I won't lose…! Mermaid Heel is counting on me!" Exclaimed with pride, Milliana turned on her heel and used every bit of physical strength she could muster to send Marshall hurling towards the wall. Unfortunately for her, in that same moment…her consciousness slipped away from her. Just after she hurled Marshall at the wall, she tipped over and fell unconscious. As for Marshall, he hit the wall only a second later and the tubes faded. It was difficult to discern what happened since it all occurred so quickly!

"W-What happened!?" Kagura questioned. Milliana was down…and Marshall was still standing with a noticeable imprint on the wall behind him.

"Milliana!" Erza leaned over the railing in worry.

"Uh…" Hisui looked between Milliana and Marshall. She barely saw what happened so this was going to be a tough call for her. After taking a moment, she came to a decision. "…Marshall did suffer a Ring Out…however…Milliana fell unconscious before he did. Therefore…it appears as though the winner of this fight is Marshall Izumu from Empyrean Dawn…kabo. They get 10 points…!"

"Such a good call." Emmeraude added, causing everyone to look at her. "Such good judgement. Honestly, I wouldn't have put blame to my dear referee had they mixed up the call. Everything did happen fast. I just barely noticed it myself."

"She put up a good fight, but in the end, could not win. A shame…" Siegrain folded his arms and leaned back in his seat.

"Hmph…" Marshall's Pride persona came into effect. At the end of the battle he was essentially unscathed and returned to his seat. "…I've never felt more unsatisfied." He made those words loud and clear. However his attitude only sparked anger in Kagura and Erza.

"Sigh…" Hubert exhaled softly. "If he was so intent on not playing with his food, he would've saved everyone a few minutes. How annoying."

.

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Next Time: Shade Imperial.


	117. Chapter 117: Shade Imperial

Kagura sat by Milliana in the infirmary. Milliana was still unconscious after her battle with Marshall. Erza soon entered, letting out a heavy sigh. Sure she was missing the next fight, which was White Eclipse B vs. Fairy Tail B, but she was confident that Laxus would be able to handle things. "…She did as well as she could with such odds stacked against her, don't you agree?"

"Yeah…" Kagura nodded slowly. "But those people from Empyrean Dawn anger me…" She admitted. Subconsciously her hand went to her scar once again. She had been thinking about it ever since the slight encounter with Hubert in day one. The warrior side of her yearned for a rematch, for she wasn't satisfied with her performance during their bout. At the same time, there was another part of her that knew to stay away. It was a conflicting feeling she was unsure how to deal with. "I wish I was the one fighting instead of Milliana."

"I know the feeling…" Erza admitted.

Shadowlore curiously poked his head around the corner. He was concerned about Milliana, however he knew Erza and Kagura weren't going to let him anywhere near her. So this spying was the best he could do. "..."

"But I was told she would be fine." Standing up, the ace mermaid dusted off her legs. "Her injuries weren't as bad as they looked…she only really passed out because of that, and severe exhaustion."

"That's good at least." Erza let out a sigh of relieve at the good news. "Don't worry, Kagura. Fairy Tail has been keeping an eye on Empyrean Dawn as well. If they decide to stay into the free for all, we'll make sure to get them back."

"Don't forget, we're your competition too, Nee-san…" Kagura muttered that last part. She was very embarrassed to call Erza that aloud, let alone in public, but it felt right to her.

"Heh." Erza couldn't help but grin. She grabbed Kagura and placed her head upon her bosom. She still didn't know how to properly give someone a hug, but the sentiment was there nonetheless. "I haven't forgotten. If we have to fight, do not expect me to hold back either. I'm sure your biggest fan will be rooting for you as well." She teased.

"Please…don't…" Kagura grumbled. The fact that Daryan was present was more than enough stress for her. Having to deal with him took mental strength she couldn't afford to exert.

.

CRACK! Lightning exploded as Laxus and Ramman clashed in the center of the arena. Both lightning dragons utilized Lightning Body to its fullest extent, zipping around the battlefield with blinding speed! It was difficult for the spectators in the audience to keep up with them. "So fast!" Chapati yelled. "Both Laxus and Ramman move with near untraceable speed!"

"Come on Ramman, kick his ass or you're nothing but talk!" Reiss exclaimed.

"Against Laxus? This'll be interesting." Mary remarked. "We'll see if he was bluffing about his strength or not. Lightning doesn't affect either of them…so this will come down to how well one uses their lightning."

"Man, this is kinda boring…" Daryan spoke while leaning back in his seat. "When am I gonna see Kagura fight again?"

"You really have an eye for that girl, don't you?" Alex sighed. "You know, I asked her about you. You wanna know what she said?"

"Anything good?" Daryan peered at his fellow S class with hopeful eyes.

"No." Alex shook her head. "She said, and I quote: 'He's nothing but a nuisance. I don't know why he bothers with me so much and I wish he'd leave me alone. I want nothing to do with him."

Daryan paused for a moment after hearing such crushing news. With a grin, he laughed. "Yeah, that sounds like something she'd say."

"How is he unfazed…" Tia tilted her head. She was annoyed just by Daryan so she could only imagine what Kagura had to go through.

"With a woman like that, you have to be persistent. If you let up for even a second, then you might as well go home. She's a warrior all right. We're engaged in a little duel of sorts. Will I yield, or will she?" Daryain explained.

"That's Daryan for you…" Magnus chuckled. The flash of lightning brought their attention back to the fight. "Oh yes…the duel between Lightning Dragons. I predict Laxus will win by ring out. My foresight is highly accurate these days now that I'm not focused on one singular path."

"I bet Ramman is gonna win." Shadowlore spoke out, clearly challenging Magnus.

Ramman landed on the ground, gritting his teeth. Sweat dripped down his forehead at Laxus' might. "Man…" He spat.

"Are ya done yet?" Laxus asked, cracking his knuckles. "You can run, but you can't hide forever."

"Hide? Me?" Ramman laughed at such an insult. "The only thing I'm running for is victory!" Ramman's body exploded in lightning and he rushed forward, slamming his knee into Laxus' broad chest. Since he only used lightning to increase his momentum, he succeeded in inflicting some damage and pushing Laxus back a few steps. Ramman flew back and smirked. "Heh, how was that, Mr. Tall and Mighty?"

"What was that?" Laxus scoffed; his coat fluttered in the wind as he arms dropped to his sides. "Felt like a little tap." While it did hurt a little, would anyone really expect Laxus of all people to admit that? "Now…let me show you something." Lightning surged around his dominate arm and he lifted it up slowly. "Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist." Slamming his fist into the ground, a powerful surge of lightning exploded, releasing electrified rubble into the air before it all started falling down on Ramman.

"And Laxus retaliates with a fierce counter attack!" Chapati yelled.

"Ah! Shit! Dammit!" Ramman grunted each time a piece of rubble landed on him.

"Don't just stand there you idiot!" Reiss shouted.

Ramman was buried underneath the rubble. All remained quiet for a moment or two, and Hisui wasn't sure if she should call the match there. Soon her hand lifted up slowly to speak. "Ramman is…" And before she could finish, the rubble on top of the male exploded, sending small pieces in every direction.

"Hey! I ain't finished yet!" Ramman spoke. "I still have a few tricks up my sleeve, so let's see how you handle this one." The purple haired male smirked devilishly as the electricity began to crackle in the air. The tension rose as lightning started to surge in a strange fashion. An orb of black lightning steadily formed over Ramman's head. The power emanating from it was enough for Laxus to quirk a brow and stay on guard. "Heh…judging by that look on your face, you acknowledge that this is pretty threatening. This whole time I've been gathering up the lightning residue you and I have been leaving during this fight into this orb. Since it's a combination of our magic…you won't be able to eat this."

"I see…" Makarov stroked his chin. "Utilizing the stalemate of their elements to his advantage. That isn't a bad ploy for an up and coming mage."

"Yeah, but he's fighting Laxus." Freed scoffed. "It doesn't matter what crafty little plan he comes up with, he'll just be put into the ground like all the rest."

Laxus merely smirked at Ramman's claim. That orb of lightning was pretty big, but Laxus wasn't intimidated. This was something that he took as a challenge. "That's cute." Was how the lightning dragon of Fairy Tail began his retort. Lightning crackled around his body, soon taking the form of a massive sphere rivalling the size of what Ramman had above him. "The only reason that attack is even slightly threatening to begin with is because my magic is in it."

The electricity crackling in the air made Hisui's hair frizzy and stood up. She was going to have quite a night ahead of her trying to fix her hair! "Think about those who work on their hair!...kabo."

"This standoff is so cool! I can feel my hairs standing up in excitement!" Jason grinned. Never mind the fact his hairs were only standing up because of the electricity.

"I can't wait to wipe that smug grin off your face…" Ramman snarled. Once he gathered the appropriate amount of magic left over, it was time to draw. "Let's GOOO!" Ramman yelled, unleashing this explosive sphere towards Laxus.

"Try not to fall over too quickly." Laxus stated as he calmly sent the sphere forward. The two collided and it wasn't even a second into their meeting that they exploded violently. A large pillar rose into the sky and the arena trembled violently from the collision of powers. Laxus averted his gaze to shield his eyes from the wind. The intensity of the explosion was so fierce he was having a little trouble keeping himself grounded and felt his body sliding back towards the arena wall. A large cloud of dust obscured everyone's view and they were unable to see what became of either fighter.

"Hey, what happened? I can't see!" Natsu shouted.

As the dust settled…Ramman's back was on the wall and he was stuck there pretty firmly. Hisui was lucky her pumpkin mask was good for something such as filtering dust and smoke. When she glanced at Ramma, the result of the battle was clear. "Ramman as suffered a ring out! Therefore Laxus Dreyar of Fairy Tail B is the winner, granting them ten points!"

"That's my Laxus." Freed spoke smugly.

"You're seriously going overboard with that!" Both Bickslow and Evergreen exclaimed in unison.

"That idiot put too much wind up into his swing." Mary sighed while placing her hand on her face. "If he fired it just a little sooner, then he would've been able to keep the battle going for a few more minutes."

"I agree." Calium nodded. "He should've fired it as soon as he was ready. Dragon Slayer's and their pride at times…it can be quite a folly." That was a statement the slayers of White Eclipse couldn't really deny, either…

.

"And now it's time for the final battle of the day!" Chapati exclaimed. "Blue Pegasus' Darren Black vs. Fairy Tail A's Mystogan!"

"Mystogan?" Siegrain quirked a brow at that name; if this was anything he was suspecting it to be…then this was going to be a very interesting match indeed. "I'm surprised to see him. I always thought Mystogan departed from Fairy Tail. If he's here, then his opponent must be very intriguing."

"Good luck, Darren-san!" Eve waved from the Blue Pegasus stands.

"Show your handsomeness!" Hibiki cheered.

"We believe in you, handsome new recruit!" Jenny cupped her hands around her mouth. "If you win, we get a perfect 20 for today! Do your best!"

"Men! I sense the Parfume of victory!" Ichiya stated firmly.

"Wow…they all really believe in him, don't they?" Lucy asked.

"You see that pretty face?" Mii asked. "I'd believe in him too. In fact, it almost makes me want to root for him."

"Why don't you root for the person that's on our team…" Lucy replied with a comical sweat drop. She did have her doubts though…something about Darren was off to her. She wondered if Jellal was going to be okay.

Darren walked into the arena calmly. As soon as he was visible to the female masses, they screamed and cheered out his name. Darren felt so bashful with all the voices cheering for him. "Ladies….please. Your support means the world to me. But you should be celebrating the victory of my guild mate: Jenny. She performed excellently today and deserves all of your praise."

"Ever so modest…" Jenny was starting to swoon a bit. This may have been making Hibiki a little jealous.

Jellal calmly stepped into the arena. The mask covered his face and he had everything prepared in terms of being Mystogan. He stood across Darren with his arms crossed. How fortuitous that he would be facing off against the man he had the most suspicions about. "….."

.

"Oh boy…." Yukia crossed her legs while watching the ensuing battle below. "That's totally that Jellal guy."

"For sure." Yumia said, nodding.

"I hope Shade doesn't get his cover blown." Yukia sighed.

.

.

Elsewhere, Crime Soricere was watching the ensuing match with Ultear's orbs. Ultear took a glance at Cobra, who was staring intently at Darren. "Erik…are you certain that was the voice you heard?"

"I'm almost positive." Cobra responded.

.

.

"I don't remember seeing him…" Sophie pointed at 'Mystogan'.

"I was informed of the quick substitution this morning." Emmeraude explained. "Gray Fullbuster was supposed to fight against the charming Darren here, but as you can see, this is what their switch has led to. Although, I'm quite curious to see what the fuss about this Mystogan male is all about."

"Are both fighters ready? Begin!" Hisui threw her hand down and the match was set to start.

"I do apologize in advance if I hurt you too badly." Darren said with a slight bow. His lips then parted, and a loud scream amplified with Sound Magic was launched towards Jellal. The sound waves were so powerful the ground was torn asunder.

"That much power from a scream!?" Erza gasped.

Jellal remained calm. Darren's power right off the bat was highly impressive, but that was not going to faze him. The hidden saint reached back, grabbing one of the many staves he had brought in preparation for this bout. "One Layer Magic Circle: Shield." In front of Jellal, a magic seal formed to protect him from Darren's scream. The soundwaves struck the barrier, but also curved around it, utterly destroying the ground around and behind Jellal. "….."

"Whoa…I was unaware Darren had such power!" Jason said. "Blue Pegasus really found a winner with this one, huh!?"

 _"_ _That power…that is nothing to trifle with…"_ Jellal thought to himself. As his shield faded away, he kept his staff pointed forward and unleashed a beam of magic in Darren's direction.

"Ha!" Darren was swift, preforming a stylish backflip that made the ladies swoon. The landing was perfect and he dusted himself off. "Come now. You're an S class of Fairy Tail, correct? Surely you can do better than that! Make me work for it!" A black aura wavered around the handsome man and he grinned deviously. "Come shadow kin, open the door to despair…Shade Imperial!"

"Hm…?" Jellal lifted a silent brow at Darren's incantation. The male immediately sensed an impending darkness closing in on his location. "Meteor!" A bright yellow flash exploded around Jellal's body and he flew into the sky. This was perfect as a sphere of darkness ripped through his former location, rendering even the air in that space to nothingness. "What the…"

"A speedy opponent…" Darren had a look of approval.

"What was that attack?" Wendy questioned.

"I don't know…" Mavis responded.

"Oh…we have a serious contender here…" Zelos began to explain. "An attack that can erase anything and everything within its radius…almost as if he opened up the gate to a different dimension."

"And he just used that so casually…?" Erza looked at Zelos. She knew she didn't have to worry about Jellal, but she could never help it.

"He probably assumed it would be easy for such an opponent to avoid." Zelos shrugged. "Us handsome folk tend to make pretty smart assumptions. So I can't say I disagree with his actions."

"But still…" Erza turned her attention back to Darren. "To use such an attack so casually…could that man really be a Wizard Hunter…?"

In the sky, Jellal began to speed around while unleashing several beams of Heavenly Body magic at Darren from above. Several beams failed to hit, but those that posed a threat were blocked by Darren's bat wings. That didn't stop the impact form stinging, though. "Tch…two can play at this game." With his wings flapping, Darren soared into the sky to meet with Jellal. "Come rusted blades; draw out the pain…Sword Deluge!" Another spell. From above, blades composed of darkness began to rain down from above in attempt to skewer and pierce Jellal.

"There's more…?" Jellal mumbled. With Meteor at his disposal, evasion should have been no issue. But he also had to deal with Darren flying in close proximity to him, unleashing powerful Sound Waves that, while not damaging, did alter his flight path. A blade sliced his leg, causing him to wince in pain. Darren then appeared above him with a fist shrouded in darkness.

"Got you." Darren swung down, striking Jellal's forearm. The force was strong enough to send Jellal hurtling towards the ground.

"And Darren strikes swift and hard! Will Mystogan be able to recover from this?!" Chapati asked as Jellal plummeted to ground.

Jellal flipped, landing on the ground with a bit of force. Meteor activated once again and he rocketed in the sky with increased speed. His fist slammed into Darren's gut with enough force to wind him. "Don't be presumptuous…" As Darren lurched over with a weak cough, Jellal grabbed his arm and spun around to toss him towards the ground. The Blue Pegasus mage landed with a loud thud. Jellal extended his hand forward, releasing a potent beam of Heavenly Body towards the downed Darren, where it was a direct hit! A small explosion occurred and Jellal slowly landed back on the ground.

"Quite a fierce combo." Siegrain shifted his weight. "Is Darren all right after that?"

"Come on Darren! Don't let him beat you!" Jenny shouted somewhat aggressively. Even she wasn't immune to Darren's charm and wished for him to win.

As the dust settled, Darren was seen on a knee, panting softly. "Well…you do pack some strength after all." Standing back up, he dusted himself off and took a look at the bruise on his arm. "That's good. I wouldn't want this to be easy at all. I think now I can stop holding back…" A dark aura wavered around Darren and the magical pressure he unleashed caught everyone off guard.

"What on earth…?" Diamond leaned forward in her seat. "There's no way he could casually let out that amount…!"

"Something's definitely up with that guy…" Ace muttered. "Where did Blue Pegasus even find him?"

"Take this!" Darren pointed his hand forward, unleashing a powerful sphere of darkness towards Jellal at rapid speeds.

"Mirror Water!" Another stave was held up, the barrier produced by this one creating a reflective surface. The sphere of darkness instantly bounced back towards Darren, however by the time Jellal even called forth this spell Darren disappeared and the darkness hit nothing but the arena wall. "Where did he go…?"

A few seconds later, Darren rose from Jellal's shadow with a sinister grin. Before Jellal could react, Darren unleashed a high pitched wail of sound magic that exploded on itself and carried Jellal backwards. As a result, Jellal dropped one of the staves in his hand. "Hehe…come on, you have to be more aware than that!" Jellal tumbled along the ground before coming to a halt on his feet. Darren was already in hot pursuit: the hunt began. With his speed, he faded in an out of sight just as Jellal went to grab another stave. "I don't think so!" A swift kick was delivered to Jellal's arm to force him to drop the stave, and another to his chest to push him backwards.

Jellal staggered back before regaining his composure. The masked man swung his arm forward, aiming at the ground directly under Darren's feet. "Abyss Break!" The powerful spell instantly caused a large section of the arena to crumble! Darren staggered back and even fell due to the force of it. With his wings he was able to prevent himself from falling into the mineshaft below, but this presented Jellal with the perfect opening to move in with Meteor and slam his sandal against Darren's gut for a forceful impact. Darren flew back before catching himself and hitting the arena wall.

"That was close…" Darren exhaled silently before staring at the arena's condition. The center had a large gaping hole in it. Darren smirked before vanishing once again into Jellal's shadow. Jellal saw this coming and attempted to Meteor away, but by the time Darren rose, it was too late. "You cannot escape your own shadow!" A beam of darkness from the male's hand struck Jellal in the back, changing his flight path as he started to fall. Darren gave chase, he couldn't let his prey escape. "This is where I finish you!"

Jellal lined things up perfectly. He was roughly in the center of the arena and the staves were all perfectly separated from one another with equal distance. "Checkmate."

"What?!" Darren growled….only to look up. He realized what it was he was goaded into and he couldn't believe it. The staves he believed to have taken care of were all floating in the air, challenging magic together to create a five layered magic circle….with Darren at the very bottom of it all.

"Five Layered Magic Circle: Sacred Song!" Jellal exclaimed. The five magic circles pulsated as a strong beam of magic started to fall down from the top one, shattering each magic seal on its way down. Each seal broken increased the beam's velocity, size, and strength, as it barreled down towards Darren.

"Oh crap." Darren used his wings to cover up, along with forming a dome of darkness. The immensely powerful beam of magic struck Darren's weak defenses and shattered it! The stadium rumbled violently as the bright flash of light obscured all sight!

"Mystogan had a trap this entire time! Was it enough to take down Darren!?" Chapati questioned.

As the light faded…nobody saw anything. Jellal didn't rest, but even he wasn't prepared for what happened next. A bruised and bloodied Darren flew forward, violently swiping at his head! The impact was strong enough to knock Jellal's mask off and throw him backwards with a pained grunt. "Guh…!" And there it was: Jellal's face was revealed to the masses!

"And there goes the mask!" Yumia laughed.

"W-What's this?!" Chapati gasped, staring at Siegrain. "He looks just like Siegrain…but then…could that mean…!?"

"….No…." Kagura felt that nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach. She couldn't be fooled about who that was! She also couldn't believe that Erza was hiding this from her!

"Sir!" Correll moved to shout at Siegrain. "We can move in right now and finally capture him…!"

"No." Siegain said while waving his hand. "I want to see how this turns out first."

"I'm terribly sorry…" Darren said while adjusting his tie. "I couldn't stand fighting an opponent with a mask on. People with masks tend to hide things, and I want to see my opponent for who they are when I battle them. Were you hiding your face because you look too much like our wonderful Council Chairman? Or was it for different reasons? I can tell by your expression that I have inconvenienced you…and I am sorry. But I have to see what it is you fight for." Darren paused before pointing at Blue Pegasus. "Why do I fight, you may wonder? Because those handsome and beautiful people up there found me, injured and almost dying. They took me into their guild and let me in as one of them! And they've given me the chance to fight for them! I want to do everything in my power to thank the people who have taken me in! Victory here is the very least I can do for Blue Pegasus!" Such words had the crowd on his side. There was cheering all over the place.

"Wow…" Yukia blinked a few times. "I…I almost forgot who was speaking for a second. Shade really knows how to put on an act. I forgot he was on our side for a second…"

"Yeah, no kidding…" Yumia agreed. "But he is called the Master of Deceit for a reason…"

"I see…" Jellal lowered his head slightly. If his suspicions were correct, then there was absolutely no reason to believe him. His situation with his mask off was precarious anyway, so it was in his best interest to end this fight as swiftly as possible before his guild mates swooped in for a messy rescue. "I fight for Fairy Tail, because they have helped me numerous times in the past. There is a woman whom I owe my life to, and I will do whatever it takes to make her happy. Fighting on Fairy Tail's behalf is something that makes me happy. So I want to win for them." As Jellal spoke, he lifted his hands up. A spatial black orb began to form above his head, and it was huge. "So…out of respect for your conviction, I will give you three options."

"What the…three?!" Darren was highly confused.

"That's right." Jellal explained. "You can either give up….take my incoming Altaris attack, which will no doubt finish you in your damaged condition…or…" Jellal gestured his head up.

"Or what?!" Darren looked up; eyes wide at what awaited him in the sky.

"You can be judged by the seven stars for your deceit." Jellal said. Grand Chariot was the sight that awaited Darren above.

"W-When did he have the time to draw that?!" Jason asked while rubbing his eyes.

"It must've been when they were battling in the sky earlier…" Emmeraude surmised. "They were there for a little while…and after that, our friend Mystogan kept Darren's focus on the ground and kept his head low.

"D-Did you see him draw that…?" Jenny looked over at the Trimens and Ichiya, but they all shook their head.

"Jellal…" Erza couldn't help but smile at the words he spoke.

"Oh, this is bad…" Yumia stood up while looking at the stars overhead. "Shade's tough, but if he takes an attack like that…it's gonna hurt him…and his disguise might break! Don't be stupid…!"

"I…" Darren was in the face of adversity, but he wouldn't back down. "I will never give up….!" And like the reckless fool he painted himself to be, he started to dash forward.

"Then you have sealed your fate." Jellal simply said. His arms moved forward, hurling the Altaris directly at Darren. At same time, the Grand Chariot began to fire down from above, giving Darren very little room to work with.

Darren had a plan in mind. With how things were going currently…there was no way for him to defeat Jellal like this in a full fight. But luckily for him, there was a way to fight without putting his cover in danger. " _Conventional methods are useless. I have to admit, Jellal…you truly surprised me in our contest of strength. But unfortunately for you, you still left me a fourth option…"_ "Come shadow kin, open the door to despair! Shade Imperial!" Darren held his hand forward, creating a large sphere of distorted darkness that rivaled the Altaris in size. As explained, Shade Imperial opened a gate to a dimension of darkness, so Darren used to suck in Alatris much to everyone's surprise.

"He used his spell to suck it in…" Mavis muttered.

As for the Grand Chariot…that took a little luck. Darren was confident he could withstand at least one strike directly before his form broke. So he had to use his wings to weave around the falling stars and their massive explosions. He was almost free, but it was the fifth one was a direct hit! The explosion tossed him forward, but he couldn't afford to lose his momentum just yet! Darren used this flight to his advantage and grabbed Jellal by the shoulders, carrying him for the flight. "I will not lose!" Exclaimed the Blue Pegasus male as he slammed Jellal into the wall. A pained grunt escaped Jellal in the process. All fell silent as everyone got a clear look at what happened. "I…win…." Darren smirked before releasing Jellal and falling unconscious.

"A-Ah…Mystogan has suffered a ring out! Therefore Darren Black of Blue Pegasus is the winner, granting them 10 points!" Hisui exclaimed, and the crowd went wild!

"…" Jellal let out a heavy sigh. Not from his technical defeat, but because he was still in hot water. There was no time to think about losing. Instead he grabbed the mask that had been knocked off him and quickly flew off with Meteor.

"Darren…!" Jenny was the first to rush over with the rest of Blue Pegasus. "I think he might be unconscious…!"

"Is he really out…?" Yumia asked.

"No." Yukia replied. "If he was…his disguise would break. He's faking it….but that was really stupid! He almost destroyed our mission! I know he's one of our leaders, but damn it! I would be really upset if he made us miss out on that hot blonde down there!"

"What an upset!" Chapati yelled.

"So…COOOL!" Jason shouted into his mic.

"Blue Pegasus scored a perfect 20 today! That just goes to show that these Games cannot be decided just yet! Every single guild is giving it their all!" Chapati was sucked into the hype once again. But with such intense battles presented before him, how could he not? "This was an exciting end to day 3! The Games are halfway over now…there are only Days 4, 5, and the final free for all left. Which guild will take home the gold? There is only one way to find out! See you all tomorrow!"

"Hm…" Siegrain mused. "So…he was here after all. I wonder what he was doing here. I assume a quick visit to Fairy Tail will give me some answers. Correll, do you mind accompanying me later this evening?"

"Of course not, Senpai." Correll said with a salute. "Those Fairies know something, so I bet they'll be trying to hide something from us again. Don't worry, I can make them talk."

"What a show…" Emmeraude stood up, patting Sophie on the head. "Come now, my little Protos Heis. We must return to the castle and prepare for tomorrow. It's going to be a very busy evening."

"Yes…." Sophie nodded slowly. A part of her wanted to go back to White Eclipse, but right now, she also wanted to stick with Emmeraude. It was part of her programming after all.

Results after Day 3:

1st: Fairy Tail B: 43

2nd: White Eclipse A: 39

2nd: Fairy Tail A: 39

3rd: Sabertooth: 37

3rd: Empyrean Dawn: 37

4th: White Eclipse B: 35

5th: Blue Pegasus: 31

6th: Mermaid Heel: 18

.

.

Next Time: Aftermath of Day 3


	118. Chapter 118: Aftermath of Day 3

The excitement of Day 3 died down and the city of Crocus had nothing more than a slight buzz. With the Games halfway over and such close results; there was a lot of discussion among the people over who would be bringing home the gold. Heartless returned from her brief trip back home, catching bits and pieces of what she missed during the day's events. She pushed the doors open, noticing the slight tension in the air. "…Oh my. Is there something I missed today? I heard the Games today were very interesting."

"Oh, look whose back…" Cana sighed heavily at Heartless' arrival. "If you're looking for the others, they're over there." The drunkard pointed to a closed door. "So you can hurry up and go over to them."

Heartless blinked a few times at Cana's attitude towards her. Tia did contact her about this…but Heartless also had her suspicions considering what happened to Cana back at the Dealer Hideout. "Is something the matter? You seem to be in a sour mood…I was told that it was the polite thing to try and lift someone's spirits…"

"Nothing you could do could life my spirits." Cana practically spat. Where were the others at a time like this? "So why don't you just go and leave me alone already. You seem to be an expert at stuff like that."

The attitude Cana gave wasn't surprising. Heartless expected as such from Cana and a few others during the way she acted at her time with Dealer. Considering what Heartless had done, she never expected anyone to forgive her so easily, if at all. "I see. I apologize for disturbing you." As Heartless walked off, her hands were placed on her hips. "It seems I'm still just as guilty as King…how troublesome…"

.

Heartless walked into the room Cana pointed to, finding both the members of Cosmic Star and Dealer discussing something. "It would seem I have returned just in time. How were the Games today?"

"Oh, welcome back." Tia greeted Heartless with a small wave. "Things were very hectic today…as per usual. The scores are very close."

"I see…" Heartless took a seat. "That aside, I'm actually glad you're all here together. It's extremely convenient. I wanted to discuss the topic of Emmeraude with you all…seeing as how we aren't natives in Fiore."

"You're just in time." Daryan kicked his legs up on a table. "Although I planned to visit Kagura-chan…"

"Too bad…" Alex quipped. "This is a serious deal here! I really don't know anything about this Emmeraude woman. I don't get why she's claiming to be the Queen of Fiore while we saw the King a few months ago last year!"

"It is very perplexing…" Magnus remarked. "I may have the ability to see into the future for a time…but I cannot look back in the past and see what has happened. But I do know that she does not belong on that throne…"

"Another thing to note…" The usually silent Yakuza began to speak. "It seems like Princess Hisui is wrapped all around the finger of that Emmeraude lady….I wonder how that happened."

"Either way we look at it…" Ace sighed. "Our hands are kind of tied. I still don't think the entirety of Fiore trusts us after the whole incident with King. Not to mention if we spoke out against it, no doubt she'd turn the entire country against us in the blink of an eye."

"They're all so enamored with her." Diamond wrapped her hair around her finger. "We'd be totally crushed. I doubt Fairy Tail would be able to pull us out of that deep hole."

"So what do we do? Just like her do what she wants with Fiore?" Strong questioned while scratching his head.

"It'll be all we can do, doofus." Jack shrugged. "I'm not trying to get the full wrath of Fiore on me a second time…I learned after I beat Natsu's ass. Heh…"

"Regardless…" Heartless spoke up once more. "That Emmeraude, I have encountered her once before." That was a statement that made all eyes turn to Heartless.

"Wait, you have?" Gaia quirked a brow. "Pray tell, where at?"

"The year is X794, correct?" Heartless questioned while crossing her legs. "Then it would've had to be during X792…shortly before Dealer made their move. Little Queen and I were assigned a mission…"

[Flashback: two years ago]

Heartless led Little Queen, who looked precisely like Sophie, by the hand as they wandered through a forest. They were just returning from observing the Grand Magic Games where White Eclipse was victorious. This was the beginning of the Dealer operation gathering intel on the mages of Fiore. Little Queen had such a big smile on her face after witnessing all of the action that went down. "That was so much fun to watch…!" The young girl pumped her fist into the air.

"Yes, I know." Heartless responded while looking down at Little Queen. "I had to make sure you didn't leap into the action. You're a handful…"

"I'm sorry." Little Queen poked her fingers together sheepishly. "…Are you upset? I never see you smile or anything…it's been like that since you made me."

"It's nothing to do with you." Heartless shook her head. "This is just the way I am. You don't have to worry about that."

"I see…the new recruits haven't really noticed me too much…" Little Queen nodded slowly. "But what about King…? He doesn't seem to like me very much….neither does Joker. They keep giving that mean stare. Are they going to get rid of me…?"

"I won't allow that." Heartless knelt down, placing her hand on Little Queen's head. "You are my creation. I won't let any harm come to you, I promise." It was very strange…Heartless hadn't felt any emotions for a long time. However maternal instincts were still present within her. She did think of this girl as a daughter of sorts…but Heartless was also aware such a train of thought would only hurt the small girl further. She knew she didn't possess the necessary emotions to act like a parent.

And yet…Little Queen was smiling. "Okay. I trust you." Such words were at the time were completely foreign to Heartless. Having someone that trusted her unconditionally? It was only Daigo that had her trust and vice versa…hearing it from someone else would've made her heart skip a bit. But instead, she just tilted her head.

A soft clapping sound soon caught their attention. Emmeraude, clad in unfamiliar white robes appeared from behind a tree, with a small smile. "My my…is this the bond between a mother and child? It reminds me so much of my own mother…her circumstances were unfortunate, however she cared for me with all her heart. This is such a touching scene…"

"Who are you?" Heartless stood in front of Little Queen.

"Ow…!" Little Queen flinched as something stabbed her. Whatever it was, it was like a needle that was inserted without warning. When she looked up, a small bug was flying towards Emmeraude.

"It doesn't matter who I am. But you've provided me with a very interesting sample…" Emmeraude hummed. "Now I can put my Lambda and Protos Heis projects into action. I must thank you. King Ashnard is going to be very pleased at these results…" With a content smile, Emmeraude vanished as quickly as she appeared.

"….I think she stuck me with something…." Little Queen mumbled while rubbing her arm.

[End Flashback]

"I didn't think much of it at the time…but I believe Emmeraude stole some of Little Queen's DNA and made a replica of her. That's why she didn't recognize me when I saw her last night." Heartless summarized.

"White robes, huh…?" Spade stroked his chin in thought. "That seems oddly familiar…I wonder…."

"In the meantime…I think I know someone who can help with us snooping around and provide us with some information…" Ace spoke between the bites of his snack. As usual, he couldn't talk without chewing it at an obnoxious volume even after Tia confiscated them. So one could imagine the extremely irritated look on her face as he blatantly ignored her death stare!

.

.

Correll and Siegrain were together, questioning Fairy Tail on the appearance of Jellal in the Games earlier. They knew they took a risk letting Jellal compete and they would stick by their decision. It was difficult only because the law was cracking down on them. "For a substitution to be made, you must be aware of who's switching in and out. So you knew that Jellal was on your team." Siegrain chuckled slightly at his own words.

"Now now…Mr. Law enforcement…" Mii said while wagging her finger. She was going to say something, however Lucy was fast to slap her hand over Mii's mouth to prevent her from digging them a deeper grave.

"W-What she means to say is…" Lucy stammered.

"We've received word that the Wizard Hunters are lurking nearby." Erza stayed calm as the pressure was on. "More specifically, I received intel that Darren Black of Blue Pegasus may be one in disguise. In order to test this, we needed someone who was already on their tail…however, things did not go as we planned."

"Oh?" Correll laughed. "Wizard Hunters?"

"Oh yeah, they're very dangerous." Zelos remarked. "Shade is the Master of Deceit. I'm sure you're very familiar with his tactics since I was told he infiltrated your ranks once…" Everyone stared at Zelos as he spoke. "And then there are Yumia and Yukia, the adorable twins. I wouldn't be surprised if they're looking for any lovely women to scoop up and take to Pergrande…or something."

"You sure know a lot…" Correll narrowed his eyes at Zelos.

"Which is really weird, because I was positive he didn't know anything." Mii quipped.

"I see…" Siegrain simply nodded. The odd combination of Zelos and Mii talking was honestly annoying, and it was too late in the evening to be dealing with such nonsense. "Jellal did manage to escape…but I'll be keeping an eye on you, Fairy Tail. I dicussed it with Lady Emmeraude earlier…you're quite lucky she said things were entertaining. If you try something funny like that again, you won't be so lucky." With that said, Siegrain and Correll left.

"I can't believe you two annoyed them enough to leave…" Gray sighed.

"Authority figures are actually pretty easy to get around." Mii shrugged. "Zelos over there took the words from my mouth, though. So I had to improvise."

Zelos winked at Mii. "Guess we make a good team, eh, Mii-chan~?"

"Whatever the case…" Erza sighed. "Thank you both. The timing could not be worse. The attempt on Emmeraude's life has only tightened Council security. Siegrain says that he'll leave things alone, but there's no doubt security will be extremely suffocating now. I was going to go check in with Jellal, but I wouldn't be surprised if I was tailed now."

"Just sit tight, it'll be all right." Mira offered a smile. "For now…I think we should stick to competing. I trust that Jellal and Crime Soricere will be able to unravel the mystery that is Darren Black. I do hope that Blue Pegasus isn't harmed in the process…."

"We can worry about that when it happens. Just keep your guard up, my children." Makarov stated with a nod.

"For now, we must also be concerned with Empyrean Dawn and the extremely close results. A lot of Guilds are tied at the moment." Mavis' fiery spirit for victory burned strongly at such competition. She was doing everything she could to ensure Fairy Tail could get another victory! "Tomorrow's event…based on the members we have left who haven't taken any…I can devise plans for our remaining pairs!" The spirit's eyes twinkled as the battle plans were formulating in her mind.

Meanwhile, Lucy sat near the window and let out a sigh. She was thinking about Luke's battle with Rufus earlier in the day. No matter what she tried to do…no matter how hard she worked, the gap between kept growing larger and larger. She was always staring at his back…thinking about it infuriated her to no end! That red aura started to waver around her again, but it didn't rise too much as Natsu placed his hand on her shoulder. "Huh…?" Lucy was quick to turn, a little caught off guard since she was absorbed in her own thoughts.

"Don't worry about it too much. You'll kick his ass." Natsu offered a toothy smile along with his reassuring words.

"Aye!" Happy nodded in agreement. "All you have to do is body slam him…nobody could get up with how heavy you are!"

WHAM! Lucy's foot firmly pressed both Natsu and Happy into the nearest wall, which got some attention from the others. The infamous Lucy Kick had yet to lose its luster and effect. "You stupid cat!"

"…Lucky…" Both Mii and Zelos sighed in unison.

"You two are weird." Gajeel pointed out.

.

Meanwhile, White Eclipse was discussing a battle plan. The scores were far too close for various positions. "A single slip up will cost us our momentum." Reve stated flatly. "I have to hand it to these losers, they're putting up a good fight. But it's about time we take off the kid gloves and show them what we're all about."

"I like the sound of that." Waiston said with a cocky smirk. "Which is why I'll be stepping up to the plate to take the event tomorrow. We're 4 days in, it's about time we show off more of that power we have. Luke did a good job with that fight earlier. I could see everyone's reactions; they were stunned."

"Heh..." Luke grinned. "Just gotta show them how far ahead we are."

"Don't trip while you're ahead." Heather commented. "That would be hilariously embarrassing." Her tone sounded aloof, but this was her way of supporting people.

"I think we got this in the bag, honestly..." Kuro shrugged.

"They're just getting lucky." Cygnus grinned. "Once we get serious, there's no stopping us. But we gotta give them a good show until then."

"They are completely unfazed..." Reiss said, a little in awe at how the veterans were reacting to the placements.

"That's just how they are." Adam spoke. "These mages are without a doubt, some of the strongest I've seen in Fiore. The other guilds may not be slouches, but their inspiration to grow stronger comes from them. If that isn't a testament as to how strong White Eclipse is, I don't know what is. And you guys are following in their footsteps. So now, part of that responsibility falls on you." The way the frozen dragon was speaking...that added a ton of pressure onto the aspiring mages.

"But if you can't handle the pressure...we'll have some veterans take your spots." Calium remarked. "But you've been doing well so far. So I don't think there's any need to worry about that. If you wish to substitute at the end, that is no problem. I am proud of all of you for your performances thus far. I have faith you will continue to do well." Wow. More pressure from the Master of White Eclipse. Yeah, the rookies would be fine...

.

.

Jellal was getting his injuries tended to by Meredy. Crime Soricere was just outside of Crocus with the Council security being extremely tight in the city. "That was really close, Jellal!" Meredy chided.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting my mask to be targeted." Jellal explained. "We've no choice but to lie low again. But Erik…was that the voice of Shade?"

"Without a doubt." Cobra nodded. "I also detected the voices of the ones called Yumia and Yukia. They were watching from afar, but I don't know where they are now. I do know that guild with the fruity mages is in for some trouble. But warning them is going to be difficult with the increase in security around Crocus."

"How troublesome…" Angel sighed heavily while leaning back against the tree. "We'd be fine if someone didn't try for Lady Emmeraude's life. Then there's the issue of Empyrean Dawn, and they're all obviously sketchy…why must they make things more difficult than they need to be?" As she spoke, the female let out a long drawn out dramatic sigh.

"It would be wise for us to keep at a distance for now." Ultear suggested. "I can already see the Council soldiers fanning out every inch of the capital."

"I suppose we can't do much else…how unfortunate." Hoteye spoke. "We'll just have to leave things in the capable hands of Fairy Tail then!"

"Wonderful…" Midnight muttered. He was really just trying to sleep, but it was hard when everyone was chatting nonstop.

.

"Ooof…" Darren awoke slowly. When he did, he was greeted with the cheers of Blue Pegasus. "Oh…!"

"The MVP of today is awake!" Eve grinned. "A very handsome performance."

"Indeed!" Ichiya and Nichiya spoke in unison. It was rather jarring to have two of the same face staring at you like that. So even Darren was a little taken aback. "A wonderful Parfume, excellent work!"

"It was nothing…I simply had to give it my all." Darren spoke.

"You impressed all of us out there." Jenny clasped her hands together. "And surprised us too. You truly are a handsome man~" The way Jenny spoke, even Hibiki couldn't help but feel a little jealous, but the words were true. To Blue Pegasus, after the conviction he showed against Mystogan, he was a truly handsome man.

"A verrrry handsome man….~" Master Bob purred while leaning in a little too close for comfort. Darren had a sweat drop and leaned away from the effeminate man.

"We cannot fall behind." Hibiki spoke to the Trimen while adjusting his tie. "We'll have to double our efforts to ensure that the image of handsomeness and Blue Pegasus remains one and the same."

"But of course." Ren responded with a smirk. "Fiore will know true handsomeness by the time the Games end as Blue Pegasus takes first place."

"…." On the outside, Darren could say nothing. But on the inside…. _"These insufferable fools. Just 3 more days and I can be rid of them permanently…."_

.

.

Emmeraude was going through some files, presumably preparing the event for tomorrow. As she walked, Sophie followed alongside her. "Uh….Emmeraude….?" Speaking up, the small Eclipse mage gently tugged at Emmeraude's dress.

"Oh? What is it my dear Protos Heis?" Emmeraude took her attention off what she was doing for Sophie.

"The Games look very fun." Sophie started. "White Eclipse has a team in already, and I know they wouldn't want me on the team, and I wouldn't do much but hold them back from the scores they have now…but I want to try competing, too…if that was possible. Seeing everyone fight…it's…fun."

"Oh…" Emmeraude pursed her lips for a moment. "You aren't to focus on things like 'fun', my dear. You have a mission to complete…" Emmeraude's response was expected and Sophie tilted her head, almost frowning. That was halted when Emmeraude lifted Sophie up into her arms and grinned. "Buuuut, in order to prepare you for your incoming mission, I believe having you compete in the Games would be beneficial to hone your skills. There are many experienced mages there, and your ability to mimic magic you've seen will no doubt help you. Giving you some more combat preparations couldn't hurt either." The Queen then set Sophie down, dusting her hands off as a devious smile crossed her lips.

"So…you're saying I can compete…?" Sophie asked.

"Of course. I just thought of a wonderful way to give us both what we want." Emmeraude motioned for Sophie to follow her down the hall. "It's been just amazing how things have fallen into my lap lately. I almost feel a little spoiled…but I suppose this is the universe's way of telling me that I am simply fit to be at the top of it all…~" The woman hummed, having a spring in her step. "Having this little country wrapped around my delicate, loving finger is just the beginning…my tender love and care will soon spread beyond the borders of Fiore…then we'll see who's really in charge."

.

.

Next time: Endless Waltz.


	119. Chapter 119: Endless Waltz

Beginning of Day 4:

1st: Fairy Tail B: 43

2nd: White Eclipse A: 39

2nd: Fairy Tail A: 39

3rd: Sabertooth: 37

3rd: Empyrean Dawn: 37

4th: White Eclipse B: 35

5th: Blue Pegasus: 31

6th: Mermaid Heel: 18

"Welcome one and all to day 4 of the Grand Magic Games! I am your host, Chapati Lola, and I am here today with the leading Wizard Saint and Chairman of the Magic Council: Siegrain!" Chapati introduced himself and Siegrain and the audience applauded accordingly. "And our guest today is the lovely Jenny Realight of Blue Pegasus once again!"

"Hello my dears~" Jenny waved from her seat between Chapati to the crowd. After yesterday, the amount of fans Jenny had skyrocketed. "I'm back and ready to give some lovely commentary for today's event! Speaking of today's event, what is it today, Chapati-san?"

"I'm glad you asked!" Chapati exclaimed. "This event…!"

Before Chapati could even start, Emmeraude took over. She had a mic of her own ready and spoke over the announcer. "This event was one made by yours truly. After warming the contestants up with familiar events, I figured it was high time to move onto something new." The Queen took a glance at those competing today: Erza, Wendy, Hubert, Ren, Waiston, Rogue, Tyson, and Beth. "Oh my…quite a line up we have here."

"W-Well, it appears Lady Emmeraude is going to explain for us!" Chapati spoke with a sweat drop. It was pretty obvious he wasn't expecting the Lady to take over and it would be beyond rude to cut her off.

"Today will be…" Emmeraude created a drumroll as a large platform appeared and lifted the competitors into the air. The platform had more than enough room for all eight competitors. "A test of stamina: lacrima dolls will swarm all of you. The one who is the last person standing will be the winner. If you are knocked off by a doll or another fighter, you are out."

"That sounds simple enough…" Beth said with a small nod.

"And there's one more little thing I need to add before we begin…" Emmeraude trailed off before clapping her hands. A magic seal formed at the top of the platform and Sophie then dropped down in the middle. "My little darling will be joining this event as well."

Clearly, White Eclipse was not expecting to see Sophie actually compete in this tournament. "O-Oi…wait a minute…can she do that?" Luke pointed with a few question marks visibly appearing above his head.

"Hm…" Hubert adjusted his glasses while staring at Sophie. "So it's been completed…how interesting…"

"My little creation has yearned to take part in these Games. So I have decided to accommodate my sweetheart's wishes and add her to the last two events of the Games." Emmeraude clasped her hands together with a great big smile. The crowd murmured, questioning why the Queen would do such a thing. Emmeraude was used to people doubting her, which made that aura of confidence around her being waver even stronger. "I understand why you all doubt why my dear daughter is taking part…but you should trust me. She is quite the fighter."

"This is…unexpected…" Erza stared at Sophie, who waved to Waiston and Tyson.

"This is bizarre…" Tyson said while staring at Sophie. "Are we gonna take her out?"

"She knows better than that." Waiston scoffed. "This is great…because we have three members here now."

"One more thing!" Emmeraude said just before the event was about to begin. "I've ordered my dear to attack without scrutiny. If you are on the platform, you will be attacked by her, even if you're in the same guild. While there is no penalty for falling off the field before my darling…if she happens to be the last one standing, every team will get 3 points, no exceptions." And there was the crux of the issue.

"So that's the goal…" Mavis stared at Sophie. "For some reason, she's providing incentive to eliminate her own daughter first? Whatever the cause…it may be because she knows she can handle it. Erza…Wendy…be careful."

"So we have to deal with lacrima dolls and a ninth party?" Rogue seemed a little unamused by this…but it didn't good very much good to complain.

"I believe that's all I have to say. The event has a time limit of 20 minutes. If by some chance nobody gets knocked off, then I will tally the amount of lacrima dolls and knock outs each person has to settle the score. This event is called Endless Mayhem. It's all you now, Chapati dear."

"R-Right…!" Chapati nodded now that he was finally given the chance to speak once again. "Let the day 4 event: Endless Mayhem, begin!" The bell rung and that was the signal for the event to start. As soon as the event started, lacrima dolls began to drop from the magic seal Emmeraude placed in the sky.

"This'll be easy…" Waiston spoke while cracking his knuckles. "All right Sophie, here's the plan…" Before Waiston could finish speaking, he found himself on the defensive as Sophie aimed a sharp jab at his arm! Waiston blocked the strike, snarling as Sophie attacked him. He was certain she knew better than that…but it was clear Emmeraude wasn't joking when she said Sophie was commanded to attack anyone with no scrutiny. The look in her eye said it all: she was here to fight. "Tch…!"

"She really attacked with no hesitation…" Mary said while observing Sophie.

"Are all new recruits like this…?" Kairi said with a sweat drop. Things in White Eclipse really did change when she left…

"With that movement, you can see how her attitude instantly changed…" Calium remarked. "Emmeraude may have brought her into the world, however, as long as she has that mark on her hand, that's my child as well. So I wonder what sort of 'talk' they had last night…" It appeared as though Calium had his suspicions about Emmeraude as well…

.

.

"Wizard Hunters…" Layanna was looking over the known files of the Wizard Hunters. The Council captains lingered within the stadium of the Domus Flau; the security was even tighter with the attempt on Emmeraude's life and Jellal's appearance. "Nothing those Fairies say should ever be trusted. I don't see why we are even checking the truth of their words."

"I always say we should just arrest them on the spot." Correll shrugged. "It would save us a lot of trouble…plus I really don't mind putting some pretty ladies in cuffs."

"But such actions are unjust!" Fullbright saluted. As far as most people were concerned, he was one of the few non asshole Council members who actually did his job for the sake of doing the job. "It is our duty to protect the citizens under the law! Besides…Lady Emmeraude would throw a fit if any part of her Games were ruined."

"You're such a headache…why'd Siegrain-senpai have to bring you back too?" Correll sighed while rubbing the back of his head.

"I ask that question about you every day…" Odin sighed heavily. "I'm getting too old to keep doing your work for you, even if it is at half your paycheck."

"Half!?" Correll's eyes widened. "I thought it was 30%?"

"The one doing the extra work gets to decide how much they're getting." Odin scoffed. Being perhaps the oldest member of the force did give him a little bit of added authority that was very difficult to speak against.

"You're lucky I'm still stiff from that revival…" Correll said while rotating his shoulders. "Not everyone was lucky enough to come back as an angel…even though you are one both metaphorically and physically." His body may have been stiff, but his personality never changed as he stared at Layanna.

"It was not a pleasant process." Layanna replied, cutting off her fellow captain before he could say much else. "And it isn't one I enjoy talking about. I'm focusing on the task at hand. The rest of you are free to do as you see fit." After saying that, the female began to walk off.

"Ah, cold as always. It's part of her charm." Correll snickered.

.

.

Erza and Wendy stuck close together. Between the never ending onslaught of lacrima dolls, the threats from the other competitors, and Sophie, falling off the platform was not difficult in the slightest. Wendy was also very determined to support Erza in this event. "Erza-san, are you ready!?"

"Of course!" Erza nodded, slashing down a lacrima doll before it could even come close to touching her.

"I'll be sure to support and protect you!" Wendy's words rang with conviction. The young dragon slayer spread her arms apart, a faint light enveloping both her and Erza. "Arms! Armor! Vernier!" As usual, Wendy placed her standard buffs on herself and Erza, increasing their offense, defense, and speed to new heights.

"Thanks, Wendy." With a grin, Erza shifted to her Flight Armor. She was going to abuse the speed boost granted and appeared as a yellow blur, slashing through incoming lacrima dolls like they were nothing! Her speed was so high it was extremely difficult for most people to keep track of her, and she was also stealing some people's points by moving in a zig-zag pattern, causing several dolls to explode before the others could get their strikes on them.

"And Erza starts off strong by taking out numerous dolls!" Chapati reported.

"As expected." Siegrain shifted his position a little bit. "Erza usually does well in survival type events. I do hope her partner will be up to par."

Feeling a little ticked off by Siegrain's offhanded comment about Wendy, Cynthia couldn't help but shout. "Come on Wendy! Kick some butt!"

"Y-You don't have to shout so loud…" Carla spoke with a nervous sweat drop.

 _"_ _There's a lot to worry about here…"_ Rogue was surveying the situation while making use of his Shadow Drive. The Shadow Dragon was more than capable of holding his own as the lacrima dolls charged at him. _"These dolls aren't the main issue…it's the others. And that little girl. She's attacking everyone relentlessly…"_ The dolls could've been considered necessary distractions. The criteria for winning was having the most points, or be the last one standing. Both tasks were difficult. So Rogue opted to cut down the competition and gain a higher chance of winning. His sights were set on Hubert, the next Z-class of Empyrean Dawn. The male seemed so absorbed in taking down the lacrima dolls he was an easy target. "Him." Rogue's body turned into a shadow and he sped across the field, preparing to strike Hubert when….

Bang. A bullet pierced through Rogue's shadowy body, striking his thigh! Rogue recoiled from the impact and crimson eyes stared at Hubert who didn't even so much as glance in his direction! Everyone noticed his attentiveness and all eyes were suddenly on Hubert as he easily cut and shot down every lacrima doll coming his way,

"He didn't even look…" Jenny was admittedly a little impressed at Hubert's attentiveness.

Erza, Beth, Daryan, and Kagura all had their eyes on Hubert, all for the exact same reason. That was the man that almost killed Kagura back on the Isle without a second thought. Hubert was well aware of the crosshair on his back, but he paid it no mind. Instead he pointed his pistol at Beth, causing the vegetable mage's eyes to widen. The trigger was pulled and a bullet flew past Beth's ear and shot the lacrima doll behind her square in the forehead. "…!"

"This is a battlefield. If you do not pay attention, you die. If I wanted to, I could've killed you right then and there." Hubert spoke bluntly while taking a moment to adjust his glasses. "But claiming such a thing is no accomplishment. If your Ace was powerless against me, I needn't waste my time with such weaklings."

"Weaklings…?" Beth grit her teeth at Hubert's tone. The audacity to talk down to everyone like this! "I'll show you who's really weak!"

"What? Beth no…!" Kagura exclaimed.

Beth recklessly charged at Hubert while swiping her hand forward, prompting a magic seal to appear above him. "Carrot Rain!" The seal unleashed a torrential downpour of carrots to rain down on Hubert and the lacrima dolls surrounding him. The radius of the circle was so wide that Ren and Tyson had to leap out of the way to avoid being caught in the rain.

Hubert merely sighed as the carrots rained down on him. His dualblade was merged together and he began to spin it around in a clockwise fashion, creating a gust a wind that repelled the carrots. While he seemed distracted, Beth aimed to take a swing at Hubert…but as soon as he finished deflecting the carrots, he didn't miss a beat and slammed his boot into her chest, pushing her away forcefully. "Letting your emotions run rampant in battle will get you killed."

"Is Hubert untouchable?" Chapati asked while watching Hubert's movements. "He seems like such a seasoned battler! Not even batting an eye as foes charge at him!"

"Ah, it seems little Hubert has grown up so much." Emmeraude hummed while tapping her fingers against her armrest.

"Bert-chan is doing what he does best." Zinnia sighed while leaning against the railing. "Being annoying without even trying to. It's really one of his worst qualities, but that makes him Bert-chan after all."

"He's got a talent for riling people up." Cecelia said with a hint of a smile. "All he's really doing is being honest. People can't seem to handle the truth."

"This man…" Erza watched as Beth was barely able to catch herself. It was hard to worry about anything else as Sophie randomly dropped down in front of her, throwing a series of high speed punches! "Ngh…!" Erza used her sword to block Sophie's strikes, but they were all extremely fast paced! Luckily for Erza, Wendy came through with a Sky Dragon's Roar to blow Sophie away.

"Erza-san, are you all right!?" Wendy questioned while landing next to Erza.

"I'm fine." Erza said with an appreciative nod.

"But for how long!?" Ren questioned, flipping above Erza and Wendy while landing in the center of the arena. All eyes were on Ren and his fangirls began to scream as he prepared for his signature technique. "I must carry on the momentum Jenny and Darren made for us yesterday. What better way to win an event than to take everyone out all at once. Prepare to taste the handsome might of Chocolate Swirl!"

"He's calling himself that again and nobody is even batting an eye." Roxanne rolled her eyes.

The wind in the area began to pick up violently. The lacrima dolls were now focusing on Ren, seeing him as the biggest threat due to the magical output he was giving off. Everything was going according to plan and Ren was prepared to bring everyone down with this special attack. "Aerial Phose!" Ren's pose shifted and his arms extended, creating a spherical dome of compressed air that expanded outwards. The pressure Ren was giving off was more than enough to push off multiple dolls while forcing everyone to hold their ground in some way.

"Get behind me!" Erza commanded Wendy while entering her Adamantine Armor. Wendy did as she was told and stood behind Erza, holding onto the knight as she defended against the Aerial Phose while trying to retain her ground.

"Hmph…" Hubert crossed his blades in front of him, creating a barrier than perfectly protected him from the Aerial Phose, while Rogue dipped into the Shadows to avoid being at risk to begin with.

"Fusion Make: Metal Wall!" Tyson had Waiston and himself covered. Arms spread apart and a large metal wall appeared before the two Eclipse mages. This completely blocked the wind from even coming close to affecting them. As for Sophie and Beth…ironically, the two were blown back against the wall he made.

It was clear that Ren's attack was not going to cease until everyone was pushed off. With the amount of force he was putting into the Aerial Phose, it was entirely possible that this could happen! The lacrima dolls were unable to get close and were easily blown away while the competitors couldn't even get close! Jenny smirked at Ren's ability to keep people away. "As expected of Ren; using his handsomeness to overwhelm everyone in the area. Even if he can't damage them with Aerial Phose, the massive amount of pressure will eventually push them away."

"A clever tactic!" Chapati exclaimed. "He truly is attempting to continue the momentum Blue Pegasus has!"

"Of course!" Jenny couldn't help but stand up from her seat, wearing a triumphant smile. "Beauty and handsomeness will be what wins over Fiore at the end of the week! Ohohoho!"

"That's my Ren!" Sheri exclaimed as hearts flowed from her being.

"It'll be quite anticlimactic if my event was ended in this upset. Oh ho…Protos Heis. I think you know what to do…" Emmeraude whispered under her breath quietly.

Sophie's eyes flashed pink for a moment after Emmeraude spoke. Sophie shifted her position against the metal wall and pushed forward against the suppressing winds. A pink light shone brightly from her palms and she closed the distance between herself and Ren instantly! "Deadly Force!" The girl exclaimed, pushing her palms forward as a bright pink light exploded in a small, yet powerful burst from her hands directly for Ren.

"Wha…!?" It all happened so fast, Ren hardly had the time to react. Sophie's attack caused an explosion with his Aerial Phose, sending Chocolate Swirl flying off the platform until he landed on his back. The air returned to normal and nobody had to worry about being pushed off anymore.

"W-What the…?" Jenny's eyes widened at Ren's near instant elimination.

"Oh. Looks like Lady Emmeraude was correct to place such faith in her daughter. I barely noticed what happened." Siegrain said with an amused smile on his lips.

"A-And Ren is the first one to be eliminated! By Lady Emmeraude's daughter no less!" Chapati had a hard time believing it, but now he saw why the Queen had no worries in placing Sophie in this bout.

"That's some power…" Jack said while tilting his head.

"A one-shot…" Heartless murmured.

"Tch…" Lucy crossed her arms at Sophie's antics. That distasteful feeling she had silently intensified.

Takeba was watching in the crowd. Green eyes widened at Sophie, piecing together some of the puzzle that Emmeraude was laying out. "…So, Protos Heis truly is here….but it's working under Emmeraude's command. This isn't the outcome I was expecting…"

While everyone was gawking at Sophie's strength, Rogue emerged from the shadows directly behind Hubert, his katana at the ready. Darkness imbued along the blade as he prepared a slash aimed at the back of the Empyrean. "Shadow Dragon's…!"

Hubert turned immediately, his blade colliding against Rogue's for a sudden stalemate. "I don't think so. Your tactics are juvenile." The Z-Class's blade shone brightly with light that blinded Rogue for a moment. As Rogue recoiled, Hubert pressed the tip of his blade against Rogue's chest. "Detonation Bloom." The sword then exploded violently. Rogue let out a cry of pain as the platform trembled and he was thrown off.

"A-And Rogue of Sabertooth falls off second!" Chapati shouted.

"Rogue…!" Sting cried out in worry.

"Less people to worry about…" Waiston said with a smirk. Him, Tyson, Erza, Wendy, and Hubert were the only competitors left. Sophie did pose an issue as the wild card in this scenario and the lacrima dolls really weren't anything special.

"Well…" Hubert adjusted his glasses. "I suppose it's time to bring this to an end. I'm bored." With a snap of his fingers, the falling lacrima dolls started to twitch violently as he activated his Commander Magic. "I'm going to allow these soldiers to do my work for me. Command Order: Attack, Defense, and Speed."

"What is he going on about…?" Erza questioned while keeping her guard up. It was very easy to notice how the dolls started to move away from Hubert, fanning out to attack the others instead!

"What's this?" Siegrain lifted a brow curiously. "It appears the lacrima dolls have stopped attacking Hubert."

"I didn't program them to spare anyone…" Emmeraude explained. "This must be…."

"Commander Magic." Hubert explained to the curious masses. "The ability to control any inanimate object as long as it is of enough mass and has a solid shape. I'll allow these dolls to do my work and sit back."

"This man…" Kagura was good at keeping her anger under wraps…but just staring at Hubert infuriated her. How she wished Beth or Erza would wipe that condescending attitude off of him!

Erza was unfazed by Hubert's tactics. She intended to brute for her way to the end of this event anyway, and Wendy's enhancements were still in effect. Titania requipped her Purgatory Armor and mace and pushed forward, slamming the blade into the side of a doll. To Erza's surprise, the doll barely budged! "What the…!?" And Erza was then punched by the doll, skidding backwards against the platform a great deal. "Ngh…!"

"Erza-san!" Wendy pushed forward, pointing her hand at the doll as wind circulated around her palm. "Wind Palm!" A burst of Sky Dragon Slaying exploded from her palm, dismantling the doll before it could cause more harm. "Are you all right!?"

"I'm fine…that was just surprising…" Erza admitted.

"Hah!" Waiston laughed at Erza's attempt. "Caught off guard by a doll? Looks like your win against Cyg was just luck. But that runs out eventually. Watch how a skillful mage acts!" The Ice dragon then dashed forward, leaping into the air as ice wrapped around his leg. "Ice Dragon's Smash!" With a flip, the Frozen Dragon slammed his leg onto the head of a lacrima doll…or so he thought. The doll blocked the strike, much to his chagrin. "Tch…try this then!" The Eclipse mage flipped back while inhaling. "Ice Dragon's…ROAR!" With a powerful exhale, a funnel of frost covered a wide radius. Beth and Sophie had to leap out of the way while the ice tornado consumed the lacrima dolls for a few seconds…before flames erupted from their body to cancel out the ice! "What the hell!?"

"…Oh?" Emmeraude lifted a brow. "I certainly didn't do this…"

"That's…not normal…" Reve grumbled.

"Did I forget to mention…?" Hubert spoke. "I can also imbue these objects with various types of magic. My blade is an archive. It stores various magic it sees and is able to replicate it to perfection. I can then use this to imbue soldiers with whatever magic I deem necessary for the situation. Depending on their distance determines the weapon they use. For example…" With a snap of his fingers, the dolls lingering in the back had Gatling guns form on their hands, unleashing a spray of bullets that aimed at everyone!

"Amazing…! H-Hubert has completely taken over the field to his advantage!" Chapati gasped.

"What is this guy!?" Jenny asked.

"Tyson!" Waiston looked back at the rookie, who nodded in understanding.

"Fusion Make: Metal Storm!" Tyson made use of the metal wall he created earlier and broke it apart into large pieces that flew forward, striking down the dolls before they could do too much damage. "Now!"

"No need to tell me twice!" Waiston grinned while leaping into the sky. "Ice Dragon's Glacial Rain!" Waiston clapped his hands together, creating a magic seal that caused large chunks of ice to fall and crash down from above! Erza protected Wendy by slashing the incoming chunks of ice. Sophie used her strength to punch the chunks of ice into shards while Beth used an onslaught of carrots to defend herself.

"You're open." Hubert pulled his blade apart and formed one sword into a pistol, pointing it at the unsuspecting Tyson. A bullet flew from the barrel and struck Tyson in the chest, exploding into a shockwave of sound that knocked him off.

"Tyson…!" The rookies, even Reiss, exclaimed in worry. Tyson was hurt, but the injury was nothing serious.

"Tyson is the third one to fall! That leaves Waiston, Wendy, Erza, Beth, and Hubert!" Chapati reported. "And Sophie of course!"

"I think it would do the rest of you well to just fall off one by one. This battle is mine." Hubert stated. When he glanced up, he could see the number of lacrima dolls slowing down to a halt. There was nothing left in terms of reinforcements. "Hm…it seems production wasn't as endless as the woman claimed it to be. No matter. These numbers will suffice. Attack." Hubert commanded the dolls to march forward.

"Go, Protos Heis. Show them your power." Emmeraude clicked her tongue with a grin. Even though this situation wasn't what she had in mind for this event, this scenario was perfect to show Fiore the power of her dear creation.

Sophie's eyes flashed once more, a pink aura flaring around her body. "Accel: 50%!" Sophie's power caused the platform to rumble violently. She then pushed forward, only visible as a streak of pink light to the untrained eye. "I will run…with the wind!" The pink light ricocheted off the lacrima dolls and within the very same second, Sophie stood with her back turned to all of them. The dolls exploded violently, rending them to nothing but pieces of junk! "Shadow Moment."

"S-She destroyed them all!?" Jenny felt a little stressed out, which was bad for the skin!

"…Did you know she could do that?" Cygnus looked at the others, who all shrugged.

"Sophie-chan…" Yayuya was just surprised as everyone else.

"I suppose the term Endless was false advertising." Emmeraude applauded slowly. "There are still 10 minutes left, by the way. With no dolls left…I suppose this is another last man standing type deal. Just be sure my daughter isn't the last one standing~"

"Heh…" Waiston dusted off his shoulders. The wind wrapped around his body as he entered his Frozen Sky dual mode. This caught Wendy's attention immediately, just as he was planning. "All right. So I think it's time I wrap this up. Oh? What's that look for? Are you upset that I've been making better use of your magic than you? Can you blame me? Being the superior mage and all!"

"Mmm…." Cynthia frowned. "Wendy was really upset when Waiston ate her magic. She doesn't like talking about it…but I know it bothers her a ton…"

"Wendy….don't fall for his taunts. He's just trying to rile you up." Erza explained.

"What? You worried she can't take me on her own? How are you going to let her have some independence if you won't let her fight me alone? She's what now, 15? 16?" Waiston's taunts only continued. "Then again…she's not the aggressive type on her own."

"I was only looking out for you." Erza shot back with a confident smirk. "Wendy, feel free to destroy him. I know it's something you feel you have to do."

"Thank you, Erza-san…" Wendy nodded and her hair and eyes changed color immediately. Dragon Force was active and Wendy sped off towards Waiston, appearing as a blur due to her high speed!

While Wendy went to deal with Waiston, Erza turned her attention to Hubert, who was also being targeted by Beth. An alliance was in store as the two females lunged at Hubert, who only sighed at this outcome. Everyone was engaging in their own battles, but Sophie stood in the middle of the platform during this time. Emmeraude didn't give her a command, so she wasn't sure who to target. "…"

.

.

Yumia and Yukia watched the event from their usual positions up above. The twins were interested in the way things were playing out, and more so in Sophie. "Hey hey…isn't that the thing Lady Nercon was looking for?" Yumia asked her sister.

"Without a doubt." Yukia said with a curt nod. "If we found it, we were to get a bonus on our next pay! But….I don't think that's going to be possible at this rate."

.

.

Wendy was doing her best to blitz Waiston. She was undeniably faster than he was, and that showed as she constantly sped past him, slicing at him with vicious winds. Waiston held his ground, keeping his senses sharp. Wendy was a tough one to strike in Dragon Force! "You really are fast…" Waiston admitted. Wendy then appeared in front of him, aiming a fist right at his chest…which he grabbed! "But that's all you are."

"…!" Wendy's eyes widened as Waiston caught her punch. Even though Waiston slid back, Wendy didn't realize that she had fallen right into a trap until it was too late.

"You lack aggression without your little friend beside you!" Waiston grinned while pivoting on his heel. He hurled Wendy off to the side while and exhaled a heavy breath. "Frozen Sky Dragon's Roar!" The roar Waiston unleashed was a large blizzard that consumed Wendy! The temperature of the roar was so slow Wendy's body was partially frozen over and she hit the ground in a bit of a frostbitten state.

"And Wendy goes down…" Jenny spoke.

"Wendy…!" Cynthia didn't care what was going on, she was rushing to Wendy's aid immediately!

"Looks like Waiston went a little too far…" Aira said while rubbing the back of her head.

"Nonsense…" Reve said while waving his hand. "She had no business even trying to fully fight Waiston knowing the conditions."

"Only 4 remain!" Chapati announced.

"Time to clean up…" Waiston dusted his hands off and turned around…only to be met with Beth, who was kicked into him with force! That slight moment of his guard being let down cost him and he tipped over the edge and fell along with Beth! Since Waiston was technically the first to fall, he was going to be placed in 4th, while Beth was getting 3rd!

"He dropped his guard…" Kuro said with a sweat drop.

Hubert exhaled softly while withdrawing his blade. "This has gone on for a little too long." Looking between Sophie and Erza, it was clear to him what the result was going to be: his victory. "I'm going to bring this to a close."

"You speak so confidently…" Erza pointed her sword at Hubert. "Your attitude is quite a nuisance."

"I only speak the truth." Hubert spoke while adjusting his glasses. "Accel: 50%" A cyan aura wavered around Hubert's body. The utterance of those words caused Sophie's eyes to widen and she pointed at him accusingly.

"Wait…why can do you do that? I thought that was my ability?" Sophie asked.

"It's quite simple. I was your prototype. So it's only natural I'm capable of sharing some of your abilities. Fate is quite a funny thing at times…" Hubert merged his Dualblade together into one large cannon, accumulating a massive amount of magic within the barrel. "Colonel Cannon!" With a click of the trigger, a massive beam of raw magic shot forth from the cannon, barreling towards both Sophie and Erza at terrifying speeds!

"Whoa…" Sophie crossed her arms, using her gauntlets as shields to protect from the Colonel Cannon and Erza used her Adamantine Armor once again to stay on the defensive! The barrier Sophie created did hold strong, but the sheer force Hubert packed was enough to push her backwards! Eventually Sophie was overwhelmed and thrown off the arena. "Ahhhhh….!" Thud. Sophie was down!

"Ngh…" Erza could feel her armor chipping away slowly. It was holding strong against Hubert's boosted Colonel Cannon, but she was losing ground quickly! A risky plan was in motion. A bright golden light wrapped around her body and she pushed into the sky in her Black Wing Armor! Using her aerial momentum, Erza dove towards Hubert, shifting once again into her Giant's Armor to pack an even bigger punch. "Time for you to FALL!" Erza's fist slammed into Hubert's chest, lifting him off his feet and he began to fall off the arena!

"Oh! Is this it!? Did Erza Scarlet steal victory for Fairy Tail!?" Chapati was at the edge of his seat. Hubert was just about to touch the ground, meaning victory was in the name of Fairy Tail A…..

That was until Hubert silently scoffed. His body vanished just before he hit the ground; in his place, Erza! While he stood in the center of the arena while adjusting his glasses. "An insufficient strike to be sure. You must pack more of a punch if you wish to even come close to harming me. Territory Magic does have its uses…"

The entire stadium was in silent awe. Erza was one second away from victory…but now she was standing where Hubert should've been! Chapati needed a moment to gather his thoughts before saying what nobody could believe! "A-And just like that…Hubert Ozwell of Empyrean Dawn has stolen victory! This means that Empyrean Dawn gains 10 points!"

"Well well…not bad, Bert-chan!" Zinnia shrugged.

"WOO HOO! Hubert kicked some ass!" Nina said, overexcitedly.

"As I said earlier…" Hubert crossed his arms behind his back, casually making his exit after hopping off of the platform. "Victory belongs to me. The rest of you are just children playing pretend battle."

1st: Fairy Tail B: 49

2nd: Fairy Tail A: 48

3rd: Empyrean Dawn: 47

4th: White Eclipse A: 46

5th: Sabertooth: 41

6th: White Eclipse B: 40

7th: Blue Pegasus: 34

8th: Mermaid Heel: 26

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Next Time: My Games.


	120. Chapter 120: My Games

Results after the Day 4 Event:

1st: Fairy Tail B: 49

2nd: Fairy Tail A: 48

3rd: Empyrean Dawn: 47

4th: White Eclipse A: 46

5th: Sabertooth: 41

6th: White Eclipse B: 40

7th: Blue Pegasus: 34

8th: Mermaid Heel: 26

Emmeraude and Hisui were busy patching Sophie up after the event. Sophie looked a little disappointed with herself. "I'm sorry…I didn't win…"

"Oh, you adorable thing." Emmeraude chuckled a little bit at Sophie's words. "You weren't supposed to win. I simply wanted you to do your best and gain some experience. Which I believe you did."

"Plus…" Hisui added. "You did well out there." She may have been a little jealous that Sophie had most of Emmeraude's attention as of late, but she wasn't going to let her feel bad like this.

"I remember Hubert…" Sophie said. "I was surprised to see him here…last time I saw him he was so small…and I didn't look like how I do now…"

"Little Hubert has grown up." Emmeraude snickered quietly. Truly, things were beginning to get better and better within these Games. This was just the type of thing she needed to break the mundane cycle Fiore often experienced. "But that's unimportant right now. I'm anxious to see how the fights I have planned for today turned out. It's going to cause quite a stir…"

.

Cynthia had a towel wrapped around the shivering Wendy, emitting some heat from her body in attempt to warm up the dragon slayer. "Are you okay, Wendy?"

"…..I let him goad me into attacking…." Wendy sighed. "I wanted to show them that I could be aggressive…"

"You don't need to prove anything." Carla said while wagging her finger. "Especially not to them."

"Yeah!" Natsu said to reassure Wendy. "The way you've fought before has really helped us all in the past. You don't gotta prove to those asshats to be something you're not. You've got talents only you have! Or something." Surprisingly, Natsu could be considerate and encouraging. He was right. Wendy did have talents that no other dragon slayer present could truly make use of…that was her role after all.

"...Wow, I didn't think you could be insightful." Gray said with a teasing grin. But instead of going head to head with Natsu, the two just nodded at each other.

"They're still young." Mavis commented about both Cynthia and Wendy, smiling softly. "They have a lot to learn…but thanks to all of you, they've been budding beautifully. You two are already very dependable. When you grow older, you'll be very strong mages. That I promise you."

"A-Ah…you're flattering us…" Cynthia spoke while bashfully rubbing the back of her head.

"T-Thank you, First." Wendy bowed her head. Even though she was upset with herself for falling into Waiston's trap…but the support she was given did make her smile. "When it's time to fight…I'll be ready…!"

"And I'll be right beside you!" Cynthia exclaimed.

"Ah, such another beautiful show of mutual trust!" Zelos hummed loudly and obnoxiously. "You all trust each other so much, I can't help but be a little envious. Being able to make someone feel better so easily…why can't I have that?"

"Because you're obnoxious." Mii shot. "But I'm really no better…I also don't care either. But a girl loves a compliment every now and then." The angel winked at everyone, only to get a collective groan.

"It's always difficult to tell if she's serious or not…" Cana groaned while rubbing the back of her head. "And it's always hard to tell if she's lying."

"Looks like they're all in high spirits again." Mira said with a soft smile. "I'm glad. But now there's another pressing issue that's concerning me."

"If you mean Empyrean Dawn…" Mest spoke. "Then I'd say you have a right to be concerned. Digging up information on them is difficult. Their guild is Independent and their members are experts at hiding their past. Unfortunately I wish I could say that was the least suspicious thing in the Games so far…"

"I don't like that Sophie." Lucy stated, flatly. The blonde's tone was unnaturally cold when she said it. It was almost a little concerning.

Erza pondered for a moment. "She has attacked you in the past for some reason, right? I can understand your dislike. But if Lady Emmeraude is going to deploy her for tomorrow's event as well…it is something to be mindful of. She was a very adept opponent for being so young. There was something about her movements that I couldn't quite read…"

"Ah, you shouldn't worry about it." Mii shrugged. "You should worry about the fact the lead is slipping away! There are only 2 days left to this thing, right? You all started off so strong, but now they're all creeping up on ya like I do when Lucy's in the shower."

"Yeah, thanks for that by the way…" Lucy's tone carried heavy sarcasm, but Mii just smiled it off. "Anyway…we should be getting ready…the matches are soon…"

.

.

"And welcome back!" Chapati yelled to the audience. "After that short break, we are back to begin the Day 4 fights! There's only today, tomorrow, and the final day for these points! Starting off…"

"Starting off!" Emmeraude once again interrupted Chapati. She was starting to run the show now and that made Chapati sweat a little bit since he was hired as the announcer for the Games. "We have Mermaid Heel's Kagura Mikazuchi vs. Blue Pegasus' Hibiki Lates!"

"Finally, Kagura's fighting!" Daryan grinned, preparing himself to cheer for the woman that had his heart.

"The moment you start cheering is the moment her performance falls apart. What if she loses because of you?" Jack questioned with a know it all smirk. "That would be hilarious!"

"Pssh, shut up, half-pint." Daryan said with a scowl. "She's got more mental fortitude than you think."

"Whatever, dude…" Jack scoffed. He then noticed Heartless just blankly staring ahead. "Uh…you good? You've have that scowl on your face for a while now. Since that little Sophie or whatever started fighting. Kinda creepy…."

"…I'm fine." Heartless stated dully.

"Mmm…" Tia was concerned…but pressing the issue wasn't going to do any good. Especially when Heartless lived up to her name.

Kagura and Hibiki stepped into the arena. Hibiki adjusted his tie while staring at Kagura. "Oh my…a truly fearsome opponent indeed. Calm and composed…I'd expect nothing less from Mermaid Heel's beautiful ace."

"Your compliments mean nothing to me." Kagura's tone was cold. It was only to be expected, so Hibiki laughed it off softly.

"Kick his ass, Kagura-chan! I'm rooting for you!" Daryan shouted from the crowd.

And for a moment, one could see a visible tick mark of anger on Kagura's forehead. Daryan's presence complicated things for her immensely and she wished that he would just shut up. So much for that mental fortitude. Despite the annoyance, her hand was placed on the hilt of her blade. "Ignore the idiot."

"Are both fighters ready?" One would think Hisui, the one who was overseeing the fight as the referee was the one saying this. But no, Emmeraude was starting to commandeer this ship. "15 minutes begins now!"

"The lady gets the first move." Hibiki bowed, but at the same time he had an archive up and ready. While power was not his strongest suit, he had ways of participating in combat when the time called for it.

"I hope you don't regret that notion." Never one for many words in combat, Kagura placed one foot forward and was already off! With her Gravity Change taking effect, Kagura was able to decrease the gravity around her person to increase her speed. The gap was closed and the hilt of Archenemy met with Hibiki's gut. The handsome man could barely stand against such might and was thrown back, tumbling across the ground.

"Woo! That's my girl!" Daryan's voice seemed louder than usual, even for him. Or perhaps it was just louder to Kagura?

Either way…Kagura grimaced at the sound of Daryan's voice. If she kept listening to him, she was almost certain her concentration was going to suffer because of it. _"Just ignore the idiot…"_ She repeated over and over. Her guard remained up as Hibiki began to stand once again.

"That was quite a heavy hit…" Jenny said, slightly worried for Hibiki's wellbeing. "But Hibiki is a strong, handsome man. He'll be up before you know it!"

"That was a sharp stab…" Hibiki made his way to his feet, keeping his cool and composed smile. "As expected of Mermaid Heel's strongest. But do not underestimate me; I have an archive of magic at my disposal. You're going to see how handsomely terrifying the storage of information can be." As Hibiki spoke, he swiped his hand horizontally, bringing up his archive. "From Eve-san, I present to you: White Fury!" The Trimen extended his hand forward, making use of the data he archived from his junior to unleash a potent blizzard in Kagura's direction. The blizzard was fast and struck Kagura, chilling her to the bone as the sharp, frigid winds nipped at her skin.

"I knew my technique would prove useful." Eve said with a satisfied grin on his face.

"A little chill isn't going to stop Kagura!" A somewhat battered Milliana exclaimed from the sidelines. Bandages were wrapped around various places around her body, but she seemed to be in high spirits.

"Bash his handsome face in!" Melody was always so violent when it came to cheering others on.

The blizzard was more of an annoyance than anything else. Kagura refused to let some cold weather bother her too much and merely focused her attention on Hibiki. The Gravity Change increased the gravity in Hibiki's area, causing his knees to buckle. Using this to her advantage, the ace Mermaid stepped forward to slash once again…only for Hibiki to easily flip above her as though he were light as a feather! "…" Kagura's eyes followed Hibiki as he unleashed a burst of air he likely obtained from Ren. Kagura slashed through it easily as Hibiki landed, causing the crowd to gasp.

"How did he break free of her Gravity Change?" The crowd murmured various, similar questions as Hibiki stood proudly.

"Psh. If that was my Gravity, he'd be on his knees, bowing to me." Cygnus stated cockily.

"I'm sorry to inform you, but that trick won't be so effective on me." Hibiki stated while adjusting his tie. "If I use Gravity Magic to cancel out what you use…then it is rendered null and I have free movement."

"A clever ruse!" Chapati said.

"Yes, eliminating one of her options is rather clever." Siegrain acknowledged Hibiki's ploy, but there was still a knowing smirk on his face despite this fact. "But let us not forget Kagura's rank. She is a frighteningly strong woman for a reason."

"Which is precisely why she's going to win." Daryan sounded as though the battle was already decided.

"I see." Kagura's expression didn't change. Rather she unsheathed her blade, using her gravity magic to increase the weight of the sword. A simple slash sent an intense wave of gravity forward, one that Hibiki wasn't prepared for and was nearly swept off his feet! The slash kicked up a large amount of debris, leveling the arena just a little bit as Kagura showcased some of her power.

"Looks like someone's been practicing." Erza said with a hint of a smile. It had been quite some time since she really saw Kagura fight, so this was satisfying to her.

"Such strength…" Hibiki admitted while regaining his footing. Kagura was a strong opponent indeed; however it would be completely unhandsome if he were to give up because of that! "But I shall strike…!" And he barely had the chance to counter attack! Kagura's hand extended forward and her gravity came into effect once again, lifting the pieces of debris she created and flung them at Hibiki at blinding speeds! "Whoa…! Such beauty in her relentlessness!" A strange time to be fawning, but this was a member of Blue Pegasus after all. Hibiki brought Darren's magic into the fray this time, releasing waves of sound to shatter the rubble before too many of them could bruise his handsome face. The remaining waves of sound barreled towards Kagura.

The ace Mermaid refused to wave. Archenemy was lifted in a defensive stance to block the soundwaves. While the waves did shred her clothing and push her back, Kagura herself was relatively unharmed. "…."

"Ah, that's my Kagura-chan! So cool even when she's miles ahead!" Daryan began to gush, loudly, and unnecessarily. It made Dealer and Cosmic Star sweat since they were seriously concerned Daryan's obnoxious fanboying was going to disrupt Kagura. Despite her efforts to ignore him, Daryan's voice left a bad impression ever since they first met and she couldn't help but instinctively grow upset around him.

"Now…!" Hibiki was preparing another attack, but in a flash, Kagura appeared before him with her hand placed against his chest. Before the Trimen could do anything else, a forceful blast of gravity shot from Kagura's palm and carried Hibiki to the arena wall within a matter of seconds for a crash impact. "…..!"

The entire audience was in a little bit of shock at how aggressive Kagura became so aggressive so quickly! It was a little unnatural. Mermaid Heel stared, the audience was quiet, and Erza just blinked a few times. Hisui cleared her throat and began to speak. "H-Hibiki has suffered a ringout…! That means Kagura is the victor, granting Mermaid Heel 10 points!"

"Such aggression." Siegrain chuckled softly.

"Oh…" Jenny was a little dejected at Hibiki's result. She had faith in him, then Kagura just had to go and do…that.

"…I had to quiet the voice." Kagura said while shaking her head. That was her way of apologizing to the stunned Hibiki. But unfortunately for her…

"WHEW! THAT'S MY GIRL!" Daryan's cheer was very loud in a quiet stadium. Kagura growled lowly and stomped off.

"Ah, young love. Isn't it beautiful?" Emmeraude snickered at Daryan's unyielding devotion to Kagura. "I'm sure his cheering caused her to go all out. It's such an adorable thing." A comical cloud of dust was left where Kagura once stood. She didn't want to be any part of this topic any longer, nor being the center of attention.

"I think Daryan has a detrimental effect on Kagura's wellbeing…" Erza said with a comical sweat drop. But there was really nothing that could be done…that was Kagura's problem.

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"Now it's time for the second fight of the day!" Is what Chapati was supposed to say…but Emmeraude was getting rather fond of hogging the spotlight. "Don't worry Chapati, you're still getting paid. But I would like to announce for today, it's just so fun!"

"W-Who am I to complain about the wishes of our Queen?" Chapati said with a smile. "Please, do as you wish! I only ask that you allow sir Siegrain and the beautiful Jenny to commentate as well!"

"Of course." Emmeraude offered a soft smile. "But as for today…the second fight will be White Eclipse A vs. White Eclipse B." There was utter silence after that announcement.

"…I'm sorry. I'm getting old…" Mary said while cleaning out her ears. "What was that matchup?"

"Is there a problem?" Emmeraude lifted her brow at the stunned silence. "Oh! I'm so very sorry…it slipped my mind on day one…but I should've made a specific mention to Fairy Tail and White Eclipse that there was a strong chance they'd be fighting their secondary teams. It's such a hassle planning matchups to avoid this…so I decided that they'd fight each other. As far as I'm concerned, they're all different teams. Is this a problem? It is the will of your Queen, after all…." An aura stared to form around Emmeraude. It was subtle, but her magic pressure was staring to make itself known. "I am the one who has orchestrated these Games. These Games are mine...so I am able to do as I see fit, yes...?"

"W-What is this power…?" Mavis gasped, beginning to sweat slightly as Emmeraude's power put her on edge. "Everyone, stay back!" Even though she was nothing more than a projection at the moment, that didn't stop some of her power from being shown as a special barrier, somewhat similar to Fairy Sphere, activated around Fairy Tail.

"Don't move." Calium commanded, activing an Eclipse Shell around those of White Eclipse just in the nick of time.

Those barriers served useful for what happened next. An invisible shockwave shot out from Emmeraude, spanning the entirety of Fiore as she imposed her will on every citizen in the country! "You'll all agree with me, right? After all…the Queen's word is final."

"Agh…!" Jack placed his hands over his ears, groaning out along with the rest of his comrades. "What the shit…!? What is this pressure…!?"

"It's like…she's trying to crush our minds…." Spade exclaimed. "But…we're not even citizens of this country…!"

"This is…ridiculous…!" Tia grit her teeth. "I am not…taking orders from her!"

"This goes beyond trying to crush our minds…" With one hand on her head, Heartless spoke calmly despite the pressure. "It's as though…she's trying to force her will on everyone in this country…"

"Someone can have that kind of power…?" Shadowlore grumbled. "That doesn't make any sense…!"

"If you're already the Queen…what can't you do…?" Magnus responded. "But to resist this…it's taking all of my mental fortitude…"

"Uh….yes Queen Emmeraude…" Strong said, speaking in a trance like most of the normal citizens.

"We already lost one…!" Diamond whipped her hand across Strong's neck to snap him out of it. "Come on you idiot, think…!"

"This woman…" Gaia narrowed her eyes at Emmeraude. Luckily for her, this dragon's old age was enough for her to have enough mental strength to suppress Emmeraude's attempt to invade her mind…but the same couldn't be said for most of the others in the stadium…or even Fiore really.

As for Takeba, who was watching in the stands, her hands went to her ears and she grimaced noticeably. "Guh…so that's what's been going on…Emmeraude, you fiend….! No wonder you were branded as the traitor…!"

Darren hissed at the pain. His mental strength was extremely strong, since it was simply Shade posing as someone else. But even then…the amount of pressure Emmeraude was exuding could potentially overpower him as well. This was unbelievable for the high ranking Wizard Hunter. "This is….truly…disssspicable…."

Hisui cringed along with most everyone else. Such a terrible pressure felt like it was going to tear her mind apart. "A-Ah…!"

.

Yumia and Yukia were also having a hard time staying true to themselves as well. "Ngh…what is this…?!" The two twins spoke in unison while trying to protect themselves.

.

"Such…a wretched voice…!" Cobra hissed. There was absolutely no safe spot to escape from Emmeraude's will. She was ensuring that everyone in the country would follow it.

"Ah…what is this…?!" Angel groaned. "I can't stand someone else's thoughts entering my head…! Get out, damn you…!"

"This….." Jellal was on a knee, gasping for air as he tried to breathe. This was unlike anything he'd ever felt before.

.

.

After a few moments, the pressure ceased and Emmeraude merely smiled to the people. "Isn't it fine?" She questioned, referring to her earlier decision of having two teams of the same guild fight once another. The response was a mostly collaborative 'yes' from the audience, barring a few select people. "I'm all glad you think so!" Clasping her hands together, the Queen presented a bright smile.

"Anyone wanna explain what the FUCK just happened!?" Gajeel noticed the shift in the arena immediately. The audience turned into mindless lapdogs that agreed to everything Emmeraude said.

"I'm not sure what that was all about…" Zelos began, speaking while placing his arms behind his head. "But that was most certainly not normal. Sure would love that woman to step on me though."

Ignoring that last part…it was consensus that what just happened was indeed not normal. Mavis began to sweat slightly. Even with that barrier up, she felt such immense force. "This woman….I…I don't know what she is. But I think normal is far from it." The First Master of Fairy Tail spoke to reiterate her point from before.

"….." Lucy remained silent. Her eyes were a little dull, just like the rest of the audience. She only caught herself with Natsu shook her slightly to snap out of it. "I-I'm fine…! Everything just…happened so quickly I zoned out." She immediately spoke. "I don't know what happened…but it didn't work on me…!" She spoke confidently and was sure of herself. But then…why did she feel like something was off? There was already something wrong with her she couldn't figure out, she really didn't need anything else to add onto this mental and physical plate.

Emmeraude sat back down on her seat, crossing one leg over the other. "Now then…will Tyson Byrant and Kuro Crane go into the arena? I think its fun watching those who competed in the events try and fight again…there's no entertainment if everyone was fresh."

"I don't have any idea what's going on…" Tyson began with an exasperated sigh. "But this just isn't my day…"

Aira leaned over to Calium, gently poking the Master on the shoulder. "Master…are we safe now…?"

"For now." Calium responded. "I was able to react in time to shield you all from…whatever that was. But if it was I think it was…then we need to be wearier of the lady in office…we had that barrier protecting us, but I can't say the same for those of the other guilds. They may have been enthralled by that spell…"

.

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After that little Emmeraude incident…Reve left the audience stands and went off on his own. Even though White Eclipse was forced to fight each other, he wasn't going to sit by and watch that. Something caught his eyes amidst it all: another attempt on Emmeraude's life. It was a long range attempt…but in the end, the assailant was likely unable to go through with it due to the Queen's will imposing on everyone. Reve walked down the quiet corridor, listening for the sound of footsteps. Eventually, he saw a cloaked figure wandering through the halls. The two just looked like they were going to pass by each other…and as soon as they did; Reve grabbed the cloak and swung it off before the assassin could react. The expression on his face? A little bit of surprise, but mostly stern after that. A woman with brown hair stood with her back turned to him…but he already figured it out during the first attempt on Emmeraude's life. "The assassin that tried to kill Fiore's Queen. I didn't expect to see you again…and not like this…

Skye Ravenwood."

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Next Time: Imperial Will


	121. Chapter 121: Imperial Will

Skye had her back turned to Reve, looking over her shoulder at the gunslinger. The roaring of the audience could be heard in the hallways, and Skye merely shook her head. "I don't know who you are, or how you know me. But it's in your best interest to leave me be."

That response made Reve's eyes widen. Did she really not remember? Then again…the last time anyone ever even saw Skye was her public execution by the hands of Siegrain. "What happened to you? And why did you try to kill Emmeraude?"

Skye felt her head ache as Reve pressed her for questions. She had no qualms in drawing her sword out to point it at Reve's neck. "Those questions don't concern you. You are not my target…but if you don't leave me alone, I will make you into another victim." A cold look was in those brown eyes of hers. It was as though she were a completely different than when Reve saw her last. If Adam, Kairi, and Heather weren't watching the fights, this situation would've been more favorable for the gunslinger.

"So…you're waiting for a chance to kill her. Why?" Reve was undeterred. If he needed to, he knew how to lean away from a blade due to his countless brawls against Erza. Reve didn't budge from his position. It was a strange standoff that only lasted until a bell rang. The match between Kuro and Tyson was already over!?

"Tyson has fallen! That means the winner of this match is Kuro Crane from White Eclipse A!" Hisui's voice was heard through the intercom for those who currently weren't present in the arena. "White Eclipse A gets 10 points…!"

"Over already…?" Reve muttered, taking his eyes off of Skye for just one second. That one second was costly as the assassin used this time to slip away! By the time Reve turned his head, the female was already rounding a corner and she was soon out of sight. "Damn it…" There was not much cause to worry, though. At the very least, Reve knew that Skye was around, and that she wasn't going to be leaving the capital until her job ended in failure or success… "We'll be back for you, Ravenwood."

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The next match of the day was Rogue vs. Wendy; Sabertooth vs. Fairy Tail B. Emmeraude was having such a fun time pitting those in the event against one another. It created a sort of frantic tension that one couldn't get anywhere else! The Queen crossed one leg over the other, presenting a wide smile! "Such breathtaking fights! Watching those who have fought try to overcome their exhaustion is truly a show for me."

"…I think there's something wrong with her." Minerva scowled. It was easy to tell that Emmeraude was making spur of the moment decisions since the day started. While it did add a bit of flare to the Games as a whole, her way of going about it was…most irritating.

"Come on Wendy! Beat his butt!" Cynthia cheered loudly.

Wendy was still a little slow from Waiston's cold. Even though Cynthia did her job to warm her up, it was going to take a little bit of time before she was moving at full speed! The same could also be said for Rogue; his wound from Hubert in the event was also hindering his performance, thus making it that much harder to battle! Wendy zipped to Rogue's side and exhaled, releasing a full power whirlwind in his direction. "Sky Dragon's Roar!"

"Ngh…!" Rogue brought his arms up to mitigate the damage from Wendy's roar. It was clear that even though there wasn't much power packed into the roar, the pressure of the winds was enough to push him backwards! Wendy may not have been the confrontational type, but in a battle where there was more than one way to win…she could be a threat! Pushing him to the edge was an extremely viable option, one that both dragon slayer could use as they were not at 100% at the moment.

"And Wendy's impressive Roar is pushing Rogue backwards! Will she be able to hold it long enough to push Rogue out!"

"Come on, Rogue! She's tiny, you can shove her down!" Sting's method of cheering was…odd to say the least. But he was rooting for his best partner after all.

"She's still a little slow…but Rogue is as well…" Rufus remarked.

"I can't let her push me back like this…" Rogue grit his teeth as he was getting closer to the arena wall. The Shadow Dragon dipped into the darkness, avoiding the rest of the roar. His reappearance was a few feet away from Wendy with his cheeks inflated. "Shadow Dragon's Roar!" From Rogue's lips, a funnel of darkness shot forth, barreling towards the Sky Dragon with ill intent!

"…!" Wendy turned the moment Rogue appeared beside her. Arms crossed as she took the full brunt of the roar, sliding backwards as a result. Wendy's arms felt bruised but she wasn't going to let that stop her! She was here fighting for the sake of Fairy Tail and nothing would stop her! "That hurt…but I won't stop here…!" Wendy clenched her hand into a fist, allowing red flames to begin circulating around her body! Omega Flame Sky was active and it was proof of her will to fight. The dual dragon placed her hands on the ground, forming a magic seal directly under Rogue. "Searing Gale!" From the magic seal, a whirlwind of wind and omega flame rose up from underneath the Sabertooth mage to scorch him with the intense wind and flame!

Rogue grimaced as the magic seal formed under him. The combination of wind and fire proved to be a big problem. He couldn't stay in there for long otherwise he'd be brought down in no time. Black scales formed along Rogue's face as he pushed himself to enter his Dragon Force! With all of his parameters vastly increased, he reached for the katana at his waist and imbued the blade with Shadow Dragon slaying. "Secret Art: Shadow Dragon's Quiet Rage." With several swift slashes of his katana, the male was able to break through the twister by slicing it into nothing! Rogue didn't stop there! It was a full rush down towards the opposing Dragon Slayer as he attempted to end this match right here. "This is where it ends…!"

"I won't stop fighting until I fall…!" Wendy shouted, rushing forward to meet with Rogue as omega flames and wind wrapped around her fist. The two dragon slayers were about to have a powerful clash in the middle of the field when…

Ding!

"Time's up!" Hisui exclaimed. Both dragon slayers stopped dead in their tracks at the sound of the bell. "Both combatants are still standing…which means this battle is a tie-kabo! Both Fairy Tail B and Sabertooth get 5 points!"

"Time sure flew with that one…" Jenny said while crossing one leg over the other. "Battles between Dragon Slayers can be so intense, time just goes by."

"An amazing battle to be sure!" Chapati grinned. "Wendy-tan being adorable as always, fighting for her guild!"

"I'd watch what you say, Chapati-san…." Jenny redirected the hosts' gaze to the burning crimson glare of Cynthia off in the distance. "Otherwise you might find a look that can kill." A teasing tone was the way the model spoke.

"But now there is only one battle left until this day is over. I wonder what it could be." Siegrain had a small grin on his face.

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"Now, it's time for the final battle of the day." Emmeraude stood up, leaning over the railing as her hands spread out into the air. "Fairy Tail A's Lucy Heartfilia vs. Empyrean Dawn's Hubert Ozwell!"

"Wait, what are you doing…?" Sophie blinked at Emmeraude's announcement.

"It'll be fine, my dear." The Queen said while patting Sophie's head. "It'll just be a little test, that's all. The severity of the infection will be shone through this battle. Trust me…"

"You go this, Lucy!" Natsu said while giving Lucy a pat on the back.

"H-Heh! Yeah, I'll be sure to win!" Lucy said with a firm nod.

"How about a kiss for good luck?" Zelos said with a sly grin.

"I'll pass." Lucy didn't even look at the male as she walked past him.

"Ha, shot down." Mii taunted.

Lucy met Hubert in the arena, swallowing the nervous lump in her throat. It was very clear she was up against some strong opponent…and she also recalled how Hubert was the one to fatally injure Kagura, Chelia, and Raven back on the Isle. Let's not forget his performance in the event just a little while ago as well. She was standing before a seasoned veteran of combat…but when did that ever stop her! Lucy stared Hubert down, not backing down! A golden light wrapped around her body as she entered Stardress: Taurus! The whip was drawn and she was prepared for combat. "I hope you don't think I'll be some easy opponent."

Hubert remained calm, merely lifting a brow at Lucy's stance and choice of words. "You're my opponent…and as all opponents before me, you will fall."

"…" Kagura said not a word. She only looked on as the battle was about to commence. Every time she glanced at Hubert, that scar on her stomach started to hurt just a little bit more…

"Are both of you ready?" Hisui looked between Hubert and Lucy. "15 minutes begins…now-kabo!"

"Let the test commence." Emmeraude spoke quietly, but there was a hint of a sinister smile on her purple painted lips as well.

Lucy was the first one to begin once the bell rang. With a powerful swing of her whip, the weapon slammed into the ground with such force a crevasse was created, large chunks of debris flying towards Hubert as part of the arena was split "Haaah!"

"And Lucy starts off strong!" Chapati yelled.

"Hmph…" Hubert took a leap to the side to avoid the split in the ground. His Dualblade was drawn, turned into dual pistols as several shots were fired off to destroy the debris before it could even come close to him. The Empyrean then merged the weapons together once again, forming bow and the bowstring was composed of red energy. "Tempest Arrow." A arrow composed of raw magic formed within the bowstring. Hubert drew the string back and let loose the arrow, and it flew at an alarming rate towards the celestial mage.

"…!" Lucy's eyes widened at the devastating arrow barreling her direction. With a quick dodge roll, the arrow zoomed past the celestial wizard and absolutely decimated the arena wall upon impact. "Is he trying to kill me…?" Lucy muttered before drawing out a golden key. "Gate of the Archer, I open thee! Sagittarius!" With a bell chime, the archer appeared beside his master.

"How can I assist you, moshi-moshi?" Sagittarius spoke while saluting.

"Fire on my mark!" Lucy left those instructions to her spirit and began to rush Hubert down. The golden light around her body shifted her Stardress from Taurus to Cancer, and now the woman was speeding towards the Empyrean male with twin blades in hand!

"Another 2 vs 1 situation…is that the only tactic you can use?" Hubert asked in a monotone voice. His weapon split into twin blades and he met Lucy head on, the two clashing their blades! Lucy's swinging was predictable to Hubert; it was obvious she was simply a novice when it came to swordplay, but she was adept enough to hold her own in this confrontation. Hubert swung his boot just as he did many times in the event prior, but Lucy evaded this by leaping into the air! "Hm…?"

"Haaaa!" Lucy performed a flip, bringing both blades down on Hubert. Unfortunately for her, what she thought would be a clean hit was blocked by Hubert's quick reaction. Hubert pushed Lucy back, but it was also that opening Lucy needed for Sagittarius. "NOW!"

"Take this! Moshi-moshi!" Sagittarius already had his sights trained on Hubert. Multiple arrows were fired at high speeds towards the Empyrean!

"Hmph…" Hubert clicked his swords together once again, spinning the Dualblade around to create a fierce gust of wind! The wind stopped the arrows cold and the outward push of the cyclone forced Lucy and Sagittarius backwards. "Gale Fang!"

"Waaaah!" Lucy had to dig a sword into the ground to hold her position. But she soon found that it may have been better if she was blown away, because Hubert appeared before her in an instant, stabbing the tip of his weapon into the ground directly in front of her.

"Detonation Bloom."

BOOM! The ground under Lucy and her spirit exploded violently, sending them flying backwards. The blonde tumbled along the ground before coming to a stop on a knee, panting softly from the intensity of the explosion. "Owowow…." Lucy grimaced before glancing at Sagittarius. "Are you all right? We can still…" Before she could get another word in, a red bullet pierced through the horse cosplayer's chest. All eyes were wide as Sagittarius started to fade away back to the Spirit World. "S-Sagittarius!"

"H-Hubert is rather cold, isn't he…?" Jenny said with a minor sweat drop. "It's as if the event didn't even tucker him out a little bit…"

Hubert stood in the same place with one pistol held out. A cold look was visible in his blue eyes as he stared down Lucy. "Those spirits are simply soldiers, yes? They should be more than prepared to give their lives for you in the heat of battle. The role of a soldier is to do as there are told…and march to their potential death. As the general, you should be capitalizing on their sacrifices."

Lucy's hand clenched into a fist at Hubert's callous words. This wasn't the first time she encountered someone who believed spirits were just tools…but this was on a different level. "They…they're not something I would just use to protect myself! They fight alongside me!" In her fit of anger, Lucy began to charge at Hubert once again!

"And once again…emotions running rampant will cause you to act brazenly. If you cannot keep your emotions in check during battle, then you have no place in being on the battlefield…" The male adjusted his glasses as Lucy charged. Just as before, she started to swing at him with her blades, her pace growing faster and faster with each passing second. Hubert was able to keep up, and even parry Lucy's downward swing with precise timing. The shocked expression on Lucy's face told Hubert all he needed to: she was open. A brutal swing of his fist was directed at Lucy's ribcage and the celestial blond staggered back a few steps while holding her side. "It's best if you just give up now."

"He's…very strong…" Mira spoke in a worried tone. "Aside from what one movement…Lucy hasn't been able to make him move at all…"

"It was the same way in the event…" Erza said while feeling a little bitter about those last second results.

"Come on Lu-chan, kick his butt!" Levy said while squeezing Pantherlily.

"…" Mavis didn't say a word. Instead, she just stared at Lucy intently. She had a bad feeling…

"Gate of the Scorpion, I open thee! Scorpio! Gate of the Twins, I open thee! Scorpio! Gemini!" Lucy pulled out two golden keys this time. Scorpio and the Gemini Twins appeared before Lucy. The Gemini Twins took the form of Gemini Thunder, the form taken when Heartless took control of them back when they were enemies. This made Heartless quirk a curious brow.

"We are!" Scorpio gave his signature grin before leaning forward, metallic stinger pointed directly at the Empyrean. "Sand Buster!" On that cry, a large torrent of sand was unleashed towards Hubert, barreling towards the Empyrean while obscuring the view that was before him.

"Hmm…" Hubert narrowed his eyes as the sand torrent's intent wasn't to hit him…but to block his vision on the surrounding area! The Sapphire Gema on his finger shone brightly…and he saw it! At the last second, Lucy lunged forward, finally landing a hit on Hubert as she slashed at his side, using the Sand Buster to push herself forward!

The Sand Buster faded and Lucy slid behind Hubert with a pleased grin on her lips. There was a noticeable slash mark on his side…but to her surprise, what should've been a gash was only a bruise! "What…? But I hit you…!"

"You did…" Hubert admitted. "It would've been far worse for me had I attempted to block the strike…so I gave you a trade. I'm surprised you haven't noticed it yet."

"Huh…?" Only then did Lucy realize what he meant. There was a gash mark on her side as well, but the wound was cauterized! The burning sensation made her wince and gasp out. "W-When did you…?"

"When you slashed me…I slashed at you as well with flames. An equal trade, I'd say…although I'd say I was the one who came out on top here." Hubert said while adjusting his glasses once more.

"This man has certainly seen his fair share of battle…" Zalen spoke curiously. "I don't even think he's been putting any real effort into this fight…I got that same vibe from their earlier fights as well."

"He's a different league than she is." Calium stated. "It's obvious by the look in his eyes that this is nothing more than a trifling matter to him."

"This fight either ends with him winning, or her barely lasting to a draw." Mary continued off of Calium. "The possibility of losing doesn't exist for people like this."

"Gemini, now!" Lucy commanded.

"Hai!" The Gemini Twins nodded while pointing their large conjoined hands together, lightning crackling off of them as red and blue thunder began to mix with one another. "Gemini Thunder!" On that call, the conjoined lightning blasted forward, racing towards Hubert with unbelievable speeds!

"Hmph…" Hubert pointed his sword forward, using it as a Lightning Rod. The intense force of the Gemini Thunder did make him slide back…but his back was still exposed to Lucy! This was the chance the woman was looking for and she was going to take it! Lucy lunged forward, aiming to get close enough for a cross slash at Hubert's back when… "Great Thunder Bringer!" Hubert sharply turned after his weapon absorbed the Gemini Thunder, bringing it down for an overhead slash at Lucy! The blonde had to roll out of the way to avoid the initial impact, but the resulting explosion of lightning that spanned the entire field was not easily avoided! Scorpio and Lucy were caught in the explosions while Gemini Thunder was unaffected.

When the explosion died down, Scorpio was forced to return to the Spirit World, and Lucy was on her hands and knees, panting heavily as lightning sparked around her body, seizing up her movements. "W-Why…is it…always…lightning…" She grumbled. "G-Gemini—" And just as before, the spirits were dealt with by being shot at faster than they could react; a feat on its own since Lucy's spirits were surprisingly swift in their actions. "No way…"

"So…I will give you two options…" Hubert held one pistol at Lucy from her downed position. "Give up, or lose."

"If Bert-chan was so bored, he shouldn't have played around to begin with…" Zinnia spoke with a sigh. But the turn of events was highly amusing to her.

Emmeraude tilted her head. There was no reaction just yet…but perhaps that was because she needed to make it so. So, the Queen spoke, allowing her voice to be heard by everyone. "I'm not one to pick favorites here…but I'm rooting for you, Lucy! Surely that can't be all you have. You must draw out your power if you wish to win. Show them what you can really do, my dear!"

"…!?" Lucy's eyes widened at Emmeraude's voice. Something inside her was reacting to the command that Emmeraude was giving her! It caused that familiar red aura to briefly flare up around her! Emmeraude's command made one of her eyes flash red and her body was starting to move on its own. "I-I'm not…done…"

"Wh…" Sophie blinked and stared at Emmeraude. "What are you doing…?"

"Just giving Lucy a little push…" Emmeraude responded with a coy smile. "I think she's my favorite one, now."

"Lady Emmeraude playing favorites?" Chapati couldn't wrap his head around this, since the Queen had been silent up until now! "Well…I suppose everyone is rooting for something…!"

Lucy slowly began to stand up, her mark ridden arm beginning to twitch a little. The special cover for it beginning to rip apart from the power emanating from it! The blonde held her hand forward, a black/red sphere beginning to form within her palm! The power circulating around it was…malevolent. Nothing that Lucy was capable of producing naturally. "Haaaaaa…!"

"T-That's…" Natsu remembered that same frightful aura back on the Isle during the battle against Lex and Laura. Was Lucy even the one fighting anymore!?

"D-Did you know she could do that…?" Levy looked around at the others, but they seemed just as clueless. Mii and Zelos didn't have any witty remark this time, they just watched intently.

Lucy fired off the sphere and it reached Hubert in an instant! The Empyrean narrowly managed to cross his blades to defend his body, the ensuing explosion tearing apart at the arena! The Domus Flau trembled violently from the impact. The blue haired male skidded across the ground with noticeable injuries on his body after that one, and he defended it! "…I see…that power." Hubert stared at Lucy as she seemed just as lost as everyone else. More importantly…those markings she didn't want anyone to see were now exposed! "It's starting to make sense. I was wondering why that Protos Heis was here…and why Emmeraude was here as well. You are the missing piece of the puzzle…"

"Hey hey…did she learn a new trick or something?" Hiruka asked the others, but they were all just as clueless as he was!

Lucy narrowed her eyes at Hubert. Lately, people she never met seemed to know more about what was going on with her than she was! It pissed her off honestly, and she had a right to be upset! Nobody would tell her anything and only speak in riddles!

"What are you doing, Lucy! He's open~" Emmeraude hummed.

"…!" Lucy's eyes widened once again as her body just reacted to Emmeraude's words. She found herself rushing Hubert down once again with her blades in hand, slashing at him. Her slashes were more precise, stronger, faster! Her body was moving on its own and while this seemed like a good thing to those watching…it frightened her. She wasn't in control of herself! But it didn't feel like anybody was controlling her either; something inside her was just reacting. Was it that voice she kept hearing in her head!?

"She's picking up the pace…" Siegrain remarked. "So suddenly. Perhaps Lady Emmeraude's cheers are indeed providing a strong moral support." A chuckle escaped the Chairman.

"It doesn't matter if you pick up the pace…" Hubert commented, still managing to match Lucy despite her increased assault. "You're still green." Just as Lucy aimed another slash, Hubert evaded, jabbing the tip of his blade into Lucy's stomach, the pure blunt force causing Lucy to double over in pain. The Gema then vanished, appearing behind Lucy to follow up with the other side of his double sided blade. "Mega Sonic Thrust!"

"Agh…!" Lucy cried out as her body was forced forward into a tumble once again. But she was able to catch herself with a flip as she changed her Star Dress to Aquarius! Once her hands were firmly planted on the ground, she allowed it to surge and swell as though it were the ocean. "Aqua Metria!" And for a brief moment, she felt a sudden surge of power within herself as she called out this attacked. The battered arena floor surged before rising up like a tidal wave, aiming to crash down on Hubert and submerge him.

"Stubborn…" Hubert grumbled while forming his infamous Colonel Cannon his shoulders! The large cannon gathered as much magic as it could within the few seconds he was granted. The trigger was clicked and a massive beam of raw magic shot forth, tearing a hole through the tidal wave so it would crash around Hubert while racing towards Lucy.

"Aquarius, help me!" Lucy called out as her arms spread. A barrier of water formed around her body just before the Colonel Cannon struck. The barrier held strong before it was broken through and Lucy had to deal with the brunt of the attack! She held her ground, but that didn't stop it from hurting her. As the beam of magic died down, Lucy gripped her mark ridden arm and panted, red sparks occasionally dancing around her body. "Ngh…" The red eye started to return to normal as the aura steadily began to fade away.

"…I see…so she's resisting it. Whether it be conscious or not…" Emmeraude was thinking aloud. Nobody really knew what she was talking about…except Sophie.

"I should do you a mercy and end your life here…" Hubert said while dusting himself off. Once again, he had a pistol now pointed at Lucy, aiming right between her eyes. "At this rate…your time is limited. You won't last a few weeks at this rate. It would also save this country a lot of impending trouble if you just dropped dead right here."

"Oh yeah…!?" Natsu was about to jump in, but he was held back by Laxus who had a firm grip on the back of his scarf. "Oi! Let me go Laxus!"

"Don't be an idiot." Laxus spoke with nothing but authority in his voice. "He's just talking."

Ding!

As soon as the bell rang, Hisui waved her hands to cease the battle right then and there. "And that is 15 minutes! Neither Hubert nor Lucy have fallen, so this match is a draw! Both Empyrean Dawn and Fairy Tail A get 5 points!"

"…I wasted too much time." Hubert shrugged, allowing his weapon to disperse and he began to walk off.

"A-And that's the end of day 4!" Chapati began to wipe the sweat from his brow. "Things have really been heating up! Tomorrow is the last day before the free for all!"

"Indeed…" Jenny said with a nod. "The hustle has to start tomorrow…there's still a chance for any and guild to win these Games."

"I'll be looking forward to what Day 5 has to offer. It'll be the beginning of the end." Siegrain commented before standing up and leaving.

"And with that, we'll see you all tomorrow!" Chapati signed off.

Lucy panted heavily and the marks on her arm began to recede before vanishing completely. "…Wh-what was that…?" The blonde questioned to herself. Her body then felt extremely hot…like she was on fire! A fever!? Lucy took a few steps forward before tipping over and passing out, but luckily Hisui was able to catch her in the nick of time.

"A-Ah…! She's unconscious…!" Hisui exclaimed. It didn't take long for Fairy Tail to react to this, everyone rushing over to Lucy's side.

Emmeraude grinned, motioning for Sophie to follow her. "This turned out a little better than I thought. At least I have a solid grasp on the situation now…" The Queen held an evil smile on her lips once she was out of sight. "Oh…the time is nigh. This show is going to be so grand…then I will be able to stand at the top with an elegant rule…"

Results after the Day 4:

1st: White Eclipse A: 56

2nd: Fairy Tail B: 54

3rd: Fairy Tail A: 53

4th: Empyrean Dawn: 52

5th: Sabertooth: 46

6th: White Eclipse B: 40

7th: Mermaid Heel: 36

6th: Blue Pegasus: 34

.

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Next Time: Aftermath of Day 4


	122. Chapter 122: The Aftermath of Day 4

A lot of lingering excitement remained after Day 4. While most people could relax, at the moment, Fairy Tail didn't have that luxury. Lucy was on a bed, unconscious with a damp cloth over her head. Porlyuisca was giving Lucy an examination while the others waited anxiously. "She has a fever…but that's all it is." The medic reported.

"A fever after all that?" Erza seemed a little skeptical after what Lucy pulled off earlier. "Are you sure that's all it is? What about…whatever it was that was marking her skin earlier?"

"Last I checked, it wasn't harmful." Porlyuisca responded. "Besides, any and all traces of it seem to have vanished. I can't sense a single abnormality in her body. So…she may have disposed of whatever it was that was in her system after that fight. Right now, she just needs to rest. Don't make me get the broom."

"Okay, okay…let's be reasonable about this…" Gray said while holding his hands up. The others were also forced out of the room and simply had to let Lucy rest for the time being. "Geez…I wonder if she'll be okay…"

"I'm sure she will be." Mira said in a reassuring tone. "She just needs to rest. She's been this way for a while…but if she's got it all out of her system, we have no need to worry."

"I wonder if it's that simple." Erza sighed. "Today has been…an experience. I never expected Emmeraude to make White Eclipse fight one another. We may be next tomorrow in the tag battles…so I suppose we should be prepared for that possibility."

"That headache was…well, a headache." Bickslow exhaled. "It felt like someone was trying to press their ideals into my head."

"I believe it came from Emmeraude herself…" Mavis concluded. "She emanated some odd aura I've never sensed before…but as for why or what its purpose was…I cannot say. But it was…very frightening. But I can say that she was trying to impose her will on everyone in the stadium."

"But why would the Queen do that…?" Kinana asked while tilting her head. Logically speaking, things just didn't add up. "The people already adore her…!"

"I believe we can explain that…" Heartless, Tia, Diamond, Strong, Spade, Gaia, and Alex appeared on the scene, all of them having a serious expression pertaining to the strange event that occurred with Emmeraude earlier in the day. The one who spoke was Gaia. "We're going to bring something up…and it is news that you lot may not be a fan of hearing. But we're going to need you to trust us."

Erza lifted a brow at the way Gaia spoke. With her arms crossed, the knight simply nodded. "What is this information?"

"Before we tell you…we have a question for you," Spade began. "How long have you known Emmeraude to be on the throne?"

"Huh…?" The collective confused noise really did throw Fairy Tail for a loop.

"What do you mean…?" Levy inquired. "She's been Queen for a while…"

"You don't remember the previous ruler at all? Toma?" Tia lifted a brow at the confused glances they were receiving.

"I recall reading something in a book about him…" Levy held up a book on the history of Fiore. "He was the previous ruler…but he was dethroned and Emmeraude took his place after he was imprisoned. Since then, she's been in power and she's done a lot for Fiore. It's all in this book." The bookworm handed the book to Tia, who flipped through it with a shocked gaze.

"No way…it's just as she said…Emmeraude is all over this book. How is this possible…? She can't rewrite history can she?" Tia grimaced at this before shutting the book. "Well…look. Don't believe what she has to say. Do you remember that International Council meeting a few months ago last year? You were with Toma then!"

"I…." Cynthia tilted her head. "That sounds familiar…but I don't recall that being so recent…?" The small girl whimpered, holding her head as things sounded different than she remembered. "This is making my head hurt…I don't get it!"

"Me too…" Wendy whined. "My head hurts thinking about it…I don't want to not believe you…but it doesn't make sense with what I remember…"

"We have some more information as well." Heartless was just laying it on thick now. "About that girl, Sophie…she is an exact copy, at least physically, of my Little Queen. And Emmeraude has taken a shine to her. It…bothers me, because that is not the Little Queen I know. But…I recall meeting Emmeraude a few years ago, though it was a brief encounter. I don't know if this will add anything, but she was also donning a white robe at the time. But…she has built that Sophie for a very specific purpose…"

"Sophie…that's the girl that attacked Lucy back in Tartarus…." Happy tilted his head, trying to make sense of the situation…but in reality, this conversation was going right over his head.

"I know this is a lot to put on you so suddenly…but we ask that you trust us." Gaia stated.

"If you knew all this information before, why didn't you say anything sooner?" Laxus questioned.

It was then Alex raised her hand and piped up. "Oh, I know! That's because…well…the word of a few visiting foreigners who caused trouble in the past vs. the populous that loves this Queen so dearly. That's a losing battle and we don't wanna make Bosco look back! And Seven too, of course."

"I see…" Erza nodded slowly. Honestly, this information was a little too much. But at the same time, there was something about it that she couldn't deny either. "…Mavis did tell us to be wary of Emmeraude. But there's something else I don't understand…where does Lucy fit onto all of this? If we are to trust you, we still don't understand why Sophie feels the need to attack Lucy…and why Emmeraude is so fond of the both of them…"

"It's food for thought." Spade remarked. "We don't wish to disturb your run in these Games, so we have Ace and the others doing a little background check. But putting all the information together…we still don't know a whole lot. In the end, it boils down to two things: who is Emmeraude and what is she after…?"

"Perplexing questions indeed…" Diamond shrugged. "But whatever she did earlier…be careful of that." The spirit then bonked Strong on the noggin. "We lost this idiot to her for a few seconds."

"Ow…" Strong rubbed the back of his head. "Look…I don't know what happened! I just felt like I wanted to do whatever she wanted. It's not my fault!"

"It's because your head is empty that she was able to slip inside with no trouble." The ice spirit scolded.

"But…enough about that." Tia waved her hand. "We were just informing you that we don't trust her, and you shouldn't either. She has the Princess all wrapped around her finger, so I don't think she'll be of much help either. But don't do anything that'll raise suspicions…otherwise we'll look bad too. And I've had enough of being a bad guy."

"We'll keep this in mind." Makarov said with a nod. "This information coincides with some conflicting thoughts I've had."

"We've had." Mavis corrected, though it wasn't like those not a part of Fairy Tail could even hear her. "But this information is very useful…my worries have some foundation now. If only we could connect the pieces together. Emmeraude's identity…this Sophie…and Lucy…it's all connected somehow…."

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Kagura was taking a walk to clear her mind in the somewhat empty Crocus streets. The ace was really thinking about how they would be able turn Mermaid Heel's situation in the Games around so they could win. "If we win both the event and fights…it should be possible to be a strong contender once again…"

"YOOOO!" Daryan's voice rang out from nearby. Kagura tensed up as she heard the painfully familiar voice, only barely managing to turn her head around. "There you are! I've been looking all over for you."

"Why are you bothering me again…" Kagura grimaced. She already knew there was no point in trying to physically push him away since he always came back.

"I just wanted to congratulate you on your fight earlier! You kicked ass." The dragon slayer spoke with a grin. "I knew you could do it."

"Well…thanks. Now leave." Kagura turned her back to Daryan and proceeded to walk off….and Daryan was following her, much to her chargin. "Will you leave me alone?"

"Aw, come on. Let's have more of a conversation than that." Daryan said with a smile.

From around the corner, Magnus, Shadowlore, Yakuza, and Hiruka were peering in on the conversation. Shadowlore was rooting for his buddy to get the girl, but Magnus could only shake his head at such a notion. "Those two are never going to get along." The male stated.

"Eh? Why not?" Hiruka asked, visible question marks appearing over his forehead. "Daryan is so nice to her! He really likes her, you know!"

"That may be so…" Magnus peered around the corner once again. Daryan was simply trying to talk to Kagura, but she refused to give much of a response. "But they won't get along…based on the kind of people that they are. Kagura is a warrior…and it's clear she's been bothered by some recent battle. Presumably with that mark on her stomach she was trying to hide when Jenny forced the ladies into modeling. She hates to be perceived as weak by anyone…and by herself. Daryan defeated her in combat during those Games we participated in…so having him around going after her like this likely unsettles her greatly. He's probably a constant reminder of her failure to defeat somebody. And…Daryan being the oblivious idiot that he is likely hasn't been taking her personality into the equation here…"

"Ah…he's simply too good for his own good." Shadowlore chuckled.

"I don't want to see you." The mermaid stated bluntly. "You are a distraction. I need my mind focused and cleared for tomorrow and the day after. So I don't want to hear your voice during those times…or any time after tonight, actually."

"You're so cold." Daryan chuckled. "But that's what makes it all worth it. I'll get a smile out of you yet."

"…." Kagura shook her head. Daryan always made her so…ugh. That was the best way she could put it. Without saying another word, the ace Mermaid hastily made her way from the dragon slayer. "You say you like strong women, but there are plenty of others who fit that category….so why me…?" As she grumbled these thoughts to herself, her hand once again went over to that scar under her clothing unconsciously. After today's events with Hubert being the main ringer, that wound of hers continued to burn.

.

.

"YOU SAW SKYE?!" White Eclipse was very shocked at the news Reve delivered about their formerly fallen comrade.

"Yeah." Reve said with a nod. "But…she didn't seem like herself. She didn't even recognize me, and she was back to her old assassin ways."

"Complete memory loss, huh?" Luke leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. "That's a problem…then again; it's good to know she's alive. But that won't really do us much good if she doesn't come home…"

"I wonder what happened to her…" Heather tried her best to figure things out, but with such little information, it was difficult to do so.

"If Skye is really alive and well…then leave the task of finding her again up to me. Please." The request came from Adamantine himself. The frozen dragon was more than willing to aid in this search. "It would be wise for the rest of you to focus on the end of the Games. Victory is all but assured if the steady pace is kept."

"The big dragon is right." Waiston smirked. "We can win this. We ARE going to win this."

"All right then." Calium simply nodded to Adam. "We'll leave Skye to Adam, unless anyone else happens to run into her in the meantime. But it's more important for us to win after coming this far. I'm sure you brats can come up with something."

"Of course!" Aira had a bright smile on her lips. "We're White Eclipse after all!"

"And it's White Eclipse, or second place!"

.

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Emmeraude was scrolling through an archive, thinking of ideas for the final event tomorrow. The sigh passing through her lips was a tale that she didn't have any ideas just yet. It was pretty bad on her part, but at the same time she was too focused on her nearing ambitions to really care about these Games. "Oooh…that Lucy girl has fallen right into my palm once again. It'll be quite a task to get her away from that Fairy Tail bunch…furthermore, I have no idea how much the virus has progressed within her body." The Queen sighed and trotted around the throne room. Sophie was in the room as well and overheard all of this, but she didn't say anything about it.

"Creator…?" Sophie piped up, trying to catch Emmeraude's attention. "That Lucy…the infected one…"

"Hm?" The Queen turned to her creation. "Oh yes…worry not. I was simply reaffirming my suspicions from earlier. That Lucy is indeed the infected one, the one that we have been searching for all this time. I do not wish to cause such a large scene as the Games are reaching its climax, and I too grow curious over the victor."

"What will I do, then…I have to…contain the virus…and if it's bound to her for too long…extraction won't be possible without…taking her life…" Sophie's lips curled down to what was a frown. After the events of Tartarus, she was a little more understanding to the weight of someone's life.

Emmeraude lifted a curious brow at Sophie's apprehension. "Hm…feeling compassion for the target? I suppose your memory system was damaged and altered during our time apart…but no matter. I can make use of you and her regardless." Emmeraude shrugged. "Those who mocked and banished me will receive my vengeance. Fiore is only the first step…"

"…Were you banished from Pergrande because you made me…?" Sophie sheepishly asked.

"Hm? Oh no…Pergrande adored you." Emmeraude patted Sophie on the head, giving a sort of motherly smile. "They kept you after I was thrown away. But you were my creation to begin with, so it was only a matter of time before you returned to me anyway."

"I see…" Sophie offered a meek smile.

.

Arcadios was listening in behind the doors. He was going to bring Emmeraude a report, but ended up hearing what it was she had to say. No wonder he had such a distrustful attitude around her! It was all some sort of façade. "I must tell the Princess…she has some ulterior motive…" That was his idea at first…but then he realized the rash decision he was about to make. If he told Hisui about Emmeraude's suspicious activity, it would be his word against hers…and Hisui favored Emmeraude more than she did him. "…But I have to find the right time…" His tone was begrudging. From the start he never trusted Emmeraude as much as the entire country did, but he bit his tongue on this topic.

.

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While Fairy Tail was busy with the topic of Emmeraude, Zelos and Mii were walking down the street side by side. An unlikely pair you'd seen together, yet here they were having a civil conversation for once. Mii's hands were behind her head and she sighed heavily. "That was close. I didn't think Lucy was gonna lose it there…but she held herself together."

"That virus is really quite a bothersome creation, isn't it?" Zelos hummed. "But Lucy-chan is strong. I doubt its influence will get too her~"

"That's not what I'm worried about…" Mii muttered.

"Aw? Is Mii-chan actually worried about someone?" Zelos was teasing.

"Nope." Mii shook her head, responding immediately. "I don't care about them at all. I only care about what I came here to do, and I wouldn't be here if I didn't think they couldn't help Mii. Simple as that. They just make things fun."

Zelos chuckled softly at Mii's response. He saw it coming from a mile away. "You shouldn't lie to yourself Mii-chan."

"I lie to everyone! Like how I just adore the sound of your voice and presence. It's absolutely wonderful!" Mii responded with a very plastered on smile. "I know talking about Mii is so great and all, but don't forget why we're here, yeah? I'd rather not go back with a failed mission. Plus…as much as I don't trust anyone, I really don't trust Emmeraude. I wasn't expecting to see her here."

To that, Zelos gave a nod of agreement. His tone was oddly serious for once. "I agree…she's causing trouble again. If things continue as is, I don't foresee things ending well in the near future. However, there is naught we can do against the divine rule of such a beauty. She could rule over me any day of her life and I'd be quite content."

Mii groaned, slapping her hand over her face. "…I hate that I agree with you."

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Next Time: The Penultimate Day


	123. Chapter 123: The Penultimate Day

Results for the beginning of day 5:

1st: White Eclipse A: 56

2nd: Fairy Tail B: 54

3rd: Fairy Tail A: 53

4th: Empyrean Dawn: 52

5th: Sabertooth: 46

6th: White Eclipse B: 40

7th: Mermaid Heel: 36

6th: Blue Pegasus: 34

"Welcome everybody to Day 5 of the Grand Magic Games!" Chapati greeted the excited crowd with a roar of excitement. "This is the last day before the final free for all! This is also the last chance any team has to make if they truly want a shot at winning. But my co commentators today are still faces that I know everyone will enjoy!"

"I'm still here." Siegrain said with a soft chuckle. "I intend to see these Games through to the end, and I'm pretty curious as to which guild will come out on top."

"Along with Siegrain returning, the Princess, Hisui E. Fiore, will be joining our commentator's seat as well!" Chapati pointed to the Jade Princess herself, who waved to the audience.

"Hello everyone. I hope you've been enjoying these Games as much as I have." Hisui spoke with a bright smile.

"We haven't seen you all Games, Princess. Have you been watching from afar, or something similar?" Chapati's question was a valid one. This was really the first time Hisui herself made a comment on the Games to anyone's knowledge.

"Let's just say…I've been very close to the action. Kabo." The princess responded with a small, coy smile. "But that aside…I'm very excited to see what the event is for today. Emmeraude usually tells me what's in store for the day…but even I'm in the dark on this one."

Emmeraude appeared in the center of the stage with a microphone in hand, waving to the audience that adored her so. "Good morning my lovely citizens. Did you all sleep well? I hope you did. Now…for today, we're going to be doing things a little differently. Instead of starting off with the event, we're going to be starting off today with the Tag Team fights." Such a request did cause the crowd to mumble.

"She's breaking tradition again…" Yukino pouted. Ever since yesterday, the Games were just all sorts of backwards.

"I have no memory of such a thing…" Rufus tipped his hat down. "It seems our Lady is creating an all new set of memories for us to experience."

"I don't like it." Minerva had a noticeable frown on her lips. The way things were going over the past few days rubbed her the wrong way.

"Now now, no need to be alarmed." Emmeraude spoke with a soft chuckle. "But I would like to get things underway as quickly as possible. The final day is going to be quite a chore for everyone, and the more rest our combatants have the better. So…the first groups I would like to come up are those of Blue Pegasus: Eve Tearm and Ichiya…uh…" Emmeraude had to pause and look at the note card she brought. Ichiya's full name was quite a mouthful and she honestly wasn't going to bother herself with it. "Yeah, those two handsome men. And from Empyrean Dawn: Zinnia Sage and Nina Roulette. If you four could come down, that would be great."

.

.

Ichiya and Eve, and Zinnia and Nina both entered the arena, both sides standing in the center of the battlefield with Emmeraude between them. "If any of you are worried for my safety…don't be. I'll be the referee for today's fights and I'm more than capable of handling my own. I understand large scale attacks haphazardly coming at me, and that I cannot hold against you. My wish is for everyone to fight to their full potential." The queen paused before looking up at one of the cameras, a sinister glint noticeable in her eyes. "Although if I sense some malice behind an attack aimed at me…well, that's an entirely different story."

"So don't attack the Queen. She could've just said that." Nina shrugged.

"Let's make this quick, Nina." Zinnia said while staring elsewhere. She really didn't want to look at Ichiya. Some might say it's because his handsomeness was too much for the human eye…as for others, they really didn't want to look at him. She was one of them.

"Yeah yeah! I've been itchin' for another fight since day one!" Nina pounded her fists together. "Although…they don't seem like much."

"It is an honor to be able to fight alongside you, Ichiya-san!" Eve had comical tears flowing down his eyes while sparkles appeared around his body.

"Men!" Ichiya pointed to the two ladies. "While I would rather not bring harm to such beautiful women…this is for the pride and sake of Blue Pegasus! I will subdue them with my handsome looks and bring this battle to a swift, but handsome end."

"I presume both sides are ready?" Emmeraude looked between the two teams before taking a step back. "Then you have my permission to begin! 15 minutes begins now!" With her hand thrown down, the bell rang and the battle begun!

"Allow me, Ichiya-san!" Eve exclaimed, eagerly acting first to give Ichiya the advantage he needed. The youngest Trimen took a few steps forward, extending his arm while placing his hand on his wrist to steady his aim. "White Fury!" From Eve's hand, a blizzard shot forth, rapidly expanding as his aim was to consume the two females and blind them with the intensity of the snowstorm.

"Is this even worth our time?" Zinnia sighed as her hand was extended, a pink dome barrier forming around herself and Nina. This was easily able to defend against Eve's White Fury with little effort. "Nina. We must make this quick…I don't wish to be here any longer than I should."

"Aw…and I wanted to have a good fight." Nina sighed before snapping her fingers. Random Select was active and Nina's brain began to select from a large assortment of magic. "Ah, got it! Watch this!" Nina pressed her hand on the ground, a white glow emanating from her hand as she used Crash Magic! The ground began to break apart and shatter, nearly leveling the battleground for all except Nina and Zinnia. Ichiya and Eve were in for some tough luck as the ground trembled violently.

"W-Whoa…" Eve stumbled about, however he was unable to keep his balance and was blown away by the force of the Crash magic Nina used.

"Men!" Ichiya, however, was prepared! With two vials plugged into his nose, the handsomest man of them all began to sprint forward. "Speed Parfume!" Those vials contained a scent that increased Ichiya's speed! It was surprising to see such a short man run so fast!

"Oh my…" Hisui blinked a few times at Ichiya's speed. "I had no idea he could run that fast."

"…I'm terrified." Erza's face paled at the thought of Ichiya chasing her down now. She was worried about the idea that she couldn't outrun him…

"Men!" Ichiya began a mad dash towards the two Empyrean females! It was actually very hard for the pair to keep track of the ace of Blue Pegasus! His speed was impressive to even the trained eye. "Manly Thunderbolt of Handsomeness!" The second vial Ichiya had plugged in his nose granted him use of lightning magic! From the stout body of the handsomest man alive, a powerful bolt of lightning shot towards Zinnia and Nina! It was too fast for Zinnia to conjure up a barrier! …But that's when Nina's Gema came into play.

"Heh…" The Ruby Gema on Nina's finger shone brightly. The lightning that Ichiya called to smite them was nullified due to its properties! "Sorry, but you'll have to do better than that!"

"Oh that's right…Nina did show this ability in Day 3…" Hisui recalled.

"Men!?" Ichiya's eyes widened at this detail! With Jenny's beautiful display on the Naval Battle, he completely forgot about the efforts of everyone else. A fatal misstep on his part, but not one he couldn't recover from!

"Zinnia, let's do that thing!" Nina spoke excitedly. The Z-class placed her hand on the ground, causing a white shine to emanate from her hand! The ground trembled before breaking apart once more, only an explosive force sent Ichiya flying into the air!

"This should be fun…" Zinnia quipped as Ichiya was sent into the air against his will. Zinnia sprinted towards Nina and bent her knees just as the other female gave her a lift into the air! The pink haired female's matching pink Gema shone brightly and a pair of power gloves and boots formed on her hands and feet. As soon as she reached the same altitude as Ichiya, her fist slammed into his gut, causing the stout male to hunch over. The follow up was a swift axe kick that slammed Ichiya into the ground with force!

"Oh! And a crushing combo completely flattens the Pegasus!" Chapati exclaimed. "Zinnia and Nina have good synergy! Will the Pegasus duo be able to overcome this!?"

"Ichiya-san…!" Eve was worried for his senior…but there was no need to be concerned. After taking so many hits from Erza in her attempts to shoo him away, Ichiya had a surprising amount of resilience.

"Wow, he's stubborn…" Nina said with a whistle. "He's the only one who's actually taken that and stood up immediately…"

"Avalanche!" Eve swung his arms into the air, causing multiple light blue magic seals to appear in the sky above Zinnia and Nina. From the seals, a torrential downpour of heavy snow slammed down onto them! Eve really did distaste having to bring harm to these ladies…but his Trimen charm came into play as the pile of snow buried his opponent's. "I'm truly sorry for having to chill you two so, but after this match, how about three of us settle by a nice warm fire and drink some hot chocolate~? With the classic sparkles appearing around his body, the youngest Trimen made his shot.

"…So in the event that they are unable to come out of that pile of snow, does that mean the match is over?" Siegrain questioned Emmeraude.

"Oh yes…it would be quite a bore if the match was over already." Emmeraude sighed. "But if they don't come out in a minute, then I have no choice but to declare this match in Blue Pegasus' favor."

"A handsome victory if I do say so myself." Ren said with a slight chuckle.

A few seconds passed in silence before a strong force of wind began to blow the snow away! Nina and Zinnia were chilled to the bone with all the snow that fell on top of them. Nina was grumbling due to the fact she didn't get any type of Fire magic to help melt the snow, but Wind magic was good enough to at least get them out of this situation. "Hold on now…!" Nina said, teeth chattering from the cold. She and Nina were shivering to the bone, but it was clear this battle was not over yet. "W-We aren't f-finished yet! Cold…but not finished!"

"It's Spring, but I already feel like I need some wintering clothing…" Hisui said while subconsciously rubbing her arms. "Last time cold weather made me sick…"

"Resilient women! I like them strong~" Eve winked, but the women were just ignoring him at this point. "Oh…the wound in my heart…"

"We must strike while they are weakened!" Ichiya exclaimed. "I shall use my handsomest attack to finish them…" Ichiya crossed his arms over one another, staring at both Zinnia and Nina with his face radiating the most repulsive handsomeness one could ever hope to muster. "Handsome Attack…~" His voice echoed as the entire arena fell completely silent. While everyone else had some twisted shocked awe on their face, Eve was in complete and utter glee at getting to witness such handsomeness firsthand!

"…O-Oh my…" Hisui tugged her collar with a nervous sweat drop.

"What a…sight…" Darren cleared his throat.

Zinnia and Nina both had deadpanned expressions at what they were forced to witness. "Nina." Was all Zinnia had to say. Her tone made it clear she wanted this….encounter to end as quickly as humanly possible.

"On it." Nina snapped her fingers once more. The roulette in her brain cycled through many types of magic before finally deciding on Water Magic! "Ah…this just isn't my day. It's not what I wanted…but it'll do…" The blonde lifted her hand into the air, a blue magic seal forming directly in front of her. "Here's a big one! Get ready!" From the seal, a large tidal wave emerged, towering over the arena! "Zin!"

"No need." Zinnia already had it under control! A pink dome of a barrier formed around the two once again as the tidal wave moved to crash down! Eve did his best to try and use Snow magic to slow down the water and freeze it over, but it was all for naught. The large wave crashed down and swept up the two Pegasus mages with no effort! When the wave died down, both Ichiya and Eve were against the wall with comical swirls in their eyes.

"And there we have it." Emmeraude pointed her hand to Zinnia and Nina, who were still pretty chilly from the aforementioned snowfall. "Ichiya and Eve have suffered a ring out. That means that the winners of this round are Zinnia Sage and Nina Roulette of Empyrean Dawn! 10 points for the lovely ladies!"

"A stunning display of teamwork, I believe they deserve props." Siegrain remarked.

.

"Our next battle of the day…" Emmeraude was wasting no time moving on. "White Eclipse A's Reve Volver and Cygnus Gwydion vs. Mermaid Heel's Kagura Mikazuchi and Melody Silver!"

"Heh. Talk about free." Cygnus spoke with a smirk.

"…This'll be quick." Reve already decided the outcome of this match in his head as soon as his name was announced. With Cygnus by his side, things were going to be that much quicker. The two Eclipse mages made their way to the arena.

"This'll be fast." Zalen said with a slight chuckle. "Reve and Cygnus together? They don't stand a chance."

"This won't last five minutes." Luke propped himself up against an empty seat.

"Not gonna cheer today?" Gaia blinked at Daryan's uncharacteristic silence. This was normally the point where he would be obnoxiously screaming his heart out to cheer for her in earnest. "Not feeling well…? Get into a lover's quarrel or something?" The dragon began to poke at Daryan, showing her concern in a bit of an obnoxious manner. "Daryan? Are you sick? Did you fall in love with someone else? Why didn't you tell me!? I wouldn't have knitted that couple's sweater for you two to use if I knew things would turn out like this…!"

"I-It's fine…! It's fine…!" Daryan waved his hands to shoo Gaia's finger away. "I'm fine, really. I just…want to comply with her wishes. She said she didn't want me to cheer for her so loudly…so I won't today."

"Are you sure you're okay…?" Hiruka tilted his head curiously. It seemed even Daryan's Exceed was unaware of this idea.

Once Kagura and Melody were in the arena, Kagura's gaze briefly looked back to the stands. She was listening for Daryan's voice. Because in a fight against these two Eclipse mages, she was concerned that she couldn't focus if he continued to cheer for her as loudly as he did the day before. But not…it was oddly quiet all things concerned. "…."

Melody tapped Kagura on the shoulder to get her attention. "Hey…you awake?"

"I'm fine." Kagura simply nodded and turned to face her opponents. She and Reve had a bit of a stare down. Since the latter end of the Tartarus incident, these two had a bit of a rivalry going on with one another. As the other guilds were determined to step out of the shadow of both Fairy Tail and White Eclipse, Kagura was among the few that were capable of showing up Reve on multiple occasions. She had half a mind to do that again in this battle, but she knew full well that Reve was not going to allow this to happen so easily.

"Oh…" Emmeraude smiled softly at the tension in the air. "This tension is so thick; I think my whip could cut it." With a tiny chuckle at her only little remark, the Queen snapped her fingers and bell rang so the match could begin! "Start!"

As soon as the match began, both Cygnus and Kagura extended their hands forward. Two opposing forces of Gravity met in the center of the arena and the polarity between them caused an explosion! Both sides were sent flying backwards from the force of colliding gravity! Reve slid along the ground but didn't miss a beat, drawing out a sawn off shotgun and pointed it forward. "Spread Shot!" With Quick Draw active, the time it took for Reve to draw and fire the bullet was less than a second. The bullet spread into several beams that covered a wide radius while spreading out in a fan like shape.

Melody was the defense on the dime. Her fist slammed into her palm of her hand before throwing her arms aside. "Silver Make: Wall!" And on that command, a large wall of silver appeared before her and Kagura, effectively shielding the pair from the Spread Shot. Melody then pressed her hand to the silver creation, causing electricity to course through the wall. "Now!"

Kagrua made use of her Slashing Form, cutting the silver wall through her sheath to slice the wall into large electrified silver chunks. As soon as she did so, her hand extended once again and her Gravity Change caused this new debris to fly forward at incredible speeds! "Begone."

"A stellar combo from the two mermaids!" Chapati exclaimed, impressed with the synergy Kagura and Melody offered.

"Too easy!" Cygnus grinned. He could take all day to battle Kagura with gravity, but there was simply no time for that. Instead, Cygnus summoned his blade Rebellion and hurled it forward. With the connection he had with his sword, he was able to command it to slice right through the large chunks of silver to reduce them to nothing! But while his attention was on that, Kagura used her Gravity Change to make herself faster, closing the gap between herself and the Gwydion in an instant.

"Strong Form." The ace mermaid slammed the hilt of her sword into Cygnus' stomach, the impact creating a large crater that blew Cygnus away!

"A direct hit from Kagura! That made me queasy just looking at it…" Hisui said with a grimace.

Cygnus was sent flying, but he caught himself early and grinned. "Heh…not bad…seems like you have some fight in you after all!" Rebellion returned to its owner and Cygnus pushed off once again, this time plotting to meet Kagura in a battle of steel vs steel!

Meanwhile, Melody had the pleasure of dealing with Reve. She donned silver gauntlets and boots with electricity coursed through her hands and feet to increase her power output! The mermaids were working with the strategy of divide and conquer! "You're good from afar, but let's see how you handle yourself up close!" Melody exclaimed while swinging her fists at Reve, aiming to clock the gunslinger right in the jaw!

Reve's blue eyes flashed green and his Precision Eyes activated. As Melody swung her fist, Reve easily swayed his body to the side, patented smirk present as always. "You're sorely mistaken if you think I'd get this far with a glaring weakness in close combat!" Just as Reve spoke, Melody aimed a roundhouse kick aimed for his temple. The gunslinger ducked the kick and placed his shotgun against Melody's stomach. "Burst Shot." Click. A condensed bullet was released right into Melody's stomach. The point blank blast only managed to force Melody to stagger back, much to Reve's surprise. "Eh?"

"Heh…" Melody's torn shirt revealed a thin silver armor covering her skin! There was a noticeable dent in the armor, but overall Melody didn't seem very bothered by it. "Sorry, but I'm not that easy." The female then pointed her hand forward, creating a silver magic seal in front of her. "Lighting Shower Rain!" From the seal, small shards of silver enveloped in lightning shot forward! The shards were by the hundreds, making it extremely difficult to dodge; Reve only had the option of dodging since the sheer number and speed of the silver shrapnel was simply too much to handle! But Melody's aim went along with Reve to prevent him from escaping so easily, and despite his evasive efforts, his skin was scrapped! "You're not going anywhere!"

"Melody has Reve on the run! But I can't blame him, I wouldn't want to be caught in the middle of that either." Hisui remarked.

With Reve and Cygnus on the defensive, it looked like the Mermaids were in complete control of the match so far. They didn't have to run the Eclipse mages into the ground to win, although that was certainly an option with the way things were going. Kagura and Cygnus met each other slash for slash. Sparks flew and neither mage gave an inch! "You're pretty at this! That earlier blow kinda tickled, but let's see how you handle this!" As Cygnus spoke, several clones composed of poison jumped at Kagura from behind!

"…!" Kagura's gaze shifted behind. Her attention moved from Cygnus to the clones, blade meeting with her sheathe with a jump backwards. "Flipped Form!" A great technique for dealing with multiple targets at once; minimal effort was made as several slashes faster than the eye could see disposed of the poison clones. However…

"Got ya!" Cygnus slammed his gravity infused fist right into Kagura's stomach! Ironically, his blow landed right where her scar was located. The direct revenge blow seemed effective as the wind was knocked out of the Mermaid and she was sent tumbling along the ground!

"A direct hit. That didn't seem very pleasant…" Siegrain mumbled.

"Don't worry Reve…I'll bail you out this one time…" With a grin, Cygnus used gravity to halt Melody's attack and shoot it right back at her!

"Muh?!" Melody had to cancel the attack before it backfired, causing silver shards to scatter all along the battlefield as a result…but in that brief moment her attention was off Reve, the Gunslinger aimed a gun to the ground and clicked the trigger, using the Burst Shot to propel himself into the air! With this momentum in his favor, Reve then aimed a strong bullet at Melody's shoulder. The Silver mage noticed this at the last second and threw her arm forward to send a silver javelin at Reve's side, which did pierce through him at the same time the bullet hit her shoulder and effectively rendered the limb nearly useless for the time being!

"Tch…!" Reve hissed quietly in pain upon landing.

Melody held her arm, rushing over to Kagura, who was surprisingly reeling from Cygnus' blow. "H-Hey…! Are you okay!? It's not your injury again, is it?"

"I-I'm fine…" Kagura hastily made her way back up to her feet, taking some heavy pants in order to catch her breath. "A simple punch won't do me in that easily. And I already got him back."

"Huh!?" Cygnus took that as a joke…until his sleeve was completely torn off and a large gash appeared on his arm. "Ow!? When did…" Ah…he understood! Back when Kagura jumped back during her Flipped Form attack, she also caught Cygnus in the wake of her skillful swordsmanship. "Not bad…guess that's to be expected of an Ace…"

"Both sides have sustained some serious injuries!" Chapati reported.

"You call this serious?" Reve had to laugh! Sure, his wound hurt like hell, but he would never admit that. "All right…this was fun. But you're not the challenge I was looking for." The S-class's tone grew a little serious at that last statement. His arms were thrown into the air and a large number of guns began to appear in the sky, all pointed at the Mermaid duo! "So I'm going to end this now. Devil's Wheel." On his command, the guns began a fierce bombardment upon the two!

"I got this!" Melody lifted her hands up, creating a protective dome of silver over the two of them! With the amount of weaponry Reve manifested, and with Cygnus on the prowl to catch their slip ups, there was no way dodging was the best option! "…But now we're pinned down…"

"Too easy!" Cygnus took things a step further. With a snap of his fingers, the gravity in the area began to intensify. The bullets were moving faster, the newfound momentum causing dents in the silver dome! To make matters worse for the female duo, the crushing force of gravity was going to cause the dome to turn flat on top of them!

"That's what we're talking about!" Zalen and Waiston cheered.

"Oh no…that looks bad…" Milliana swallowed the nervous lump in her throat.

"Drop the dome." Kagura commanded, while Melody just gave her a befuddled look.

"But…!" The woman tried to object, but the look in Kagura's eyes told her that was a bad idea. So, Melody trusted Kagura and allowed the dome to disperse.

"Ha…!" Kagura's aura finally flared to life as her Gravity Change came into play once again. She opposed Cygnus' field, causing the bullet hail to slow down. This allowed her to cut down the bullets before they could cause too much damage, but even with her skills, some managed to slip through and graze both her and Melody. This was a move that rivaled Erza's Heaven's Wheel after all, and with the improvement over the years, Reve was capable of increasing the amount of guns and the duration of the move itself.

 _"_ _I gotta do something…"_ Melody frantically scanned the field for something to use! At this rate, she and Kagura were definitely going to go down…but then she noticed it! It was all in plain sight and she didn't realize it until now. There was still plenty of silver debris scattered along the area from her failed attacks. With a grin, Melody placed her hand on the ground, allowing lightning to course through the silver on the field. "Legion Fulminate."

Cygnus could sense the change in atmosphere and frowned. "The hairs on my neck are standing up…" And from the sky, a large bolt of lightning dropped down to smite Reve and Cygnus! The two had to jump away to avoid it…but then two more dropped down on their location! They narrowly managed to avoid that one, but they just didn't stop! "What the hell?!"

"You were so busy looking up, you forgot to look down!" Melody exclaimed.

Three bolts of lightning dropped down this time. The first completely destroyed the Devil's Wheel in a single blow! The following two landed on Reve and Cygnus, causing their bodies to seize up slightly from the direct hits! "Cygnus…!" Reve spoke through gritted teeth. The two didn't even have to speak! Cygnus nodded, pushing his hand forward to decrease Reve's center of gravity and send him flying towards the female duo, making up for the sudden lack of mobility with the resources at hand. As Reve flew, both guns in his hands were dropped in favor of his infamous magnum. Not that the distance of the shot mattered to him, but the reactionary time of his opponent's was crucial. Once Reve felt he was close enough, he clicked the trigger and a massive bullet spanning nearly the radius of the arena was unleashed. "Bang."

Kagura's foot slid back and she got into position, planning to take this bullet head on! The ace mermaid took a step forward and swung her sword forward, cleaving through the bullet vertically. The clean cut caused all but the center of the bullet to strike the walls, leaving the two women untouched. With this opening, another step forward was taken and Kagura slashed at Reve…only to have him move up into the air due to Cygnus' manipulation. "…!"

This was what could be considered a fatal opening. While it was hard for others to discern Kagura's slower movement…it was clear to her; her scar was acting up again because Cygnus' prior blow. Reve's grin widened at he made full use of this and clicked the trigger once again... "Bang."

There was another matter that made things worse. "Gravity God's Bellow!" Cygnus finally exclaimed. The male lurched forward and parted his lips, unleashing a powerful wave of gold gravity towards the women! A combination attack: Reve from the Sky and Cygnus from the ground! The two attacks converged on their targets and a massive explosion took place! A cloud of smoke shielded the women from view.

"A combination attack from Cygnus and Reve! Powerful stuff! Expected from the mages of White Eclipse!" Chapati roared, and of course the White Eclipse fans in the audience were going wild!

"Kagura….Melody…" Erza had to stare intently at the smoke. She knew full well how powerful those two attacks she just took were…so she was concerned.

Reve's eyes shifted to his Thermal Eyes, which allowed him to see through the smoke by detecting the heat signature of those he set his sights on. There was no way he was going to let either lady get the drop on him. He could make out one standing figure…while the other was on the ground. This caused him to smile as though the battle had already been decided. "Heh…your comrade is down. Why don't you make this easier for yourselves and collapse too, huh?"

As the smoke steadily cleared it was revealed that…Kagura was standing in front of Melody in a defensive stance. The Ace took the brunt of the attacks herself to protect her comrade! Of course the damage on her was evident, but she refused to fall! "Nobody has fallen over. Funny…I thought those eyes of yours allowed you to see accurately. I suppose you'll need to get them checked."

"She's still standing?" Cygnus sounded impressed. "Fioren women are tough…"

"…" Reve narrowed his eyes as they reverted back to his Precision Eyes. He was really tired of Kagura sassing him whenever she could.

"Incredible! Even after taking those hits directly, Mermaid Heel's Ace refuses to yield!" Hisui was very impressed!

"Hmmm…" Emmeraude tilted her head curiously.

"Kagura…." Melody managed to stand up. Thanks to Kagura, she was able to come out of that tag team attack unharmed…but Kagura looked like she'd seen better days. In fact, it was clear to Mermaid Heel that Kagura was pushing herself after that. She was a tough woman, but after taking hits like that…it was hard to discern if she was still being tough, or just acting the part.

"This battle isn't over yet." Kagura spoke to Melody. "We have to end it in this next strike."

"I couldn't agree more." Reve dropped his magnum to the ground and replaced it in favor of the good old Eclipse Cannon. "I don't care how strong you think you are. You're going to collapse after this."

"So we're breaking out the big guns now?" Cygnus had a matching grin on his face. His golden aura flared up once again as he activated his God Trigger. "Perfect! I can't wait to dine on seafood tonight!"

"They're gearing up to finish this…how will Mermaid Heel respond, I wonder?" Siegrain questioned, completely curious to see what Melody and Kagura had up their sleeves.

"Then I think it's time…" The silver make mage spread her arms out, allowing silver to cover every inch of her. The earlier thunderbolts drained a large amount of her magic, so she had to make use of what she had left in the take. "Silver Make: FULL ARMOR!" Immediately after Melody shouted this, lightning began to surge around her body. She was using herself as a lightning rod for the lightning she was generating! At the same time, Kagura used her magic to propel herself high into the sky!

"I don't know what they're doing…" Reve took aim at both Melody and Kagura. "But I'm ending it here." And with a click of the trigger, the large black and white cannon unleashed a massive sphere of Eclipse magic that soared across the field towards the armored mage.

"Eclipse Hammer!" Cygnus followed suit, pushing his hands forward as a large, condensed mass of Eclipse magic shot forth. The two Eclipse attacks ended up merging together midway to create a devastating mass of destructive power! To all watching, it was obvious that there was no surviving that.

"AAAAAH!" Melody released all the lightning she gathered in her body and shot it off into one strong thunderbolt that shot into the sky! Just what was she thinking? Well…Lightning always struck at the highest point.

And the highest point right now was Kagura's sword; Archenemy. The bolt of lightning Melody unleashed conducted with Archenemy for a powerful surge of lightning! As soon as the lightning made contact with the blade, Kagura increased the gravity around herself and her own sword immensely, far beyond any crushing force she would normally use, descending down to the ground as though she were a falling meteor! Kagura reared her sparking blade backwards and dove directly for the conjoined Eclipse attack! This attack will be dubbed: Super Lightning Blade. With a battle cry, Kagura swiftly swung her blade down, beginning to cleave through the large beam of Eclipse magic as though it were hot butter to a sharp knife! The overwhelming force of these two powers couldn't possibly last long. Kagura only made it halfway through the beam before all the magic present collapsed on itself, resulting in a catastrophic explosion that would have leveled the Domus Flau itself had it not been for the strong magic barrier isolating the combatants in the field! The ground trembled violently and everyone staggered to get their footing!

"A-Ah….! S-So strong…!" Hisui used her arm to protect herself from the fierce winds kicked up.

Before the smoke even cleared, four figures were thrown back into the arena walls; Kagura and Melody on one side, and Reve and Cygnus on the other. The walls crumbled due to how forcefully the fighters hit them. But…there was something miraculous about the sight itself: no mage was down. Reve, Cygnus, Melody, and even Kagura in her state were all on a knee, or their hands and knees. The arena was completely demolished from the powers used and soon everyone could see the state of the field itself.

"W-What happened!?" Chapati asked because he had no clue himself!

Emmeraude's applause caught everyone's attention. "Absolutely astounding…what a show! I was thrilled the entire time! Even after such a clash, none of them are all down! These are the fights that I was hoping to see!" Her yammering only made things more intense. It was unclear which side actually suffered the ring out first. "I'm sure you're all curious as to who won…and for that I have quite the news for you. This battle…is a draw."

"WHAT!?"

"Oh?" Emmeraude was a little shocked at the reactions the news had. "It was such a match, time flew by. Just as the explosion occurred, the bell rang. It was hard to hear over the rumbling…but I'm sure that's not good enough for you all either, hm? The ones who hit the walls first were…well…all four of them did at the exact same time. That explosion caused a number of issues, but it was so beautiful to look at…so…as I said: this battle is a draw! Both Mermaid Heel and White Eclipse A get 5 points! But I give you all 100 for entertaining me!"

"W-We tied…" Melody sounded exhausted, falling over as the silver around her body faded away.

"Whew…" Cygnus exhaled as his God Trigger faded away. Both sides took a heavy beating in that fight and rest was needed…

"…." Kagura…was not happy with these results. One look at Reve said the same thing. The two had a bit of a stare down before picking themselves up to move on.

 _"…Not strong enough. If Nee-can is capable of beating both of them…then I need to be as well, no matter what."_

 _"Damn Mermaid…you won't get in my way of crushing that Titania once and for all…."_

These were the thoughts Kagura and Reve had as they returned to their sides.

.

.

Next Time: Fairy Fight


	124. Chapter 124: Fairy Fight

Emmeraude applauded after the end of Reve and Cygnus vs. Kagura and Melody. Such a match left a smile on her purple painted lips and she couldn't help but praise the combatants. "Such a brilliant match…honestly, my heart was racing the entire time. It may be a little biased, but I was rooting for the ladies the entire time, and they did not disappoint." The Queen took a gander at the ruined battlefield. "Hmm…this will not do…" The woman placed her hand on the field, a white light emanating from her palm as she made use of her Crash Magic.

"W-What is she doing…? Is that Crash Magic? Is she trying to level this entire place?" Cana tilted her head. She was only a little tipsy and she was certain that she currently had better decision making skills than Emmeraude at the moment.

White lines spread out across the ruined field. Everyone was nervous that she was going level the entire arena…but nothing of the sort happened. Instead, all of the destruction was completely disintegrated, leaving nothing but a fresh arena in its wake. It was as though nothing happened in the first place! Everyone stared in awe at the perfect control Emmeraude had over such destructive magic. "A-Amazing…" Hisui whispered quietly.

"How did she do that? You could never trust Gildarts to do a task like that…" Cana grumbled the slight thought passing of the whereabouts of that man anyway.

"It is all about control." Emmeraude overheard Cana's remark and responded accordingly. She smiled softly while speaking out to the crowd. "Power can be a terrifying thing if misused. That's why people fear it. But even the gentlest touch can do more good than even. This power I wield is destructive by nature…but a calm mind can use such power in any number of ways. Where you at Fairy Tail see nothing but destruction, I see a gentle force. It's all about perspective…and the person." With a bow, Emmeraude soaked in the silent awe.

"She's really amazing, isn't she?" Hisui's tone contained a slight hint of bragging. It was clear that Emmeraude and Hisui shared a bond similar to that of a mother and a daughter, so it was only natural that pride swelled within the princess. To her, Emmeraude was the mother she never had.

"Absolutely!" Chapati nodded in agreement. "Lady Emmeraude is really something else!"

"Everyone loves her…" Tia crossed her arms, a little disturbed by the loyalty displayed by the audience to the false Queen. "But I can't lie…controlling Crash Magic so delicately is extremely impressive. That has to take years of practice…"

"Just who is this woman…" Heartless mumbled. The pieces were all there…but there was no common thread to link them all together.

"Always a show off…" Mii shook her head after her quiet remark.

"…She rubs me the wrong way." Lucy mumbled while rubbing her arm. There were no marks on her body anymore, but she still couldn't help but subconsciously rub the spot they used to be.

"I'm keeping a careful eye on her." Mavis stated. Her suspicions about Emmeraude were extremely high, especially after the talk they had last night.

"Ah, but enough about me." Emmeraude waved her hand to dismiss the subject. "It's the mages of Fiore that are to be in the spotlight! We can save myself for another time. Can I have Sabertooth's Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney vs. White Eclipse B's Tyson Byrant and Ralo Reiss. Chop chop~"

"I gotta team up with this guy?" Both Tyson and Reiss looked at one another in digust.

"Good luck you two!" Aira said with a positive smile.

"That's like me teaming up with Salamander. It would end horribly." Takeru remarked.

"…I don't like this…" Mavis bit her lower lip. "If they're going to be fighting next…then that means the last duo match of the day is…"

"Fairy Tail A vs. Fairy Tail B." Laxus finished the statement. Even though it could have been a somewhat predictable situation due to the events of yesterday, that didn't stop it from being any less shocking.

"I wonder what's going through that beautiful mind of hers?" Zelos leaned over the railing. The fight between the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth and the Rookie Rivals of White Eclipse had already begun.

"Aren't you going to watch the fight…?" Levy questioned. She turned her head to see Sting and Rogue on the leading end of this tag fight against the up and coming Rookies.

"There's no way I'm going to watch four sweaty dudes duke it out." Zelos waved his hand. "That's so unrefined…the only reason I even paid attention to the last matches was because of the two ladies earnestly giving it their all out there. I'm looking at your wonderful Queen…"

"Don't you mean our?" Levy did notice the strange wording, but Zelos responded with a shrug.

Meanwhile, the battle between Sabertooth and White Eclipse was getting white hot! Sting and Rogue, both in their respective Drives, sprinted towards Reiss while Sting took Tyson. Reiss was more than ready for Rogue, summoning Dune by his side to keep things even. "Dune, take him down!" The Native Spirit complied with Reiss' order, causing the area around Rogue to turn into a sand pit! The Shadow Dragon realized that at this rate he'd sink!

"Not so fast…" The Shadow Dragon proceeded to dip into the shadows, although it appeared as though he vanished into the sand. Such a trick had Reiss on edge as he was unsure of where Rogue would appear from. Crimson eyes flashed in the darkness of Reiss' shadow and soon Rogue's body, in an intangible form, wrapped around Reiss to constrict his movements. "Sting!"

"Agh! Hey, get off me…!" Reiss grunted.

Sting had Tyson on the ropes; a series punches imbued with white dragon slaying were fired in the direction of the rookie builder. Tyson was able to block the punches to minimize the damages; however a kick to his chest was enough to knock him away towards Reiss! "Got it!" Sting then thrusted his hand forward, unleashing a potent beam of White Dragon Slaying towards the Eclipse Rookie duo. Rogue removed himself from Reiss just before the point of impact and there was a small explosion upon contact!

"Sting and Rogue are quite a duo." Hisui said while examining their teamwork.

"They're getting floored out there…" Cygnus crossed his arms. "Hopefully they can pull off something…"

Reiss and Tyson stood up, both groaning from Sting's attack. The bruises showed from the joint efforts of Sabertooth's infamous duo. It wasn't anything they couldn't handle, but the teamwork of the Twin Dragons highly annoyed these two rivals. "Okay…" Reiss exhaled. "I still don't like you…but I'm liking them a lot less right now."

"You took the words right out of my mouth, rich boy…" Tyson groaned while wiping at his lip. "So…what are we gonna do? I don't want to fight you and them at the same time…"

"Then we'll just have to get along for a few minutes, huh?" Reiss smirked. "It shouldn't be too hard. Just follow my lead…" Dune was dismissed in favor of Taru and Poia, and Reiss used his Summoner's Cloth to take the abilities of Poia.

"I hope we don't crash and burn because of you…" Tyson grumbled, reluctantly agreeing to follow Reiss.

"Looks like they still got some fight in them." Sting said with a slight grin. "White Eclipse sure has some promising mages, huh?"

"Indeed…but we are here to win after all." Rogue nodded to his partner. "Let's wrap this up quickly."

After whispering their plan to one another, Tyson nodded and smacked his hands together, pressing them against the ground. "Fusion Make: Mud Pit!" As soon as he exclaimed this, the ground underneath Sting and Rogue began to sink, bogging them down with the heavy amounts of mud beneath.

"Taru! Rock Avalanche!" Following this, Reiss used Taru's magic to cause a rock fall from above! The Twin Dragons had to handle this dual assault from the sky and the air: sink or fly which one would they take!?

"Not bad, but you won't get us so easily!" Sting nodded to Rogue, who took a hold of his arm. The White Dragon unleashed a potent beam of White Dragon Slaying from his hand to shoot them into the air! As for the falling rocks, the pair began to jump between them to avoid being crushed. Little did they know that they had actually fallen right into Reiss' trap! The rock fall was endless due to Taru being the one causing it, so this brought plenty of time for Reiss to prepare his attack, cupping his hands together as a sphere of Star Magic formed in the empty space between his palms. Thrusting his arms, forward, a gigantic beam of Star magic was unleashed towards the Twin Dragons. The pair noticed it too late and the ensuing collision caused an explosion!

"GAH!" Both Sting and Rogue cried out in pain as they began to fall from the sky. Rocks were still falling as well, leaving them in quite the predicament.

"Now! Taru! Tyson!" Reiss exclaimed.

"Already on it." Tyson had a faint grin. Taru placed his fingertips into the ground, using his sheer strength to rip it open. A large crevasse began to split the arena in half while a large pit formed at Sting and Rogue's estimated location. At the same time, the mud pit Tyson formed shifted into a deep pit within the arena. Sting and Rogue had few options as they landed dead center in the pit and the rocks fell on top of them! "Not bad…"

"Sting-sama! Rogue-sama!" Yukino gasped at the sudden show of teamwork by Tyson and Reiss.

"Come on Sting-kun! That's nothing…!" Lector cheered for his best friend.

"Suddenly, they're working together?" Hisui blinked. "I suppose in the face of adversity, the best can be brought out in any pair."

Siegrain chuckled at the vigor shown by these up and coming mages. "Now this is interesting…."

"That seemed a little too easy…" Reiss muttered before looking at Emmeraude. "So…is it gonna be like that first match? If they don't come out in a minute or so, we win?"

"Indeed." Emmeraude responded. But she seemed rather bored if this was to be the outcome.

There was some silence…but nobody noticed the crimson eyes gleaming from Tyson's shadow. "You two are good…but we're better!" Sting exclaimed as he and Rogue sprang out from the shadows! The Eclipse Rookies had no idea what happened until it was too late: Sting slashed Reiss' chest, creating a white stigmata that sealed his movement. As for Tyson, Rogue blasted him away with a fierce blast of shadows.

"W-What the hell!?" Reiss attempted to move but his body was stuck.

"You're not going anywhere now!" White light formed around Sting's fist and he prepared the windup of the century. "White Dragon's…!" As the guildmaster of Sabertooth swung his fist forward, his fist was stopped short by thick stone! The impact left a bit of a sickly crack as Sting's fist made an unexpected collision. "Agh…!" Taru with the save! And now, Poia moved in, blasting Sting away with a beam of Star Magic.

"Tch…" Rogue sucked his teeth. There was concern for his partner, but he kept pushing forward, knowing how stubborn Sting could be in a fight. The Shadow Dragon wrapped his leg in shadows, swinging a fierce roundhouse towards Poia to force her off to the side. With the native spirit out of the way, the male turned his attention to the summoner, only to see Tyson flying into his line of sight.

"Fusion Make: I AM IRON MAN!" With steel covering his fist, the rookie aimed a full throttle punch at Rogue! Rogue was capable of blocking it, but the momentum Tyson carried was too much and sent Rogue skidding back across the arena.

Rogue flipped to regain his balance, landing next to Sting. There was a slight smirk on his lips at the rush the battle provided. "Any bright ideas, flashlight?"

"Oh Rogue…you should know I have nothing but bright ideas." Sting teased in response before cupping his hands together. "White Dragon's Holy Ray!" From Sting's hands, multiple rays of light shot forth at all angles. The rays that did not collide against anything merely exploded in a brilliant flash of light to blind the opposition. Several rays did collide against Reiss and Tyson, inflicting a moderate amount of damage on the both of them. Taru's stones did mitigate the damage as it prevented some of the rays from landing against them. "Now Rogue!"

Rogue inhaled, releasing a vortex of ripping darkness right after Sting issued the command. "Shadow Dragon's Roar!" The roar travelled across the arena, where it eventually exploded upon reaching the Eclipse duo.

"That had to hurt…" Minerva mused.

"They were doing so well…come on you two, keep it up!" Aira continued to cheer for the Rookies. They were showing such prowess, how could she not!

As the smoke around the two cleared, Tyson and Reiss were still standing! Albeit more bruised than before due to the consecutive attacks from the Sabertooth duo. "I…really hate these two…" Reiss panted heavily. But there was a look in his eyes that showed he was nowhere near close to giving up.

"How about that…we actually agree on something for once…" Tyson grumbled.

"Let's wrap this up, Rogue…" Sting said while placing his right arm out, gathering a large spiral of White Dragon slaying.

"Right…!" Rogue nodded, his left hand blazing in black shadow alongside Sting's. The Twin Dragons were preparing their signature combination attack!

"It looks like the Twin Dragons are going in for the finish!" Chapati exclaimed. "Do Tyson and Reiss have a counter for this!?"

"We're not going down that easily…" Reiss sneered at the Twin Dragons as they prepared their coup de grace. "We're going to fight back!"

"Hell yeah we are." Tyson nodded in agreement, placing his fist in his palm to put his fusion make into play once again. "If you're gonna fire something, you better make it count. Because there's only one shot. Fusion Make: Glass Boomerang." A long boomerang composed of glass formed within Tyson's grip. Without another word, the fusion make mage hurled that boomerang towards the Twin Dragons!

"Here we go Poia!" Reiss exclaimed. The female spirit stood behind Reiss as the two of them cupped their hands at his hip. Together, they channeled Star Magic into their palms. The combination created a large sphere that soon turned into a pure beam of destruction as it raced towards the glass boomerang! The goal was for the energy to amplify due to the reflective glass to create an overwhelming power that not even the Twin Dragons could stop.

"White Shadow's Dragon's Waxwing Flash!" Both Sting and Rogue exclaimed in unison. Their combined magic shrunk to the size of a small marble. The two dragons extended their arms and unleashed a beam of white/black magic that easily dwarfed what Reiss had in mind. All changed the moment Reiss' beam hit the glass boomerang. The blast expanded in size at the last second and two titans of power collided! There was no beam struggle; the impact resulted in a mass explosion that created a huge cloud of smoke, thus blinding the spectators and combatants alike.

"O-Oh my…there's smoke everywhere! I can't see a thing. Is this going to be like the last match and end in a tie…?" Hisui questioned. There was another lingering silence before two figures swiftly moved through the smoke. A yelp of surprised was followed with a crashing noise of a pair slamming into the arena wall. The smoke began to thin clearly and the one who gained the upper hand in the end was…

"Reiss and Tyson have suffered a ring out. Therefore, the winners of this match are Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney of Sabertooth!" Emmeraude pointed to the pair of Dragon Slayers who briefly entered Dragon Force for a few seconds to enhance their senses and move through the thick cloud of smoke. "Congratulations. They get 10 points."

"Whew…" Yukino exhaled. "I was so nervous at the end."

"I wasn't worried. I knew Sting-kun had it covered." Lector spoke proudly.

"Fro thought so too…" Frosch said with a smile on his adorable face.

"Damn those sneaky dragons…" Cygnus scoffed.

"At least they got along for a little bit…" Aira said with a soft smile. But the arguing between the two soon began as they started to blame one another for their defeat. "…Or not."

.

"Now…it's time for the last fight before the event. Can I have Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster of Fairy Tail A vs….Fairy Tail B's Cynthia Rose and Wendy Marvell." Emmeraude pointed to both Fairy Tail teams. "Don't keep me waiting because of your shock."

"What the hell!? I want to fight…!" Gajeel shouted, clearly upset that he hadn't gotten his chance to fight at all over the course of five days."

"That isn't the problem!" Levy snapped back. "Against Cynthia and Wendy? Did she do that on purpose…?"

"I have no doubt that she did…" Mavis responded.

"Hey…take it easy on them, okay…?" Lucy pleaded. "They're still growing. And Gray, don't hit Cynthia with your Devil Slaying…! It could really hurt her!"

"You don't have to worry about that." Gray reassured Lucy. He and Natsu really didn't have anything to say to one another about this match up yet. They had little choice but to head down to the arena since Emmeraude seemed rather impatient.

"What does he mean by that…?" Lucy grumbled. She was very worried for both Cynthia and Wendy since both Natsu and Gray had a well-known tendency to go overboard.

"Gray-sama and Cynthia trained with his Devil Slaying." Juvia explained. "Juvia and Wendy-san were there."

[Flashback: prior to the Games.]

Gray and Cynthia stood far apart from one another. Wendy, Carla, and Juvia stood on the sidelines, worried expressions on their face at Cynthia's request. After the battle with Rose, Cynthia learned that it was impossible for her to ever truly be fully human again since the Tartarus machine Lamy created injected her with demon particles. As such…Cynthia was susceptible to any kind of Devil Slaying. As such, her request was that Gray strike her with his strongest attack. Needless to say…none of the others were happy about such a decision. "I'm ready." Cynthia said with a firm nod.

"Are you sure about this?" Gray asked once again. He was very reluctant to hit a comrade and somewhat hated the fact that Cynthia convinced him to do this as a precaution for future events.

"Yes." Cynthia nodded. She was very stubborn and she wasn't going to waver in this decision again.

"All right…" Gray sighed. There wasn't much he could do at this point but comply to Cynthia's request. Arms drawn back, the Devil Slayer formed a frozen bow and arrow within his grip, drawing the arrow back on the bowstring.

"Gray-sama…" Juvia had a frown on her lips.

"Here we go…" Gray released the bow string and let the frozen arrow fly! Considering that this was the same move that was able to finish off Marde Geer…Gray had his reasonable concerns. Cynthia braced for impact and as soon as the arrow connected there was a large icy explosion!

"That girl…" Carla grimaced at the impact.

"Cynthia…!" Wendy didn't waste any time rushing over to Cynthia even before it was known if she was all right!

Cynthia was writhing around on the ground in absolute pain. There was a feral growl that escaped her as the demon instincts inside her went wild! As Wendy drew near, Cynthia held her hand out and shook her head. "D-Don't get near me…!" She warned while trying to cope with the pain. It was a direct hit and she was essentially unguarded. The others watched on with worry. Cynthia grasped at the ground, taking things a step further by actually consuming some of the ice. Was it healthy? Probably not.

"Don't do that…!" Wendy now rushed over to Cynthia, ignoring the warning to stay away to use her healing magic.

[End flashback]

"That's what happened. Juvia thinks Cynthia will be fine now…" Juvia too tried to assure Lucy that things would be okay.

"I still don't like the idea of them having to fight each other like this…" Levy stated.

"Neither do I…" Carla mumbled.

"I'm sure it'll be fine!" Happy tried his best to reassure everyone that things would be just A-OK! But there was a lot of unease coming from the members of Fairy Tail at the moment.

Soon, Natsu and Gray met Cynthia and Wendy in the arena. Things were oddly tense as the four Fairy Tail mages stared at one another. Emmeruade sensed the tension and gave that sickly sweet smile of hers. "Nothing wrong with a match between juniors and seniors, correct?" She asked the group of four.

"She really likes pitting these teams against one another…" Hisui remarked, a little surprised at how much fun Emmeraude seemed to be having at this.

"W-We won't take it easy…!" Wendy said, balling her tiny hands into fists. With Cynthia by her side, she felt confident she could fight against both Natsu and Gray. Had she been alone? A lot less so given to how much she looked up to these two.

"I hope so! We won't take it easy." Natsu grinned, flames igniting around his fists. If anything, he knew that the last thing either of them wanted was to be holding back. Out of respect for Wendy and Cynthia, there was simply no way he could deny them of his full strength. Gray felt the same way.

Taking a look between the two teams, Emmeraude's small, yet noticeable smile stayed on her lips. "Are both sides ready? Your 15 minute time limit starts now. Begin!"

"On me!" Cynthia exclaimed, taking the lead as they initiated the charge. Wendy followed suit, the two smaller Dragon Slayers darting off at impressive speeds. Cynthia increased her speed as crimson flames expelled from her arms, trailing behind her as makeshift wings. "Wing Slash!" Cynthia aimed for both Natsu and Gray, running between the two of them in attempt to slash them both. Of course, the two responded by evading in opposite directions! Gray didn't wish to be burned, and Natsu had no choice since it was going to take some risky conditions to consume Cynthia's magic.

As expected, Wendy acted as soon as Cynthia finished attacking. By the time her partner's attack ended, her cheeks were inflated and the Sky Dragon was already in attacking position. "Sky Dragon's Roar!" Exhaling, a powerful whirlwind was unleashed from the Sky Dragon! It's pressure was more than enough to push Natsu and Gray backwards as they narrowly had time to regain their footing after landing.

"They must be going for a ring out." Said Zelos. "The best way to end conflict with a guild mate is to resolve it quickly, yes? I think it's the most efficient way of fighting."

"But by doing that right off the bat, it tells us they aren't sure they can win in a full out fight." Laxus stated bluntly. "That water dragon from before tried to do the same to me, but as soon as that plan failed, things quickly went in my favor. I was going to win anyway, but the foundation of her battle plan crumbled and made it that much faster."

Mira placed her hand on her cheek, soft blue gaze staring at the two fighting girls. "I think they'll put forth their best effort until the very end. They work so well together after all."

"Gah!" Natsu had his arms crossed while his heels dug into the ground. Wendy's roar was especially powerful when it came to blowing things away! "You got a plan, Ice Princess?!"

"Shut up and let me work!" Gray exclaimed. The Ice Maker placed his fist into his palm and spread his arms out. "Ice Make: Wall!" And BOOM! A large wall of ice formed, blocking Wendy's roar from pushing them back any further. "This isn't gonna be easy…"

On the other side of the wall, Wendy stopped exhaling as soon as her roar was obstructed. She glanced at Cynthia and the two nodded, already formulating a battle plan without even needing to speak to one another. Wendy spread her arms out, a faint glow forming around her body as the usual enhancement spells came into effect: Arms, Armor, and Vernier! "Go now, Cynthia!"

Cynthia grinned, sprinting forward as two spheres of flame formed within her hands. When she merged her hands together, the two spheres became one large fireball. "Radiant Blaze!" Swinging her hands forward, the omega dragon unleashed the fireball and allowed it to collide with the wall of ice, shattering it instantly! However…neither Natsu nor Gray were behind the wall! "Huh…?"

Natsu on the right, Gray on the left. The two coordinated their assault to strike the female slayers individually! Natsu went right for Cynthia despite the elemental neutrality they shared, while Gray had his sights on Wendy. "Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu roared, swinging a fiery right hook for Cynthia's temple. Cynthia's Vernier boost allowed her to duck the incoming punch and retaliate with a fiery kick of her own, but Natsu shifted his body to the side, his natural reaction speed outpacing hers and swung his leg back, slamming it into Cynthia's chest! Not much damage was delivered, but Cynthia rebounded immediately, landing a fierce punch to Natsu's jaw! The two of them were locked in close combat. Cynthia's small size made it a little difficult for Natsu to really hit her since she was able to maneuver in ways that he wasn't able to, but would that really stop this dragon slayer from trying!?

Meanwhile, Gray already had his fist in the maker position while dashing towards Wendy. "Ice Make: Freeze Lancer!" Having exclaimed this, Gray threw his arms forward and multiple large lances shot forth from all angles, aiming to strike Wendy and cut off her escape routes so she'd have to come to Gray directly! Once she was close, Gray already had ice surrounding his fist to strike her down!

"You'll have to try harder, Gray-san!" Wendy narrowed her eyes and began to dash forward. She was already naturally fast, the fastest person on the field, and with Vernier's boost, she was able to glide past the incoming Lancers! A few did graze her body, but the damage and pain was minimal. Once Wendy did get close, a small whirlwind wrapped around her dominate leg. Gray swung as all went according to plan…but he missed! Wendy's speed was greater than he originally estimated. Wendy planned to use this opening to her advantage and strike! "Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!" The small Dragon Slayer swung her leg swiftly, only for it to be blocked by the older mage. Despite the block, a powerful gale expelled from Wendy's leg to push Gray backwards a moderate distance. Wendy flipped backwards to gain even more distance, disappointed that at what she thought was a certain direct hit was only partial damage.

As for Cynthia and Natsu, the two of them were still at it. Blow for blow, or they just straight up missed. At the end of their exchange, both slayers extended their palms, but colliding as their respective flames began to gather.

"Flame Palm!"

"Fire Dragon's Grip!"

BOOM! An explosion of red and orange flames occurred, the intensity of two attacks meeting pushing both slayers back to their respective partners. Cynthia groaned a little before glancing at Wendy. Both already had a plan in mind. Cynthia's left arm, and Wendy's right. The two pulled their arms back as their respective magic began to form before throwing them forward, the culmination of their magic unleashing a harrowing wave of heat that would make a desert desperately thirst for water. "Omega Flame Sky Dragon's Blistering Heat Wave!" The two girls exclaimed as their wave of heat covered the entire arena. Sharp winds accompanied the heat wave, cutting into Natsu and Gray even if the heat didn't bother them that much!

"I-It's getting hot in here…" Hisui waved her hand rapidly in attempt to fan herself. She was already sweating!

"I-I concur!" Chapati was also sweating bullets and hand to use his hand to wipe away the sweat from his face. "But the team work shone between Cynthia-tan and Wendy-tan! This is incredible!"

"Young mages have so much potential these days." Siegrain was also sweating, but he didn't seem horribly bothered by it.

"So this is what it's like when he's serious…" Micaiah mumbled. She could tell Natsu's intensity was much different than when she fought him on Day 1.

"You two need to chill!" Gray extended his arm, releasing a cold front to neutralize the Heat Wave Wendy and Cynthia sent at them. The cuts the wind caused were evident on him and Natsu. The two were impressed at how well they were holding up…but they couldn't let them off easy yet.

Natsu was the one who ran forward this time, mirroring Cynthia's opening technique as flames sprouted from his arms and covered a wide radius. "Fire Dragon's Wing Slash!" With the way he was running, Cynthia and Wendy were left with no choice but to evade by splitting up! Just what Natsu wanted as his attention turned to Wendy, a grin spreading on his lips as he pursued her. "I got you now!" Flames lit up on his leg and he swung a fiery roundhouse at Wendy, but she managed to block at the expense of being forced down to the ground.

"Wendy…!" Cynthia wanted to look away, but facing forward was Gray! He created multiple platforms that were suspended in the air by briefly freezing the water in the air. The platforms were smaller than he would've liked since the girls' technique made the air dry. But despite that shortcoming, he had the advantage over Cynthia and in that moment, lunged forward with Devil Slaying coating his head. "Ice Devil's Skull Bash!" Cynthia was able to block this at the last second, but that didn't stop Gray's skill from smashing into her arm and rib! There was a barely audible crack inside of Cynthia, but she bit her tongue while being harshly thrown to the floor. Gray wasn't done yet! As he fell, his arms were pointed down and a blue magic seal formed. "Ice Make: Cage!" From the seal, a large cage of ice formed to trap Cynthia inside. The cage was of course infused with Devil Slaying to make it sturdier.

"Cynthia…!" Wendy could see Cynthia's predicament and tried to get to her, but Natsu was serving as the biggest roadblock. Wendy brought her hand forward in a swiping motion, a fierce trail of wind following behind her as her Sky Dragon's Claw aimed to push Natsu away, but Natsu blocked the hit to keep the close distance. A fiery punch was aimed at Wendy, but she shifted to the side, now hurrying over to Cynthia.

"You're not getting away!" Natsu drew his arm back, fire blazing around his entire arm. "Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!" The dragon slayer thrust his arm forward, releasing a powerful blast of flame that rapidly approached Wendy as she tried to help Cynthia.

"Ah…!" Wendy turned and crossed her arms. The Firing Hammer was strong and pushed her back into the cage Gray made and destroyed it. Both Cynthia and Wendy were on the ground; however Cynthia was still reeling from the effects of Devil Slaying. She gained resistance to it, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt and draw out instincts she was trying to suppress. "C-Cynthia…are you okay…?"

"F-Fine…" Cynthia gasped out.

Gray wasn't allowing them any rest. A swift resolution to this painful battle was what he desired. The male inhaled before lurching forward, releasing a blast of tinted purple ice towards the two girls as they tried to recover. "Ice Devil's Rage!"

"I can do this…!" Wendy jumped forward at the chance to protect Cynthia, releasing yet another Sky Dragon's Roar that only managed to slow down Gray's attack. It was poorly timed as her Arms boost was beginning to run out, and soon an icy explosion covered part of the field as impact was made.

"They're falling apart now." Laxus stated.

"Aren't they going a little too far though…?" Lisanna pulled on Elfman's arm, needing something to hold onto as this fight was starting to stress her out a little more than she thought. "Natsu and Gray didn't need to do all that…!"

Emmeraude chuckled quietly at the scene before her. "Oh…I do love a good fight…"

As the smoke cleared…Cynthia was the one standing in front of Wendy! The blast of ice did hurt a lot…but she wouldn't let anything stop her from protecting Wendy! The omega dragon panted heavily and closed one eye. "A-Are you okay…?"

"C-Cynthia…" Wendy had her mouth wide open. Why did Cynthia always have to put herself at risk like this…? Why couldn't Wendy protect her for once? Wendy was only covered in burn marks from Natsu's attack and minor cuts from Gray's. Cynthia had the worst out of the both of them.

Natsu and Gray stood side by side, watching them intently. "If you two want to throw in the towel…" Gray began.

"NO." Cynthia shook her head. "We're not done yet…!"

"S-She's right…" Wendy stood back up, exhaling softly. "W-We want to fight you with all our might…! Like I told Chelia that one time…we're here because we're fighting for Fairy Tail! E-Even if that means having to fight you two…we're going to give it everything we have! We don't want your pity or second thoughts. We just want your all!"

Emmeraude interjected for once, giving her own opinion as this brief standstill cut into the precious time they had to fight. "These two have been raised well. I would oblige to their wish, if I were you. It's not often you come across such strong young girls. And you're in the same guild? I think this is the perfect opportunity to test their mettle. They're here for a reason, aren't they?"

As Emmeraude spoke, cyan wind and red flames began to wrap around Wendy as she entered her Omega Flame Sky mode. Cynthia grinned and leaned over to Wendy. "I'm going to try something new…that power I obtained from Rose. Even my fire doesn't work too well against Natsu…so this has to have an effect…" Cynthia clenched her hand into a fist, darkened, demonic flames flaring around her right hand! But things were going further than that. The ice she consumed a while back resonated with this nature she was letting out, causing blue demonic scales to form along the left side of her face, protruding out of her back as well! It was a strange combination of demonic flames and ice! Even Cynthia was surprised at this! "W-Whoa…!"

"W-What is this…?! Cynthia pulled out a transformation of some kind!?" Chapati questioned.

Carla looked on in awe. "I-I didn't know she could do this!"

"I don't think she knew either…" Lucy said with a sweat drop.

"COME ON SIS, KICK THEIR ASS!" Alex was oh so supportive when it came to watching her sister fight.

"You two are just full of surprises…" Gray said with a sigh. He and Natsu exchanged a look and nodded. Black markings crawled along Gray's body as he intended to use the full extent of his Devil Slaying. As for Natsu, lightning sparked around the fiery aura already encompassing his body.

"Come at us, you two!" Natsu roared with a wide grin.

"I think I'll call this…Polarity? I dunno…I'll work on it later. But I thought you'd never ask." Cynthia smirked and decided to test out this new power. Her hands were placed on the ground and she formed a strange seal that covered a few yards under Natsu and Gray. "Eruption!"

The seal exploded before the two even had a chance to react! The flames that burst from the seal were…surprisingly cold! But hot at the same time!? Natsu and Gray were taken aback at this strange dual sensation, but they couldn't sit around as the damage was actually noticeable on the both of them. However, before they could even get moving, Wendy was already behind them with her arms crossed. "Flare Tornado!" A tornado composed of omega flames and wind rose up from under the older mage's feet! The blistering heat and sharp winds working in tandem to create a powerful force that only fueled itself, growing stronger with each passing second!

"Ha!" Gray was forced to unleash another cold front to freeze the tornado solid! This one took more effort than the previous heat wave.

As soon as the tornado was cleared, Natsu lunged at Wendy with his leg held high. "Claw of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" The dragon's leg was aimed at Wendy, who managed to block this one! Natsu flipped back while inhaling, and Wendy did as well. The Roars of the Lightning Flame and Omega Flame Sky dragon collided, resulting in a large explosion to push them backwards!

Cynthia aimed for Gray as soon as he froze over the tornado. A series of rapid fire punches unleashed towards the Devil Slayer. Some of the punches were hot while the others were cold. Between this strange mixture of fire and ice coming his way, Gray had to act accordingly in a strange manner. Gray took one step back and almost found his left leg pierced by a stalagmite that popped up behind him. _"Shit! I forgot she has earth magic too…!"_ Using all this magic at once seemed impressive on the outside, but Cynthia was working with too much she didn't quite understand at the time. It would come back to bite her soon…

"Iron Fist of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" Natsu roared and slammed his dual elemental fist right into Wendy's gut! Such a blow would normally wind a person…but this was Wendy! She was the Sky Dragon! She flinched from the hit, but she defied Natsu's expectations of crumpling over and held her ground, instead holding her palms right in front Natsu's face. "Wind Palm!" Wind in name, but it was really an explosive burst of omega flames and wind. Cynthia and Wendy shared many techniques with one another and this was one of them. Natsu was blown backwards by Wendy's attack and ended up smashing right into Gray as a result! "Watch it…!" Natsu grumbled while quickly standing back up.

"You watch it!" Gray shot back. Cynthia and Wendy were attacking together, both aiming kicks towards the two of them.

"Sky Arrow!"

"Fire Arrow!"

Both kicks were blocked by Natsu and Gray, who used this time to use their free hands to fire right back! A fire and lightning hook was given to Cynthia, while Wendy received an icy hit! Both girls were sent tumbling backwards before recovering. Cynthia panted heavily along with Wendy. The damage was noticeable on both parties, Wendy and Cynthia putting up quite a fight against their seniors. "Remember that one thing we did during Tartarus? Let's try it again…I can't move as fast as I normally do right now…but you're faster than me."

"Right." Wendy already knew what to do. She began to sprint forward towards Natsu and Gray almost recklessly.

"What are they doing?" Mii lifted a brow. "Did they get desperate?"

"I got this…" Natsu was ready to strike Wendy when she got close…but at the last second she used her superior speed to slip past him and Gray! Now they only saw Cynthia, who was a few feet away and her hands were on the ground. "Huh…?"

"What the…?" Gray and Natsu were back to back a fiery tornado enveloped them. "This again? How many times do I have to freeze your combination-" Before Gray could finish, Cynthia moved within the tornado to slash at Gray with a claw composed of demonic flames. As for Natsu, Wendy clawed at him with wind!

"Fly, Wendy!"

"Right!"

The two then leapt high into the air, pulling their arms back to gather magic within the very thin space between their palms, almost resembling light. The wind howled loudly as the two prepared their new signature duo attack!

"TWIN WAVE!"

Both girls shouted at the same time, hurling their arms forward! Wendy's sky magic took the form of a cyan beam resembling light that flew down towards the two recuperating slayers. Cynthia's omega flames encompassed Wendy's beam. The two types of magic perfectly merged together to create a spiraling beam of blue/red light that drilled into the arena below, resulting in a large explosion of fire and wind that shook the arena to its core! The audience was in awe at this combination as the two girls landed, both of them panting heavily after using this attack once again.

"AMAZING!" Chapati hopped out of his seat.

"That was a stellar combination…." Hisui was awestruck at the teamwork Wendy and Cynthia possessed despite being so young.

"A lot of love went into that~" Chelia cooed from the audience stands, very proud of the two she called her sisters.

"Wow…" Erza had a small smile on her lips. "I wonder when they came up with that one…"

"D-Did we get them…?" Wendy asked in a hopeful tone. It was hard to see in the smoke and she was feeling rather exhausted.

It all happened so suddenly. Natsu lunged out of the cloud with lightning and flame wrapped around his body. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Sword Horn!" He slammed right into Wendy's chest! It happened so fast, it seemed like slow motion! Cynthia's eyes widened as Wendy was thrown backwards a great deal, coughing up a bit of blood as a result from the forceful impact. "WENDY…!" Cynthia flinched at the recoil her body was experiencing and rushed to Wendy's side, however…

"Ice Make: Cold Excalibur!" Gray leapt from above Natsu with the ice replica of the legendary sword in his grip! Cynthia knew what this attack could do and quickly scooped up the injured Wendy into her arms and made a desperate leap to the side. The rising glaciers of ice that exploded threw her off and she tumbled, releasing Wendy before coming to a halt. The damage on Natsu and Gray was very noticeable after the Twin Wave, but the two had been through much harder battles…not to say the two girls didn't put up a spectacular fight until this point. "Natsu."

Natsu nodded. For some reason, it would only feel right if Natsu was the one to finish this battle. In one hand, Natsu had high voltage lightning, and the other, fire. Lifting these two over his head, a fierce blaze of fire and lightning took the form of a sphere. "Dazzling Blaze…of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" Without thinking twice on it, Natsu hurled this dual sphere towards the two dragon slayers who were still trying to stand. They had no choice but to brace for impact as the ensuing fireball erupted in a fierce pyre and discharged lightning, slamming them both into the arena wall next to one another.

"And there you have it." Emmeraude pointed to Natsu and Gray. "Wendy and Cynthia have suffered a ring out. This means the winners are Natsu and Gray of Fairy Tail A. Congratulations on your hard fought 10 points!"

Wendy glanced over at Cynthia as she fought to stay conscious, a sad smile on her lips as her body reverted to normal. "I-I'm sorry…Cynthia…I wanted to fight with you until the end…but I held you back…"

"W-Wendy no…!" Cynthia wanted to reply…but Wendy fell unconscious. Cynthia didn't have much room either as she too lost consciousness and returned to normal. Neither of them were happy and it showed on their unconscious faces. Natsu and Gray didn't say anything and reverted back to normal, walking over to pick up Wendy and Cynthia and carry them back. They had a bit of a limp that couldn't be hidden.

"A spectacular fight. Such promise those two have." Siegrain chuckled.

"They put up a good fight. They are still young after all." Hisui nodded slowly. "But if the next generation has mages like them, then I don't think we'll have to worry."

"You did your best Sis…" Alex pouted at the result.

"I've already beaten his ass once…if that were ME, I would've done it again." Jack gloated, but Tia pinched his ear to make him read the mood.

Mavis narrowed her eyes at Emmeraude, who seemingly enjoyed this battle the most. Emmeraude turned in Mavis' direction and gave a smile. For a moment…it looked as though she could see Mavis. "….!"

"Now then…since the fights are now over. I think it's finally time we get to the event! As you mumble about who to send in for this event, allow me to explain…" Emmeraude was not letting any rest occur and she was jumping right into things. "For this next event…" The woman pulled out some chalk, walking around to drag the chalk along the field to create a circle that spanned a few yards. "We will be calling this the Immovable Object. All eight competitors will have to try their hardest to move an extremely difficult object out of this circle. Whoever is capable of knocking this object out of the circle first gets first place, anyone else also managing to do so will fall in line accordingly. If no one can move the object out…I will be basing the judging myself off of who did the best."

"…Wait." Hisui interjected. "But where is this object? I didn't get any word of anything heavy being moved…"

To that, Emmeraude snickered. "Oh my dear Hisui…I didn't tell you because you would object to it. You see…the Immovable Object…" The Queen stepped into the center of the circle and smiled. "Is me. Your goal is to force me to move from this circle. And I reserve the right to strike back if I feel your results require more inquiry or aren't deemed satisfactory. Are we clear?"

.

.

Results after the Day 5 Fights:

1st: Fairy Tail A: 63

2nd: Empyrean Dawn: 62

3rd: White Eclipse A: 61

4th: Sabertooth: 56

5th: Fairy Tail B: 54

6th: Mermaid Heel: 41

7th: White Eclipse B: 40

8th: Blue Pegasus: 34

Next Time: Immovable Object.


	125. Chapter 125: Immovable Object

Results after the Day 5 Fights:

1st: Fairy Tail A: 63

2nd: Empyrean Dawn: 62

3rd: White Eclipse A: 61

4th: Sabertooth: 56

5th: Fairy Tail B: 54

6th: Mermaid Heel: 41

7th: White Eclipse B: 40

8th: Blue Pegasus: 34

"Oh my dear Hisui…I didn't tell you because you would object to it. You see…the Immovable Object…" The Queen stepped into the center of the circle and smiled. "Is me. Your goal is to force me to move from this circle. And I reserve the right to strike back if I feel your results require more inquiry or aren't deemed satisfactory. Are we clear?"

"E-Eh!?" Hisui's eyes widened at Emmeraude's idea for an event. "Y-You can't do that! You might end up hurt…or worse…"

"Have some faith in me dear." Emmeraude offered a motherly smile to Hisui to ease her panic. "You don't have to worry about me. I wouldn't suggest this if I didn't believe I could handle it. I only ask you to have a little faith in me."

"…" Falling silent, the Jade Princess averted her gaze. She wasn't going openly say she was okay with this.

Sophie had the view from Emmeraude's usual spot. She wasn't objecting to this idea like Hisui was…the only thing she could wonder was why. "Creator…? What are you doing…?"

"Seems like the excitement has finally gotten to her." Mii leaned forward, giving a sly grin as the others looked at her. "I mean…I'm not really the fighting for sport type, but I'd be telling the truth if I said these fights actually make me want to fight. Watching Wendy and Cynthia fight so hard sparked what little spirit I actually have yet. I hate kids."

Everyone just…kind of stared at Mii as she spoke a garbled mess. Lucy had a sweat drop on her forehead as she attempted to decipher what was truth and what was lies…but it was Mii, so in the end she really couldn't make heads of what was said. "I…I honestly don't know what she said."

"If we assume she means the opposite of what she says…" Levy was better at this than anyone else. "Then I think she means to say that these fights make her want some action…and that she loves kids."

"Don't expose Miiiiiiii!" Mii whined, slapping her hand over Levy's mouth before the bookworm could say anything else. Whether this meant Levy was right, or Mii was just overplaying things was hard to tell.

"Moving on…." Pantherlily cleared his throat. He was going to talk to Gajeel…but it seemed the Iron Dragon was all too eager to get some kind of action after being deprived of it for the last few days. There was just a dotted outline of his form in his previous location as he was already on the field. "Oh…he's gone."

"I…suppose I should go with him." Mira smiled softly. "Don't worry. I'm sure this won't be too bad."

"Good luck, Mira-nee!" Lisanna cheered her sister on.

"So…uh…" Sting looked at his guild mates. "Which one of you wants to go?"

"I'll do it." Minerva stood up, not even giving the idea of attacking the Queen a second thought.

"You…responded very quickly to that, Minerva-sama…" Yukino pointed out with a small sweat drop.

"The only other person who hasn't participated in an event yet is Orga, and as dependable as I know he is…I can tell he wouldn't dare strike a lady, least of all the Queen, even when she's asking for it." Minerva glanced at Orga, whose expression told her she was right on the money. His day 1 fight against Melody was one thing…but Emmeraude gave off a vibe that most people really didn't want to get too close too. "Besides…she rubs me the wrong way anyway."

"Well…don't hurt her too badly, Milady!" Were the words of encouragement Lector gave to Sabertooth's scariest woman.

The arena was soon filled with the contestants for this next event: Gajeel, Mira, Cygnus, Saraya, Cecelia, Minerva, Milliana, and Ichiya. These were all the people who had no qualms raising arms against the Queen of Fiore. The audience was also a little apprehensive on the idea…but there was nothing they could do beside watch how things played out. There was of course tension on the field due to Minerva and Celica being in the same place once again, but Celica had her fun and merely offered the scowling Minerva a coy smile. Emmeraude looked between the contestants and smiled. "Ah…I'm so glad we have a full roster. I was worried that a lot of people wouldn't want to strike me."

"Gehehe…" Gajeel cracked his knuckles, giving a wide smirk towards Emmeraude. "I haven't seen any action these entire Games. I don't care who's offering to get punched…I'm gonna do it."

Levy and Pantherlily proceeded to sweat drop at the bluntness of Gajeel's words. "I-I wish he wasn't so direct about it. At least pretend to sound a little hesitant…!" Levy exclaimed, already beginning the procedure of squeezing the life out of poor Pantherlily since her nerves couldn't handle it.

Natsu and Gray returned from the infirmary, both bandaged up, but overall fine. Natsu tilted his head, curious as to what this event was since he and Gray left just before Emmeraude made her announcement. "…What's going on?"

"Emmeraude wants people to punch her beautiful face…which should be a crime in and of itself." Zelos quipped, though the last part was ignored.

"NO FAIR! I WANNA…!" Natsu began, but winced slightly at his injuries.

"You need to rest." Erza demanded before looking to Gray. "How are they holding up?"

"Still out cold…but they're fine." Gray responded. "I'd almost forgotten how strong they got…they'll definitely be a forced to be reckoned with when they're older."

"You two almost lost to those kids." Laxus scoffed. It may have been an exaggeration to poke fun at them since who wouldn't poke fun at anyone having a hard time with kids? "If they weren't from Fairy Tail, I'd be shaking my head right now."

"You wanna go!?" Natsu roared even in his injured state, but Lucy pulled on his ear to silence him.

"You've done enough fighting for today. Save that energy for the last day, all right?" The blonde chided. "Anyway…the event is about to start."

.

"All right…" Emmeraude looked to everyone present. "As I explained…the first person to knock me out of this circle will get first place. If anyone else can follow suit, you'll all fall in line accordingly. If no one is able to do this task at all…then, depending on how I feel about your attempts…I will be generous and number you off accordingly, or you all will get 3 points for being a waste of my time and excitement. For Fairy Tail and White Eclipse, I will give you the leisure of working together, and if your joint attacks succeed in knocking me out of the circle, the one who landed the blow will get first, and the other second, while the others get third and fourth. This is under the assumption you will, of course. Oh! And one last thing. If I were already falling or moving out of the circle and some weak attack connects just before it lands, that does not count. We will play fairly. And if I think you need some extra motivation, I will use my right to strike back as I see fit. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal." Minerva responded. "How much time do we have to attack you?"

"Perfect!" Emmeraude clasped her hands together, giving everyone a smile. "Feel free to use any method you see fit to attack me. I won't hold it against you, and time runs out when I get bored. Now then…who would like to go first?"

Cygnus stepped forward, cracking his knuckles with a grin. "Please, allow me, my lady. I'll sweep you right off your feet." The Gravity God then did what he did best, flicking his wrist up to severely decrease the gravity around Emmeraude to send her sky high. "I hope you enjoy the ride!"

"Oh…I picked a bad day to wear a dress today…" Emmeraude said while looking down at everyone looking up. Was there some fan service going on? Probably. At least it was a good view.

"Oh…I suppose that's one way to remove someone from a circle without hurting them…" Hisui was a little relieved by Cygnus' method.

"A good attempt…but I don't think it will be that easy." Siegrain remarked.

And the Chairman was correct. Emmeraude didn't allow herself to linger in the air for too long. An ethereal chain shot up from the circle and wrapped around her leg, tugging her back down to her feet and kept her anchored to the ground. "That was a good try. Although I think the only thing that anyone got out of that was an up skirt shot."

"I should've expected it wouldn't be that easy…" Cygnus scoffed as Saraya patted him on the back.

"Anyone else?" Emmeraude asked while dusting herself off. The next attempt came from Milliana who actually had a smart idea in mind. The kitten's Nekosoku tubes sealed off magic, so it made sense that she'd attempt to wrap them around Emmeraude to cancel her Chain Magic and toss her out the ring. However…Emmeraude swayed her body to the side, avoiding the tubes before they could actually wrap around her. The Queen's gloved hand then grabbed all of the tubes and she smiled.

"N-Nyah?" Milliana was in shock at how easily her tubes were avoided! The effort put in to avoiding them was far less than what Marshall had to do the other day.

"Your tubes seal magic. A straight forward approach is predictable, even if you send it from many angles." Crash magic was imbued into Emmeraude's hands and soon the tubes dispersed into harmless white light. "Did you ever think to try using your tubes in this fashion…?" Emmeraude snapped her fingers, causing multiple chains to rise from the ground sporadically. One would expect that she was targeting Milliana, but everyone present was her target. They were all able to avoid the chains, but the positioning of the chains created a web that made it extremely difficult to move anywhere else. "See? Even if you miss with your chains, you can still position them in a way to entangle your enemies." With a snap of her fingers, the chains dispersed.

"Wow…Lady Emmeraude is amazing!" Chapati exclaimed. "I'd expect nothing less of our Queen, but this strength is beautiful."

"If I didn't know any better I'd be positive she wanted to hurt us there." Minerva sighed.

"Nonsense. I just have to keep you all on your toes." Emmeraude presented a coy smile that only irked Minerva further. "You all still have my interest, so I suggest you take advantage of that before it fades away. I'd prefer if you stopped trying to 'warm up' and come at me seriously. I've seen you all perform these last few days. I want a taste of that power. So let me make myself clear once again. I want you all to hit me as hard as you can. Not half as hard…or just as hard. I want anything and everything you can muster. I'll only allow one or two chances from you, depending on how I feel."

Gajeel smirked, baring his fangs at the Queen as she demanded everyone cease messing around. "That's all you want? Easy. I hope you won't be upset at the giant bruise I'm about to give ya…" Title clearly meant nothing to Kurogane. Instead, the Iron Dragon prepared himself as his iron scales formed along his body, black shadows slowly oozing out of his form as his eyes shone a bright violent color. "Iron Shadow."

"I'm a little worried he may actually be going overboard…" Levy said with a sweat drop, squeezing Pantherlily even harder out of the growing anxiety.

"Oh…" Emmeraude lifted a brow as Gajeel entered his Dual Mode. "I recall seeing this in the preliminaries…it looked impressive then. But how will it hold now?"

"I've been waiting for this…" Gajeel lifted his arm, allowing it to transform into a large iron sharp blade that towered high into the sky with shadows oozing from the sword into the air. The length of the sword left everyone's jaw wide. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Iron God's Shadow Sword!" After rearing his arm back, Gajeel swung it forward with all his might, bringing it down directly on Emmeraude.

"Oh…" Emmeraude licked her lips at the sight of the blade. "That's pretty big, and it's all for me? You shouldn't have~" And as soon as Gajeel brought down the sword, there was a large explosion of shadows that erupted upon impact. The ground trembled and everyone staggered to regain their footing. As the smoke from the explosion cleared, Emmeraude's clothing was scuffed, but she used one hand to firmly catch Gajeel's place. There was a slight crater within the circle she placed herself in, but her legs didn't show any sign or strain.

"She caught it!?" Levy's eyes widened.

"W-With one hand…?" Pantherlily was also just as surprised!

"I-I didn't know she was that strong…" Hisui was just as shocked as everyone else! Emmeraude's arms didn't look like she had much meat on them at first glance, but she was showing her worth right here.

"Tch!" Gajeel grit his teeth, putting more force into his arm to make Emmeraude submit…however things weren't going as he planned. In fact, he could hardly feel his arm moving! "What the hell…?!"

"I know what you're thinking…" Emmeraude began. "And if I'm going to be honest…if I wasn't so obstinate in moving from this circle, I would've moved. But instead I had to take this risk…which left my clothes and skin slightly damaged." She then released Gajeel's arm and allowed the blade to now harmlessly hit the ground since she cut off all of its momentum prior. "I'll let you go one more time. I can tell you've got so much energy to spare."

"You toying with me!?" Gajeel allowed his arm to reform and drew it back. Emmeraude's casual attitude towards his attack irritated him. Queen or not, she was literally asking to be hit and he was going to do just that! "Iron Shadow Dragon's…" The male began to inhale, gathering a large amount of magic within his mouth. "ROAR!" Gajeel lurched forward, unleashing a massive blast of iron and shadow towards Emmeraude. This large roar barreled across the arena with full intention of blowing the queen right off her feet.

Emmeraude extended her scratched hand, allowing her palm to face the roar. The roar connected with the woman's palm, spreading out in all direction to damage everything behind her, completely destroying everything. "I can feel the raw power behind your attacks…but power without technique is just brute force…and that's not very entertaining." From her palm, a sphere of darkness formed and swallowed the Iron Shadow Dragon's Roar before firing back with twice the force!

"…!" Gajeel's eyes widened and he quickly turned his arm into a sword once again, attempting to cut through it. But that task was extremely difficult and he was pushed back. He was able to keep himself from being consumed by the reflected attack, but his back hit the wall. Before he could move much more, chains shot forth from the wall to wrap around his arms and legs. "Hey!? What the hell!?"

"You're the rambunctious type." Emmeraude deduced while removing her already ruined glove. "You'll keep attacking with brute force until you get what you want. I gave you your two chances and I'll evaluate your attempts in a moment. But if you so much as try to do anything else…Fairy Tail A will get 0 points for the event and will suffer a penalty on the final day."

"I-Is she allowed to do that…?" Lisanna looked to the others.

"I wouldn't put it past her…" Mavis responded.

Gajeel seemed to get the message. But he was extremely annoyed that not only was he made an example of, but also because of how Emmeraude belittled him. The chains around him vanished and he reverted to normal, brooding as one would expect after that. Now he just wanted to hit Emmeraude because of that high and mighty attitude she held over him as a fighter. "Tch…"

Mira walked over to Gajeel, frowning a bit since what happened was a little over the top. "Are you all right…?"

"Fine." Gajeel spat.

"Who's next? Seven people remain. Do you want another shot, Cygnus?" Emmeraude stared at the Gravity God. "I feel it would only be fair since your first attempt was…interesting to say the least. But if you choose to attack with Saraya, you best make it good. Otherwise I'll get bored and end your attempts then and there."

"I don't think you'll need to worry about that. We only need one." Cygnus smirked while glancing at Saraya. It was clear she was the greenhorn here compared to the others. "Are you ready?"

"Y-Yes. We can do this." The sand mage nodded and held out her staff, Ramses. The staff began to shine a bright golden light and sand emerged from the outer lines of the circle, forming a raging sandstorm with Emmeraude right in the middle!

Cygnus then applied his gravity once again, increasing it tenfold around Emmeraude to make her knees buckle! Of course he couldn't see her from outside the sandstorm, but the same could be said for her as well. The sandstorm closed in around the Queen due to Cygnus' gravity squeezing it. The chokepoint was at the eye where Emmeraude was standing. "You really plan on staying there for so long? It would be wise to move, Queen!"

"It's not always about brute force…" Saraya mumbled, but her voice was just loud enough for it to be heard. "Sometimes uncomfortable conditions can make one move as well. Nobody likes sand that much…except me…"

"A clever combo!" Chapati exclaimed. "Destroying individual grains of sand could be tough even for Crash Magic users."

"Each particle of sand is magic…if it's not compact, it's a nuisance." Siegrain added. "Not a bad combination from White Eclipse."

"Let's go!" Luke exclaimed. "She'll be out of there in seconds!"

"Easy 10 points!" Micaiah grinned.

While it seemed like Cygnus and Saraya's combination was full proof…there was one thing that occurred that no one was expecting. Two chains shot from the ground at an angle, piercing Saraya's side while another disarmed the staff from her hand. Saraya's eyes widened at the wound and she fell to her knees, gasping for air as blood leaked from her side. "A-Ah…."

The sandstorm died off and Emmeraude was able to keep her footing despite the constant pressure of gravity. Everyone seemed surprised that she'd actually injure someone like that. "Oh…don't worry. The wound isn't even serious." The queen grumbled, now feeling sand in places that sand really shouldn't be. "…But this sand is serious. I'm going to need a long bath after this."

"She detected her through the sand…?" Aira leaned over the railing. "As much as I want to know how she did that…that wound looks serious…"

"Curious, are we?" Emmeraude sighed. "My chains can detect Etherano. Since I'm using one to keep myself anchored to the ground, I was capable of sensing your presence. It wasn't hard…but I had to hurry before my eyes were filled with sand. It really was uncomfortable. A few seconds longer and I would've moved for certain!" While it sounded like they were close…it also sounded like Emmeraude was taunting them.

"This woman…" Cygnus had to disperse the field of gravity. Emmeraude gave him a look that said he was done. Besides, he had to make sure Saraya was okay.

"It's…just a flesh wound…" Saraya panted. It was true, the wound was nowhere near fatal, but that didn't stop it from hurting.

"That leaves…Ichiya, Milliana, Mira, Minerva, and Celica." Emmeraude counted off those who had yet to use up all of their attempts. "I must say, I haven't grown terribly bored just yet."

"Ladies, please…" Ichiya spoke, causing all eyes to turn to him. "Allow me a chance with the beautiful Queen. It is not every day we get to bask in the presence of a true beauty."

"I have no objections." Minerva folded her arms under her chest. "This might just be amusing."

And within the blink of an eye, Ichiya was gone! Where was he? In Emmeraude's personal space, holding her hand as sparkles formed around his face. He was giving the handsomest look that nobody else in the world could ever hope to muster. "Hello, my lady. Men~"

"Ichiya-san is laying down the moves!" Eve grinned. "No woman can resist his charms when he goes all out!"

"Indeed…" Ren nodded in agreement. "For him to pull this out…it speaks volumes of our situation, but it also means he has the confidence. That is what I admire most about him."

"He truly is…the handsomest man alive." Hibiki let out a bit of a longing sigh. As popular he may be, he felt he was nothing compared to Ichiya in terms of handsomeness.

"…" Darren just stared, a bit of shock on his face. He really didn't understand what Blue Pegasus saw in that stout man, but it was also better for him if he didn't think about it either.

Erza shuddered as Ichiya went full force. His affection wasn't even directed at her this time, but she had an unfortunate instinct to tense up whenever the Blue Pegasus ace was involved with anything. "Nn…"

Emmeraude smiled at Ichiya's smooth moves. "Well, aren't you just adorable? I know how to deal with people like you." Emmeraude had to lean over since she was twice Ichiya's height, and pressed her lips to his cheek for a quick peck. The action caught everyone off guard since every woman was usually fazed horribly by Ichiya…but Emmeraude's mental fortitude was extremely high so she thought nothing of it.

"…Men~" Even Ichiya was caught off guard and he just…collapsed, face red.

"How cute." Emmeraude snickered before using her foot to nudge Ichiya away. He was out and he barely got to do anything. "At this rate I won't have to move at all…"

"She…incapacitated him with a kiss…?" Hisui lifted a brow. She wasn't sure how she felt about that one.

"Quite a tactic." Siegrain let out a genuine chuckle at Emmeraude's ploy. "There are many ways to disarm various foes. It seems our Queen has seen a number of adversaries."

"This woman…" Tia huffed. "She's just using this event as an excuse to show off."

"But you have to admit…this is highly impressive." Gaia pointed out. "Even if we count getting lifted up into the air by gravity…she hadn't moved from that spot yet. And everyone here is pretty strong…"

"They won't be able to make her move." Ace stated flatly, causing all eyes to go on him. "It's just as Gaia said: she hasn't moved at all. And it doesn't seem like they will be able to make her move either. She's just toying with them."

Milliana was going next again! She was going to get close and personal, allowing her claws to extend. "Take this…!" Milliana aimed fast swipes at the Queen, but Emmeraude only shifted her body to the side, not quite moving from her spot just yet. When the mermaid aimed to claw at her chest, the Queen quickly grabbed her wrists and instinctively flipped her on her back with a harsh sounding thud. "Ooof…!"

"…Oops. You got too close…" Emmeraude apologized. Milliana was writhing on the ground in pain after that flip.

"M-Milliana…." Melody cringed from that impact.

Emmeraude turned once again, placing her hands on her hips. "That leaves three of you. You're all frightful women from what I've seen and heard…so my expectations for you are quite high." Before the emerald haired woman could say much else, her unchained leg started to move without her consent! It wasn't very fair since she was anchored to the ground, but she did take a step. "…Huh?"

"She…moved?" Chapati tilted his head curiously.

Mira placed her hands behind her back, giving Emmeraude that sweet smile. "There. I moved you."

"Pardon me?" Emmeraude blinked.

"You were worried that you weren't going to move, right? So I took the liberty of moving you myself." Mira responded. While she gave that sweet smile, one could clearly sense that malicious aura that betrayed her appearance. The demon of Fairy Tail made use of Sayla's Macro Curse, but it was difficult to sustain for a number of reasons.

"Now this is entertaining…" Celica hummed while glancing at Minerva. "Don't you agree?" And as expected, Minerva wasn't in the mood to talk to her.

"Ah yes…you have some kind of ability to control someone's movement…" Emmeraude deduced.

"When did she learn that…?" Lucy was still trying to figure things out.

"Oh…" Lisanna spoke up. "Remember the Tartarus incident? Well…there was that one demon still lying around after the fighting was done. So Mira-nee took it upon herself to take her over. Although…she hasn't exactly gotten the hang of it just yet."

"What do you mean?" Laxus questioned.

"The takeover is incomplete." Elfman explained. "As strong as my sister is, she hasn't fully taken over that demon yet. But even though the demon was weak during the time of Takeover, she is stubborn. But she can't compare to the manly strength of my sister!"

"So…it's like Cynthia with Rose then?" Gray questioned.

"Something like that." Lisanna nodded. "That Sayla demon is still putting up a fight…but Mira's got her mostly under control. She hasn't tried the Full Takeover yet because it could be…problematic…"

"I'm still trying to get over the fact she just took her body, too…." Gray said with a sweat drop.

"She was just lying there…Mira-nee thought it would be rude to just leave her there." Lisanna also had a sweat drop. But that was Mira for you, always thinking about others. "I don't even know what else she took from Tartarus either…but she hasn't been using it since it's still new."

"Well…" Emmeraude could feel her one leg moving on its own, against the one that was chained down. This is where the problem was present; if Emmeraude tried to resist any further, it was almost certain she'd suffer a dislocated leg, which nobody wanted. "This is…quite the situation."

"If you resist, your leg may pop out of its socket." Mira responded to Emmeraude's growing discomfort. "I know nobody wants that…so it would do you well to move, my Lady."

"…" Minerva quirked a brow at the hidden sadism she detected in Mira's words. "…You can be frightening when you choose to be."

"Oh? This is nothing." Mira's sweet smile was presented once again. Those at Fairy Tail who knew her old self shuddered. It was evident the old Mira was more or less back, simply hidden behind that sweet face of hers. "So…what say you? Will you move, or will you resist? I'm fine with either."

Emmeraude had a smile on her lips at Mira's attempt. "My my…you are truly a terrifying individual. I have to commend you for stooping to such a tactic. It's quite ingenious actually. You're probably my favorite contender so far simply because of this."

Mira placed her hand on her cheek, giving a soft smile. "You praise me too much."

"But unfortunately for you…" Emmeraude's aura began to waver around her body. "I am your Queen. I command you…not the other way around. It was a good effort…but you'd do well to remember your place, Mira-chan~." That same aura composed of Emmeraude's will extended strictly to Mira. The demoness' eyes widened for a second and the Macro was forcibly canceled out. Mirajane fell to a knee, panting heavily as her head felt as though it was going to split apart while Emmeraude forced her will onto her.

"N-Ngh…" Mira held her head, closing her eyes tightly. "O-Okay…I get it…I get it…"

"She conceded…?" Jenny lifted a brow. Mira never conceded, especially when it came to their little rivalry. So Jenny had a hard time believing the words Mira said could truly be genuine. "I don't buy that for a second…"

"Mira-nee…" Lisanna wasn't even sure how to express concern! Mira wasn't hurt…she was just conceding.

"Lady Emmeraude is truly frightening if she can make Mirajane give up…" Chapati was leaning a little too close to Hisui at this point, so she had to awkwardly scoot her chair away.

"Oh my. What a surprising turn of events." Cecelia turned to Minerva. "You don't mind if I go next, do you?"

"Knock yourself out. Seriously." Minerva's flat tone was still present. Any and all animosity would be unleashed in the final day, so there was no point for her to engage in such pointless banter just yet…if at all.

"Are you still upset at me? I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your pride~" Celica hummed while taking a few steps forward to Emmeraude. It looked as though the Queen's interest was beginning to wane, but she was going give these last two ladies the benefit of the doubt. The empyrean turned to the injured Saraya, lifting her hand up. "I'm going to have to borrow this."

"H-Huh…?" The sand mage blinked and the next thing she knew, the blood from her open wound started pouring out at dangerous rates! Pink eyes widened as the pain returned.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" Cygnus was about to slug Cecelia, but Emmeraude interjected.

"Now now…" Emmeraude said with a slight smile. "This isn't against the rules. I said use any means to attack me…and she's simply making the most of her magic by using your friend. Such is the nature of battle, whether you like it or not."

"Is she really making excuses for such behavior?" Yukino frowned, clearly not approving of Emmeraude's words and actions. "I don't like it…"

Cecelia used quite a bit of Saraya's blood, along with what she could compose on her own, to form a large scythe. This bloody scythe dripped crimson as it ached to quench its growing thirst. "My lady…can my attempt…be on your head?"

"Oh?" Emmeraude quirked a brow, feeling her lips stretch into a smile. "Is that a threat, or a promise? Because I welcome the attempt~"

Hisui felt the color drain from her face. Clearly Cecelia was threatening her, but Emmeraude's attitude just made it worse! "S-she's not serious, is she…?"

Emmeraude tilted her head, exposing her neck while pointing to it. "You're going to aim right here, aren't you? A clean cut would suffice if you wanted to cut my neck or take my head. You just want the blood to come gushing from my neck so you can taste it for yourself, isn't that right?"

Cecelia licked her lips at Emmeraude's wording. "We've barely conversed, but you know a woman's taste."

"…A very tantalizing offer…" Darren licked his lips and his fangs bared a bit. Luckily no one caught on since he was unable to restrain his true emotions.

Cecelia took a slow walk forward with her scythe in hand. Emmeraude didn't even try to stop her. Once the Empyrean woman was within the circle, she pressed the tip of the scythe to the Queen's neck, smirking all the while. "Such smooth skin. It would be a shame to scar it in anyway."

"I don't think you have to worry about that." Emmeraude reassured while closing her eyes. "But your concern is touching."

Celica reared the scythe back and Emmeraude made absolutely no move to stop it. The woman brought the scythe down on Emmeraude's neck in one swift motion, only for to stop just before the tip dug into her neck. Several chains emerged from the arena wall to wrap around her limbs and harshly tug her into the wall. "P-Pardon me."

"Don't bore me with such a simple threat…" Emmeraude scoffed and flipped her hair. "If that was all it took to rile you up, then you're clearly not worth the time and effort anyway…"

"Harsh words." Siegrain commented.

The emerald haired ruler turned to Minerva, the last one who had yet to fire off an attack. "Very well…you're the last one, Minerva. Are you prepared to strike me with everything you have? Or try some tactic in making me move? Perhaps you will provide me with some sort of urgency or entertainment. Will you perhaps use that Demon Blood of yours to spice things up?"

"I have no intentions of making you move, or serving as a sense of your midafternoon fun…" The Tigress held her arms out to her sides, Territoty magic swirling within her palms. The tension in the air grew thicker as these two females stared one another. "I am going to use my strongest spell to completely obliterate you." As Minerva spoke, she began the preparations for her most infamous spell. A large effigy appeared with a gigantic mallet in its grip, oozing with Minerva's strength. "You'll feel nothing but pain."

Emmeraude cracked a tiny smile at Minerva's words. The malice within them…that made her blood boil faintly. "Well…either that, or disappointment. But go ahead…flip that coin."

"Gladly." Minerva narrowed her eyes, focusing solely on the woman before her. "Yagdo…Rigora!" The effigy slammed its hammer atop Emmeraude and there was a sudden explosion! Erza and Kagura knew first-hand the raw power of Minerva so they watched intently as the spell exploded powerfully against the Queen, at least seemingly at first. It was difficult to tell the outcome after the large eruption of raw power.

The smoke thinned slowly as all remained silent. Emmeraude had thrown her hands up to cast a shield of darkness over her body, but Minerva's spell easily plowed through the defensive maneuver and destroyed it! There were scratches and perhaps a bruise on Emmeraude's skin, but that was the extent of the damage dealt. The chain around the emerald haired woman's leg retracted and she dusted herself off. "Well…I believe I have my results."

"I can't believe she withstood that..." Sting said in a low whisper.

"It's over already? I wonder what she thinks…" Chapati leaned forward, waiting for Emmeraude's evaluation.

"After all of your attempts, I have to say that I'm….extremely disappointed in just about all of you." Emmeraude sighed heavily, placing her hand on her hip. A scowl was present on those purple lips. "Honestly…I thought Fiore had much more strength than this? I was extremely underwhelmed by nearly everyone who participated." Her aura began to flare once again…along with her hair. Yellow eyes shone brightly as her will was imposed on every single person. "If I'm to place my faith in this country for my endeavors later, I will need ALL of you to impress me! You must be stronger than you are now! Because of this massive disappointment, every team barring Fairy Tail B and Sabertooth gets 3 points. Mirajane was my favorite, so I'll give her 5…Minerva, you get 4. Everyone else…brush up on your performance."

Mii lifted a brow at Emmeraude's presence. Even for her it was almost overwhelming. "T-This feeling….it almost feels like she's…."

Emmeraude's aura died down and she began to walk off. "The final day will begin two days from now. Teams have tonight, and all of tomorrow to prepare for the standard free for all in Crocus City. Teams are able to prepare in any way they see fit. Take advantage of this time and really wow me."

Chapati was a little flabbergasted at Emmeraude's little tirade there…but that was it. "W-Well…ladies and gentlemen…that is the end of Day 5…! Two days from now, the Final Free for All will begin! Which team do you want to see win? Will it be Fairy Tail, White Eclipse, or Empryean Dawn? Or will one of the guilds at the bottom rise up? Find out…in two days!"

Results after Day 5 Event:

1st: Fairy Tail A: 66

2nd: Empyrean Dawn: 65

3rd: White Eclipse A: 64

4th: Sabertooth: 60

5th: Fairy Tail B: 59

6th: Mermaid Heel: 44

7th: White Eclipse B: 43

8th: Blue Pegasus: 37

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Next Time: Aftermath of Day 5


	126. Chapter 126: Aftermath of Day 5

The evening after Day 5. It was the final stretch for all 6 guilds in the Grand Magic Games, and the last chance they had to prepare for the free for all in the final day. Because of that, Crocus was as busy as it could ever be with civilians making the necessary precautions to prepare for grand showdown! As the guilds licked their wounds from the event, Emmeraude was taking a nice hot bubble bath in her room. The private, high quality bathroom was emerald in color to match her color. She needed this bath after Saraya got sand in her everywhere. "Ah…nothing soothes the soul…~" The Queen enjoyed this relaxation. She wasn't going to have to do anything else but watch the proceedings from this point on. The Games were actually quite stressful planning…

After some time, there was a knock on the door accompanied by a voice. "Are you…decent…?" It was Hisui's voice, noted by the hesitation. She didn't wish to intrude.

"Hm…?" Emmeraude looked to the door. "Come on in, dear. I instructed the knights to not bother me unless it was life threatening urgency."

Hisui understood and opened the door, stepping inside the bathroom along with Sophie. "We were worried about you after the event…you took some hits…and you seemed a little upset towards the end there."

"Are you all right, Creator?" Sophie questioned while tilting her head.

Emmeraude smiled at the concern Hisui and Sophie showed for her. "Oh, you two are so sweet. I'm perfectly, fine, just mildly uncomfortable after all that sand. My mood was nothing to be concerned of either. I want to motivate all the wonderful mages in this country to become stronger. They all have so much potential that I hope they aren't content with how strong they are currently. It would be such a waste."

"I…can agree to that." Hisui leaned against the wall, folding her hands together. "Did you have any plans for the last day of the Games…? I wouldn't mind taking over so you can relax."

"How sweet." Emmeraude sank lower into the water and sighed contently. "Everything would precede as it normally would. Although…" Yellow eyes glanced towards Sophie. "I have special plans for my little Protos Heis in the final day. It would be a missed opportunity to not involve my pride and joy."

Sophie tilted her head, pointing at herself with a curious expression on her face. "Me?"

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Fairy Tail was gathered around for a strategy meeting concerning the final day. Wendy and Cynthia were present, wrapped in bandages after their battle with Natsu and Gray. First and foremost, Mavis addressed the issue with the day's proceedings. "Today was…quite a blow in terms of momentum. I was not expecting such a low scoring event…I didn't think that would be possible all things considered. But it appears that I've underestimated Emmeraude's mind slightly."

"She's been having a little too much fun running the Games…" Laxus scoffed. "But it's of no consequence. We're still in the lead…we just have to make sure that we keep it through the final day."

"Who knows what's coming our way…" Lucy sighed. Her mind briefly flashed to before the Games began, how Waiston antagonized her about how she was never able to beat Luke. White Eclipse was a strong contender for victory just as they were last Games. If she had to fight him again…

"We have to stay vigilant." Erza nodded. "Empyrean Dawn isn't a guild that I trust very much either. They could pull any number of tricks against us in the final day."

"I have the feeling that victory isn't their true goal. They've just been along for the ride." Levy pointed out. "But…I wouldn't go easy on them either way. They've shown to be extremely tough…"

"Before we discuss our options…" Mavis looked to Cynthia and Wendy. Both of them seemed absent from the present conversation. "Cynthia…Wendy…do you two still want to partake? I didn't realize things would turn out this way, so if you two want to…"

"No." Cynthia shook her head. Both her and Wendy looked towards the First Master with a fire in their eyes! It was the same fire present in the heat of the battle with Natsu and Gray. "I-I know we haven't done well points wise for the team, but…"

"We want to see this through to the end. So please…let us participate." Wendy finished the sentence. Clearly their teamwork hadn't reached the end of the line yet.

Mavis and the others smiled at the determination the young mages showed. "You two have certainly grown a lot together these last few years."

"Heh, so what's the plan?" Natsu interjected. "Just beat up everyone and claim victory? Sounds good to me, I can easily do that."

"You idiot…" Gray scoffed.

"We should be wary of White Eclipse." Mavis suggested. "At this point, we know most of their capabilities. We have some tricky opponents to deal with in the form of their A team. Their B team is stacked with potential, so do not take those mages lightly. Depending on their plan of action…they may either try to deal with us in the beginning or at the end."

Lucy was a little silent on this matter. Her discomfort was noticeable at the subject. "…"

"Lucy?" Mira glanced in Lucy's direction. "Are you feeling well? You aren't sick again, are you?"

"No, I'm fine…it's just…" Lucy paused, rubbing her arm. "If I'm going to be honest, the thought of running into Luke again worries me a little bit. I haven't been able to beat him once and I got a very crude reminder of that before the Games started."

"I can kick his ass easy." Natsu said confidently.

"But…" Lucy continued. "I'm not going to let that stop me. If I run into him again by some chance…I'll give it my all just as I always have. I'm going to beat him one day. And if that day is two days from now…"

"It seems that everyone is properly motivated." Makarov was always proud to see his children raring to go. "I have faith that you will all do your best in the coming day."

Mavis had a smile on her face as well. All the doubts she was worried about from those three were all resolved quickly. "Very well. Since you are all ready for the day…here's the battle plan…"

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"Hold still…" Aira finished her healing procedure on Saraya and was finishing the job by wrapping bandages around her midsection. "There we go. How do you feel…?"

"Lightheaded…" Saraya admitted while resting on the infirmary bed. "I wasn't expecting that woman to use my blood like that…and she used a lot."

"You should rest, then. We have the evening and all day tomorrow…but as your nurse and senior, I think it's best if you dropped out of Team B. Between that wound and your blood loss, it would be better for you to stay on bedrest."

"If that's the case, we need a replacement for the B Team…" Cygnus looked over at Takeru, who had been mostly absent for the Games for a few reasons. "Yo, Tak. You wanna join in again?"

"Sorry…I'm not focused enough to join this time. Besides, you guys have been doing well enough without me." Takeru stated. While it was true his power would be a boon in White Eclipse's attempt for victory, they were doing fairly well even without the powerful Shadow Dragon. It didn't mean they didn't want him on the team, though.

"That's a shame." Luke sighed. "But we understand. Looking for Selene is more important to you. Once she comes home, we'll almost be whole again."

"If Saraya can't participate, who do we ask then?" Kuro looked around.

It was then that Adam pushed Kanade forward, recalling how his pupil was upset she wasn't picked for the initial lineup. "Take Kanade. She's been waiting for a chance to have some action."

"That's not a bad idea…" Reve looked Kanade up and down. "I know she hits hard."

"If they take a direct punch, chances are they won't be getting up." Kanade flexed her arm, smirking towards the gunslinger. With Saraya down and a space missing…there was nothing wrong in putting faith in Kanade. "I know the B team is down, though…"

"That's fine." Reve explained. "The A team is ahead. So it'll fall to the B team to weaken the competition for us. We won't know the point values of most of the other competitors, but you've done a good job at showing that you can hold your own against them. "They'll be forced to take you seriously, and that's where we can strike."

"So we hit them hard, fast, and take them out?" Luke summarized. "I'm down with that."

"Sounds good to me!" Waiston kicked his legs up on a desk. "I've been itching for the chance to have some real fights. Picking off the weak ones first will make things much more interesting later."

"And here's exactly how we're going to do it." Reve trailed off, informing both A and B team about their plan to win the Games.

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For Blue Pegasus, they didn't require much of a meeting. Instead, it was Hibiki insisting that Darren take his place in the final day. "I know the Trimens would be incomplete if I did this, however Darren has proved himself throughout the Games to be as handsome as they come."

"Are you sure?" Jenny did frown a bit. She would've enjoyed teaming up with her sweetheart in the final day, but it was understandable as to why Hibiki thought this way.

Darren had a bashful smile and rubbed the back of his neck in response. "Now now! I don't compare to Jenny. She has been the true star of the Grand Magic Games thus far. She stole the spotlight on more than one occasion. I couldn't hope to compare to such beauty."

"So modest. You have the making for an incredibly handsome man." Eve gave his fellow guild mate a supportive grin.

"Men." Ichiya had sparkles around his body. It was as if he was completely unbothered by the low score of Blue Pegasus. "You've all done handsomely these Games. Now is our time to show Fiore the meaning of ultimate handsomeness!"

"Yes, Ichiya-san!" And the Trimens, and Jenny, soaked in the charismatic glow that their ace was giving off.

Meanwhile, Darren had a slight scowl on his lips. _"I'm almost done with this stupid mission. As soon as these Games are over…I'm leaving. I've obtained the information I need and no amount of money is worth hanging with this band of idiots…"_

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Empyrean Dawn was holding a meeting of its own. Kaiho looked impressed and content with the fun his 'children' were having in the Games. "Have you been enjoying yourselves? You just may win with the performances you've shown all week."

"Winning was not our priority…" Hubert sighed while adjusting his glasses. "But it just goes to show how incompetent the mages of this country are. It's quite a shame, really."

"You sure did seem surprised that you couldn't beat that blonde, though." Marshall pointed out with a wicked grin. "Couldn't finish her off?"

"That was a different matter that concerns no one." Hubert flatly responded. "But if we are going to see this through to the end…I've already observed all of the competition and have come up with numerous plans to handle the various individuals."

Zinnia sighed and waved her hand. "Well…you were always a nerd, Bert-chan. But you can count me out of this. I've had enough of these Games."

"Aw, come on! We had so much fun in that fight earlier!" Nina whined.

"It was more of a chore to me…" Zinnia admitted with a yawn. "But I'm done with it now. Julia can take my place. As for me…I'm more interested in what the castle has to offer. Lady Emmeraude won't be in the castle that day, right? Then this is the perfect chance to see what little secrets or trinkets she has."

"Such sticky fingers…" Hubert sighed and shook his head once more. It always seemed like nothing was good enough to please him. "Whatever. Do as you wish. I for one wish for this farce to end as soon as possible. Whether that results in our victory or not, I could care less."

"Don't you wanna win though!?" Nina interjected. "We've come this far, and I want to see how much farther we can go. It's no fun to just drop out here. There are a lot of mages I want to fight."

"I concur…" Cecelia spoke softly, but her voice was just loud enough for the others to hear. "The other members are content just watching for whatever reason…but I wish to have another blood rush. My fight with Minerva left me satisfied…but I want more. She's not the only wizard who can provide for me."

"You're all nuts." Marshall laughed, as if he had any room to speak in the first place. "But that's the fun part!

.

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Yukino was holding a bag of groceries in her hand while walking down the vacant Crocus street. She knew full well how busy things were about to be in the city and she wanted to use this time to pick up some supplies before things were…ruined. On her way back to her comrades, she just happened to bump into Daryan and his Exceed, Hiruka. "Oh, Daryan-sama. It's nice to see you this evening."

"Oh, Yukino. Just the woman I was hoping to see!" Daryan grinned and Hiruka followed suit. That line was nothing but trouble and the sweat drop on Yukino's forehead proved it.

"E-Eh?" Yukino blinked a few times. "I…I should really get back to Sabertooth. They want me to make some float cookies to prepare for the next day…and you should go back to your guild, I assume they're wondering where you are."

"It'll be quick!" Hiruka said. "Daryan just has a question and you're really the only person he can ask! Mermaid Heel has turned him down numerous times."

Yukino blinked once, realizing what this was about. This only made the sweat drop on her head even bigger. "Ah…this is about Kagura-sama, isn't it? I did notice a distinct lack of you cheering earlier…"

"Yeah! You know her well, right?" Daryan placed his hands behind his head. "You have any idea as to why she might be so cold towards me? I have a feeling she won't tell me."

"Well…Kagura-sama is a very serious person…and I don't think she likes you very much in general. In fact, she's told me to never speak to you about her…because she had a feeling you'd do something like this." Which explained why Yukino felt so awkward about this conversation. Technically speaking, Kagura still did own her life. "…So, don't tell her I told you this, but she's thinking hard about things, and you're a…ah…distraction to her train of thought."

"I see, I see…" Daryan bopped his head back and forth in thought. This was useful information to him. "You know, you're a pretty good friend."

"T-Thank you." Yukino offered a bit of an awkward smile.

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Ace, Tia, Heartless, and Gaia were all standing in front of Roy, who was just given quite a task. The masked man laughed at the request given to him. "You want me to go into the castle and steal information? You guys really are a riot. You continue to surprise me."

"You're not going to rat us out, are you?" Tia questioned while lifting a brow. She had only known of Roy's exploits, never really dealing with the thief himself.

"Of course not." Roy shook his head. "You paid me in advanced, and I can completely understand your motivations. This would technically count as treason, selling secrets of the Queen to those of another country…however you guys are good. So I can tell you wouldn't do this without a reason…not that I would particularly care. A job's a job."

"A thief with a moral sense of justice?" Gaia tilted her head. "You humans are increasingly interesting."

"Hey, whatever works, right?" Ace shrugged. He was just glad Roy was complacent in handling the request.

"Besides…it would look less suspicious if someone from the country tried this over someone out of the country." Roy shrugged, giving a salute to his new employers. "I'll see what I can dig up in two days' time. Don't worry…there hasn't been a single thing I've been unable to steal." The well-dressed bandit winked under his mask and walked off.

Heartless stared at Roy as he departed. "…I hope you didn't think you were walking off with my wallet."

"Ah!" Roy tossed Heartless' heart-shaped wallet back at her. "You've got a good eye on you. I didn't even get the chance to swipe any change…"

Tia's expression fell as Roy was leaving for real this time. "…This is the man we entrusted our plan to? Suddenly I feel like the whole operation is going in shambles…"

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Next Time: The Final Day Begins.


	127. Chapter 127: The Final Day Begins

Results as of the Final Day:

1st: Fairy Tail A: 66

2nd: Empyrean Dawn: 65

3rd: White Eclipse A: 64

4th: Sabertooth: 60

5th: Fairy Tail B: 59

6th: Mermaid Heel: 44

7th: White Eclipse B: 43

8th: Blue Pegasus: 37

"GOOD MORNING FIORE!" Chapati's loud voice was directed to all who watched, in the city or watching TV. "Today is the FINAL day of the Grand Magic Games! These last 5 days have been action packed with Fiore's top mages! Fairy Tail narrowly remains in the lead, but White Eclipse, Empyrean Dawn, and Sabertooth remain hot on their tail! But don't count out Mermaid Heel and Blue Pegasus! They've shown surprising prowess these last few days and could potentially usurp the top dogs!"

"It's always too early to speak…" Emmeraude was sitting between Chapati and Siegrain in the commentator's seat today. "But I do hope everyone will try their best after yesterday. All I want is for every single mage to do their best." The smile Emmeraude presented was the complete opposite of her attitude at the end of the other day.

"Of course. Strong mages are the foundation of a country of wizards after all…but I'm interested to see who will come out on top today." Siegrain remarked.

"I've added a few…special twists to this last day myself. The roster for this final day is going to be huge, but I believe the entertainment value will also be extremely high." The Queen said while crossing one leg over the other.

"Looks like the Queen is feeling much better than yesterday." Mii leaned over the railing in the viewing area. To those in Crocus, the fight was being broadcast in the arena. "She was so upset over the event…it seemed very unlike her."

"I thought it was hot." Zelos said, getting a bunch of deadpanned looks. "What? Nobody else wanted her to step on them? Just me?" Macao and Wakaba looked away. Because they knew if they said anything their wives could overhear, they'd be dead. Zelos acknowledged this and merely smiled at their good taste.

"You…are extremely weird." Romeo cut his eyes at Zelos, who ended up completely ignoring him.

"Anyways, Mii-chan…that aura the lady gave off yesterday…" Zelos began. "Didn't it seem familiar in a way?"

"Eh?" Mii turned, blinking a few times. "Are you talking about that dumb rumor?"

"What rumor?" Levy tilted her head curiously at this conversation. It seemed the others were intrigued by this as well while the other teams were getting into position in the city.

"Oh, I didn't take your ears for the eavesdropping kind, Levy-chan!" The magic swordsmen turned, giving a coy smile. "Well…there's nothing concrete to prove this, but I heard that Lady Emmeraude is…"

"Meh…" Mii blatantly interrupted Zelos. "Rumors are all baseless lies anyway."

"But all you do is lie…" Lisanna muttered.

"True!" Mii lifted a finger. "But at least my lies have some substance to them. Rumors are baseless."

"You…make no sense and on some level I don't like you for that." Carla said with a heavy sigh.

"Hey hey…!" Happy pointed to the big screen. "It looks like things are starting! They're showing Natsu and the others first!"

.

Emmeraude required every team to take a certain position in the city, and as stated before, she was well aware of any changes in a guild's lineup since they were ordered to report it to her the day prior. The final team lineups consisted of:

Fairy Tail A: Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Erza, and Gajeel.

Fairy Tail B: Laxus, Mirajane, Juvia, Wendy, and Cynthia.

White Eclipse A: Reve, Luke, Aira, Cygnus, and Kuro.

White Eclipse B: Micaiah, Reiss, Tyson, Kanade, and Waiston.

Sabertooth: Sting, Rogue, Minerva, Rufus, and Orga.

Empyrean Dawn: Hubert, Nina, Julia, Marshall, and Cecelia.

Mermaid Heel: Kagura, Milliana, Melody, Beth, and Arana.

Blue Pegasus: Ichiya, Eve, Ren, Darren, and Jenny.

"Quite the crowd we have." Emmeraude's voice was heard everywhere. "Before we begin…there are but a few things I wish to go over. First things first…if a mage is unable to continue battling, they are out. Now…in terms of KO's, what simply matters is the person who struck the last blow. So yes, points can easily be stolen in this case. As for the time limit…it ends at night when the moon is in the sky. I realize these sorts of things can take all day…and it would be rude of me to end it if I felt bored. The no killing rule still applies, of course. And lastly…I've added a little bit of a twist."

What kind of rule did Emmeraude add now to make things more entertaining? With a snap of her fingers, Sophie was now standing in the middle of the city. She didn't look lost…instead she was more than ready for the mayhem that was about to occur! "I am…ready to fight…"

"Her again…?" Lucy looked up at the screen with a bit of disgust on her face.

"My little Sophie will be taking part in this Grand Magic Game as well. My Sophie here will serve as an interesting role. She won't be worth any points on her own…however, if she manages to KO any fighter, she will gain their point total. The points she gains accumulate until she is eventually defeated. If she isn't, then I will be very disappointed in all of you." The weight of that last sentence was heavy. Emmeraude's tone made it extremely clear.

"Ah…so there's a tactical advantage to leaving her present…" Erza muttered. Sophie was an interesting case…a bundle of points from other fighters. But based on what Lucy had told her before, Sophie's small size meant nothing in terms of being a fighter. "We must keep an eye on her at all times."

.

.

In the audience stands, all of Dealer and Cosmic Star were present to watch the finale take place. They entrusted Roy to take care of their task, but there was a little doubt in his actions since he did try to rob them blind. Tia exhaled at Emmeraude's rules. "She's really pushing that girl from what I've seen…"

"I've noticed." Heartless's tone was flat. It was always hard to tell how she was feeling when she didn't feel anything. "I don't know what her end goal is…but I'm staying wary of her."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're bitter~" Gaia attempted to tease Heartless…but Heartless just gave her a blank look that was her usual expression. "Hm. Tough crowd."

"You're not gonna make her flinch." Jack said with a defeated sigh. "She doesn't even budge at Strong and I's pranks…"

Ace was back to chewing his snack bars loud and obnoxiously, much to the dismay of Tia. But there really wasn't anything she could do aside from snatch it from him again with a look of disapproval. "What? I eat when I'm anxious, you know this."

"Eat QUIETLY." Tia groaned. "I'm anxious about things too…and the last thing I need is your obnoxious eating driving me up the wall!"

"Now now you two…" Alex attempted to soothe the growing tension between Ace and Tia before a scene was caused. "Let's just focus on the fights…I'm going to be cheering for Fairy Tail. More so Cynthia and Wendy! You guys?"

"Mermaid Heel." Daryan, Hiruka, and Shadowlore both responded in unison, to no one's surprise.

"My money is actually on Sabertooth." Magnus remarked. "They have the makings for a strong comeback…we weren't able to see their full capabilities last time."

"…I don't really care…" Yakuza, the quiet one of the bunch spoke. His input barely registered since he was often forgotten about due to his quiet nature.

"I swear this guy is dead inside…" Diamond said while poking Yakuza's cheek, but he was completely unresponsive to the constant prodding. "Anyway…White Eclipse. Because I like being the odd girl out. Plus…didn't they win last time?"

"Technicalities." Gaia shrugged. "But I wouldn't mind seeing them win again. I adore Fairy Tail as we all do, but I want to see how well the current 'top guild' can really do."

"Natsu's not allowed to lose to anyone until I kick his ass again." Jack stated proudly. "So I'm going for Fairy Tail. Only because I want to lord it over them."

"…Fairy Tail." Tia sighed, refusing to say anything more than that.

"Fairy Tail." Ace added.

"Is no one giving love to Blue Pegasus!?" Strong objected. "Those handsome dudes and beautiful lady? You guys are out of your minds!"

"I have to agree…" Spade said with a nod. It was a weird paradox when one of the smartest people in the group agreed with the dumbest.

"A lot of surprising opinions…" Heartless muttered. "I'll be waiting to see who wins…" Was the most Heartless would be saying.

"As unsurprising as ever…" Diamond shrugged.

.

.

"Heh…" Sting grinned at the rules set down. "A no holds barred fight against everyone…with a twist! This is going to be exciting, don't you think?"

"Exciting? Perhaps." Minerva responded, rolling her eyes at Sting's childishness. "But I'm here to crush our foes within our tiger's fangs."

"Of course, Milady, and the rest of us are too!" Sting's hand clenched into a fist, his fangs barred. "Remember that great speech of mine last night? We're going to win! Because Sabertooth is Fiore's strongest guild! We got Yukino, Frosch, and Lector cheering us on!"

"I only hope you aren't going to vanish until the end again…" Minerva poked at Sting for that one year.

"Hah…" Rogue had a slight grin on his face at this back and forth. "We'll show Fiore's Sabertooth's power here and now. We're in the top 4, and the margin is small…that means each and every victory on our end, and our opponent's end, is going to count."

Rufus crossed his arms, merely smiling slightly. "Let our victory be a memory that will forever be inscribed into the country."

"Hell yeah!" Orga pumped his fist into the air. "Sabertooth is Number 1!"

.

"….." Kagura had her eyes closed, remaining completely silent as Emmeraude went over the rules. She was in a deep state of thought for one thing or another…until Melody tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey…you're not distracted again are you?" Melody asked while pouting.

"Of course not." Kagura shook her head. "My mind is clear. I don't have anything distracting me unlike the previous days. Do you all remember the plan?"

"Yes!" Milliana, Beth, and Arana exclaimed at the same time.

"We're behind…so our hustle is going to have to be strong." Beth flexed a bit. "But I'm not worried. We are Fiore's strongest ladies after all. They won't stand a chance in the face of our master plan."

.

"Is everyone ready and in their starting positions?" Emmeraude raised her hand, and on that cue multiple magic seals formed under all of the teams, completely harmless in nature, but served a completely surprising purpose. "I hope so! Because this is where the real fun begins!" And those magic seals then shone brightly, activating teleportation magic. This magic scattered every mage in the city!

"A-Ah…What happened!?" Chapati was completely uninformed about this.

"Just mixing things up." Emmeraude said. "I had some hired help to place teleportation seals on every spot I wanted the teams to start at. It's so much more fun to watch everyone scatter and adapt, don't you think? Every mage is now in a different location…some may be lucky and be with team mates, or unlucky. That's the fun of it all!"

"You always have one interesting trick up your sleeve…" Siegrain chuckled at Emmeraude's ploy. The chances were extremely high that any and all elaborate cooperative setups were completely destroyed…at least for the time being.

"And with that note…let the Grand Magic Game free for all…BEGIN!" Emmeraude exclaimed. Now…it was finally time for the mayhem and chaos to start! This was it: the beginning of the end for the Grand Magic Games!

.

.

"GAAAH!" Natsu was in one place before suddenly being warped to the next. He ended up staggering a bit before catching his balance. "Geez…! What the hell was that!? No warning or anything!" Shouting at nothing only made his position clear to any potential people nearby, but Natsu wasn't worried since he'd be able to detect anyone with his enhanced senses. "I should probably try finding the others…" That said the Salamander began to walk around the city. With all the contestants…it was eerily quiet. The city was huge…but something was off to him. "What's up with this atmosphere…?"

Kagura spotted Natsu nearby from an alleyway. With her hand on the hilt of her sword, she waited for just the right moment before sprinting forward, emerging from the corner while aiming a swift slash at the Salamander. "Target: acquired."

"…!" Natsu realized Kagura swooping in. Her speed was greater than he anticipated, but he was able to dodge with a swift leap backwards. Even though he was able to evade the slash, he could still feel the pressure behind the swing as several trash cans behind him were cleaved in half. "Too slow!" The cocky dragon slayer smirked, flames igniting around his being. "Kagura, eh? If Erza can beat you, then this will be no problem!" The action was already kicking off right away! The fire dragon pushed off, fist blazing as he reared it backwards. "Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu swung, but Kagura's movements were far too swift and she easily evaded with a leap backwards. "Where do you think you're going!?" Flames exploded from the soles of Natsu's sandals, pushing him forward head first. "Sword Horn!"

Kagura landed on her feet, swiping her hand to the side to activate her Gravity Change. Natsu's momentum completely shifted off to the side and he ended up crashing into the building with a painfully loud noise. "You and Erza are not on the same level. I wouldn't go around comparing yourself to her."

Natsu pulled himself out of the rubble, shaking his head and scowled. "You wanna say that again!? I'll kick your ass!" Natsu recklessly pushed off again. Kagura insulted him and he wasn't going to let that stand! "Fire Dragon's…." His foot was ablaze and he twisted his body, swinging the fiery limb towards the female's skull. The impact was blocked with her sheathed sword, much to Natsu's annoyance. The salamander then sprang into the air while inhaling. "Fire Dragon's…."

"Silver Make: Arrows!" An all too familiar voice shouted from behind Natsu. Melody pointed her hand forward, unleashing a series of silver arrows all aimed at Natsu's back.

"…!?" Natsu turned, lurching his head forward now to unleash his attack. "ROAR!" From his lips, a widespread funnel of flames was released, burning and melting the silver before it could touch her. "Two of you!? Easy pickings…!" As soon as Natsu landed, he was unable to pursue Melody as Kagura made use of her Strong Form, moving to jab the fairy with the sheathe of her sword! Natsu was able to turn in time to block the hit, but the force made him slide backwards. "Tch…!"

"Silver Make: Battle Axe!" A large axe composed of silver appeared in Melody's hands, and as Natsu slid back, she was prepared to cut him in half! Unfortunately for her, Natsu was capable of avoiding the downward swing that tore apart the city street by leaping to the side.

Natsu didn't get very far as Kagura's gravity pushed him against a building with crushing force! "Gnk…!" Natsu tried to struggle, but Kagura wasn't letting him go very far.

.

"It looks like Natsu has been caught in a pincer attack by Mermaid Heel! Is this the end of him already!?" Chapati genuinely asked.

"Oh no, Natsu…!" Happy's eyes widened at the surprise attack.

"I…wasn't expecting Mermaid Heel to be so aggressive…" Mavis admitted. "However…this shouldn't be a problem in the end. I think Natsu will be able to get out of this, even if it is just the two of them.

.

"I have to admit…we were pretty lucky starting off." Said Kagura while applying pressure on Natsu to ensure he couldn't go anywhere. "Melody and I happened to be near one another…and you were isolated. I can predict that you are worth 4 points."

"…!" Natsu's eyes widened as Kagura guessed his value correctly.

"As I thought." Kagura shrugged. "This will be a great boost to Mermaid Heel's momentum. We'll make this swift."

"Like hell you will!" Natsu grinned and an explosion of flame took place, causing Natsu to fly into the air as he escaped the grasp of gravity. Now in the air, he made use of this opening to strike hard! Two fireballs formed in his left and right hand. "Dazzling Blaze of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu merged the two spheres of fire over his head, turning it into one large blaze that he hurled down!

"Wall!" Melody threw her hands up; creating a wall of silver that blocked the incoming fireball. The result was an explosion of flame that covered a wide radius, but it was all deflected by Melody's wall!

"…" Natsu narrowed his eyes as the pyre died down. Before he could even make another move, a tube wrapped around his ankle and quickened his descent to the ground. "Guh…! What the hell!?" When he turned to look at the tube, he realized that he could use no magic. "My magic is…"

"I got him…!" Now Milliana was in the mix. Her hand was against the ground, making use of the tip Emmeraude gave her the other day about not using her tubes in such a straightforward manner. Natsu obviously tried to use his superior strength to pry the feline's grip off the tube, but she remedied this by creating more tubes to spawn from the ground, wrapping around the Salamander in a cocoon save for his head. "You're not going anywhere!"

"He's completely trapped. Nice job ladies." Melody said with a few nods.

"Mermaid Heel needs the points. I'm sure you understand." Kagura slowly approached the struggling Natsu, who was just shouting in a vain attempt to escape the constriction of Milliana's tubes. "Your contribution is greatly appreciated, Natsu Dragneel." Kagura lifted her sword up to prepare the final strike…but that was when she was forced away by a large impact nearly crushing her then and there! The ace of Mermaid Heel and her comrades leapt away to avoid this force. "..."

"Goodness, Natsu…" Erza said in her Giant's Armor, standing in front of the tied up Salamander. "Not even five minutes and you're like this? You're lucky you're loud and destructive…it made finding you even easier." A golden light wrapped around Erza's body as she shifted to her Black Wing armor. The situation was no better with three Mermaid Heel wizards against her, but she was going to stand against her. "But I can't allow the three of you to do this."

"Erza…" Kagura's tone had some expectancy to it. "Things went just as we expected. I'm not one to rely on luck in the slightest…but I won't deny that this is a fortunate encounter."

"Oh?" Erza quirked a brow.

"Our plan was to take out the threats on each team." Kagura explained while preparing to unsheathe her blade. "The morale on the team would then crumble…considering how close things are in this final day, we also have to be more aggressive in that aspect. You are the ace of Fairy Tail A, being worth 5 points, are you not?"

"How do you know I'm not worth 1?" Erza shot back with a growing smirk. The tension was increasing and she stayed aware of her surroundings. Melody and Milliana were ready to strike at any moment!

"Because I know you." Kagura replied. "Fairy Tail counts on you…it only makes sense. So if we take you and Natsu down here, we get 9 points and we will continue to ride that momentum to victory. The Mermaid will consume the Fairy, the Tigers, and claim the skies for the Pegasus, Dawn, and Eclipse."

"Getting a little presumptuous, are we? That's not like you." Erza responded while readying her sword. She wasn't going to be able to avoid combat. She attempted to stall enough to swiftly turn and cut Natsu free, but Kagura's gravity allowed her to move Natsu even further from Erza's reach! A blade shot out of her pocket dimension to try and use this opening to free Natsu, but Melody was fast and shot it down with a silver bullet!

"Nice try!" The silver make mage winked. "But you're stuck with us!"

"Sorry Erza…but we have to do it to you…" Milliana was more than prepared to fight Erza.

Erza looked between her opponents: Kagura, Melody, and Milliana. It looked tough at first glance…but she was certain she'd be able to fight them long enough to at least free Natsu. She didn't have a choice but to do that. Titania was known for going against the odds when they pushed back against her, so this was nothing to her. "…Very well. I'll take you all on! Come at me!"

.

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Next Time: Mermaid Heel Strikes!


	128. Chapter 128: Mermaid Heel Strikes!

Scoreboard:

1st: Fairy Tail A: 66

2nd: Empyrean Dawn: 65

3rd: White Eclipse A: 64

4th: Sabertooth: 60

5th: Fairy Tail B: 59

6th: Mermaid Heel: 44

7th: White Eclipse B: 43

8th: Blue Pegasus: 37

As the Grand Magic Games began, Hisui was watching from the railing in the castle. She had a good view of everything going on. Even though she was excited for the end game of the Games there was a bit of another issue on her mind. It had to do with the events concerning the day prior….

[Flashback: yesterday evening.]

Hisui walked around the castle, watching the guards shuffle about for various preparations. "Ah…excuse me…what are you doing…?"

"Sorry Princess can't talk! I have to finish this task for Lady Emmeraude!" The guard said while rushing down the hall.

Hisui frowned at this. This wasn't the first time as of late that a guard completely ignored her over something having to do with Emmeraude. She was glad to see the force within the castle working hard…but it felt like she was losing some control over things. She hadn't even seen Arcadios as much lately since Emmeraude was keeping him busy as well. "I'm going to have a word with her…" The Jade Princess made her way over to the throne room and pushed the doors open…only to stop because she saw several unfamiliar people in the throne room at Emmeraude's feet. "Huh…?"

"Oh Emmeraude…it's been such a long time." One of the people spoke. Hisui couldn't get a clear look at their faces, but the first one who spoke was clearly a woman. "We haven't heard from you since you departed the country. I didn't expect to see you here…and be Queen no less!"

"We've always known she was a Queen." Another voice said; this one male. Hisui was trying to see their faces, but was unable to without compromising the fact she was eavesdropping. So for now she was stuck watching from afar.

"You compliment me too much." Emmeraude snickered quietly. "But I am surprised that you all found me…or rather, that you were willing to find me. I'm nothing more than an exile, you know?"

"Well…true as that may be on paper. You were the leader of our unit once. The loyalty still lies with you…and we wanted to see if these rumors were true. We heard that there was a chance the person we used to work for found their way in Fiore. But this result was far beyond what we were expecting!" The female said.

"I see…" Emmeraude crossed one leg over the other. "…How is she?"

"She misses you dearly." A gruff male voice spoke. This was the last of the three people Hisui couldn't really see. "But she says the money you've been sending has been helping quite a bit. That's how we were able to find you."

A sigh of relief came from the Queen. "Ah…that's wonderful news. My mother is still well. Sending her money is about all I can do right now…"

"So when are you going to make your big move?! Your unit is here! We're at your disposal!" The calm male spoke while drawing a deck of cards. "Or has the game already begun?"

"I'm busy at the moment." Emmeraude shifted one leg across the other. "Perhaps you've heard: The Grand Magic Games. They're actually reaching their final day tomorrow. This entire thing has been such a hassle to plan, but I've gotten more than enough entertainment out of it. Protos Heis is resting until tomorrow as well. After the Games are over, Fiore will be seeing some changes, not that they mind since they all love me. Actually…since you're all here, you can help me with something…"

[End flashback]

"Who were those people…and how did they know Emmeraude…?" Hisui mumbled these thoughts to herself. These people were still lurking around the castle somewhere and she couldn't bring herself to trust them, especially since they hadn't officially met yet. She had questions for the Queen, but they were going to have to wait until the Games were finally over.

.

.

Erza pushed backwards as Kagura and Melody lunged at her! She not only had to deal with 3 opponents at once, but she also had to ensure that none of them took out Natsu in the process! This was a tough situation: protecting Natsu while fending off Kagura, Melody, and Milliana. But she just needed that crucial opening so she could free the Salamander and even the playing field. "3 against 1? I've had worse." Erza quipped, keeping that confident smile of hers present.

"You'll regret this!" Melody grinned while taking the lead, forging a silver sword in her hand as she rushed Erza down. "Milliana, back us up!" Legs bent and the silver make mage lunged forward as lightning surged around her blade. "Lightning Blade!" Melody thrust her sword forward at Titania, a bolt of lightning striking down at the supposed impact; however Erza was able to avoid the strike just in the nick of time by taking to the sky as she was in her Black Wing Armor. Melody sucked her teeth at this before increasing the electrical output on her sword and tossed it into the air. "Kagura!"

Kagura was already in the air by the time Erza jumped up. Archenemy was unsheathed and held out. The blade glided past Melody's sword, picking up the electrical charge before she slashed at Erza! Titania was capable of blocking and the result was sparks flying in all directions as the two were in an aerial stalemate. "To tell the truth…I wanted to save our battle for later, Nee-chan. But for Mermaid Heel's sake, we have to put an end to you before you can begin."

Erza's lips curled up at those words. "I completely understand where you're coming from. But that's exactly why I can't allow you to have this victory!" Erza and Kagura both pushed back. While Erza had the advantage due to her armor, that meant nothing as Kagura was able to flip, pressing her boots against the side of a building before pushing off again, aiming another slash at Erza, who was just narrowly able to parry the attack! Kagura was using the city structure to her advantage to bounce between buildings and aim slashes at Erza. "Tch…!"

"Got you!" Milliana exclaimed while unleashing two tubes to wrap around Erza's arms right after she parried Kagura's slash. With no magic to use she looked helpless. "Now, Kagura-chan!"

"Hm…" Kagura was just on the rebound and bounced back. Erza was a sitting duck…at least, that's what it looked like. Just as Kagura slashed, Erza twisted her body so Kagura cut the tubes around her wrists instead. "…!"

"That was close…" Erza started to fall, and she didn't even have the chance to recover as Kagura descended upon her with the sword's hilt! A Strong Form hit was coming and Erza was full aware of how strong that hit was going to be. As such, she prepared to brace for impact by switching to her Adamantine Armor. Kagura's hilt slammed into the armor, pushing Erza into a crater in the ground. While Erza didn't let out any sound of pain, she certainly felt that one…! Before Kagura had the chance to move, Erza swung her leg at the Ace's side to knock her away and out of the crater formed.

"Silver Male: Mjolnir!" Melody already crafted a large silver hammer in the sky supercharged with lightning! It dropped down on the crater and released a large explosive discharge of lighting. Erza was able to avoid the hammer itself, and the lightning was mitigated by her Lightning Empress's Armor.

The lance of said armor was pointed forward, the tip charged with lightning as a magic seal formed before her. "Lightning Cyclotron!" From the magic seal, multiple bolts of blue lightning shot forth towards the three females.

"Lightning Rod!" Melody extended her hand high into the sky as a silver pole shot out; absorbing the lightning before it even came close to touching any of them. "Whips!" The lightning rod then merged into twin whips that were used to pull Erza's lance away from her before she could strike again.

"You…" Before Erza could strike back, Kagura's gravity infused leg slammed into her side! The impact did leave a bruise on her exposed skin, but Erza wasn't going to back down. Their formation was highly impressive…and breaking through it on her own was going to be difficult, but this was Erza. A golden light wrapped around her body once more, now donning her Flight Armor, along with the fire sword and wind sword. She moved just in the nick of time, avoiding another one of Milliana's tube traps and sped past Kagura and Melody simultaneously, the searing gale left in her wake serving as proof of her offense!

"Tch…!" The fire and wind left a mark to be certain. Kagura grimaced slightly and swung her sword to forcibly disperse of the tornado before it could cause more harm.

"Geez, she's really not budging…" Melody said while cringing. Erza was faster than she anticipated and managed a clean cut on her side.

"She's as impressive as always." Kagura admitted. "But if we keep this pace up, she won't be able to hold out for long. She has to keep fighting us if she doesn't want her comrade to end up defeated. But this means we have to defeat her before another one of her comrades shows up to back her up. We have the advantage and we must make use of it."

"Grrrrr…!" Natsu had a comical tick mark on his forehead watching Erza fend off Mermaid Heel for his sake. He was angry because he wanted to fight all three of them, not be tied up like this! Hence his angry squirming and shouting. "When I get out of here, I'm kicking all three of your asses!"

"You couldn't have tied his mouth shut too?" Melody groaned.

"Sorry…" Milliana said with a nervous chuckle.

From the alleyway, Cecelia was watching the brawl with her arms crossed. She was debating whether or not to join in and throw a wrench in everyone's plans…or to sit and wait how things panned out in a few moments. "…"

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Wendy and Cynthia were running through the south west part of the city. Although they could hear the sounds of Erza's battle with their increased hearing. "I think she's over there…!" Wendy pointed.

"We have to help her. It doesn't sound like things are going well…" Cynthia concluded. However, before the two females could get any closer, they were stopped by none other than the wandering Sophie. "Eh…?"

"Hold it." Sophie held her arm out, preventing the pair from going any further.

"Sophie…?" Wendy slid to a halt as the other girl halted their movement.

"I challenge you to a duel." Sophie pointed at Wendy surprisingly. "Your fight the other day intrigued me…I didn't know that there were those around my age that were strong. I want to challenge you."

"M-Me…?" Wendy pointed at herself, a little surprised that someone wanted to challenge her! Especially since Cynthia was standing right there, and she did usually think of Cynthia as stronger than her.

"Wendy, we don't have time for this…" Cynthia nudged her. "We have to help Erza…"

Sophie shook her head. "No. Neither of you are going anywhere until I get my fight. My creator wishes for me to have more combat experience…and I will not betray her expectations." A pink light wrapped around her arms, turning into her gauntlets. As soon as they formed, she sprinted forward and swung at both Wendy and Cynthia. "Demolition Drive!"

"Whoa…!" Both Wendy and Cynthia exclaimed the same words at the same time, leaping backwards as Sophie's impact created a crater in the ground.

"Is she crazy…!?" Cynthia grumbled. This was the girl that Lucy kept having problems with…but that didn't mean Cynthia wanted to fight her. Before Cynthia could move forward, Wendy's arm was put out in front of her. "Huh…?"

"She wants to fight me…" Wendy said, a determined look appearing in her eyes. Cynthia knew that look well, and after the Tartarus incident…Cynthia did realize that she didn't have to protect Wendy so much anymore, even though it was a deeply ingrained instinct for her.

"…Mmm…okay…but if things look bad I'm going to help you." Cynthia decided. "First said it was important that we stay together…and as much as I want to help Erza, I can't let you go down…"

"I wasn't going to allow you to leave regardless…" Sophie told Cynthia while assuming a fighting stance. This was a battle between her and Wendy.

With Cynthia backing her up, Wendy felt more comfortable in this scenario. But she had to be extra careful around Sophie; she was well aware of the conditions surrounding Emmeraude's daughter. Sophie, as of right now, was worth zero points. It would be pointless to waste a lot of effort on a person worth nothing to the cause. So Wendy wanted to at least knock Sophie away long enough for her and Cynthia to escape without wasting too much energy. "I apologize for making this encounter quick…but our guild needs our help."

.

.

The sounds of combat were noticeable to Beth and Arana, who were separated from Kagura and the others. But for the sake of their plan, this placement was optimal anyway. "I hope things are going well for them…" Arana mused while she and Beth laid their traps. Arana set up webs while Beth created various pit falls.

"They'll be fine." Beth was sure. "As long as we stay in the game…we can win this. It's only a less than 30 point gap between us and the front runners. If we take out those with high scores, we can catch up and win. So we have to do our part while Kagura and others fight!"

"You're right." Arana nodded. "This plan can't fail if we want to win."

.

Orga stared Hubert down. The four eyed Empyrean just gave off an aura that made him extremely punchable, and Orga was not one to pass up on the chance to punch such an annoying individual. Hubert adjusted his glasses while staring down the behemoth of a man. "You are Orga Nanagear. You aren't someone I wanted to fight in particular…Nina is more of a better match. But I suppose I can make quick work of you nonetheless."

The attitude Hubert gave only irritated the Lightning God slayer! "Oi…you string bean. Acting all high and mighty just because you won an event? You didn't even win your fight, so you think you're all that!?" Orga smirked, obsidian lightning crackling around his body. "But with that attitude, people like you usually aren't so tough in the end."

Hubert merely sighed at Orga's words. "I suppose if fools didn't have dreams, they wouldn't be fools. Oh well…I suppose this can't be avoided." Hubert's dualblade was already at the ready for this battle. "This isn't part of the plan…but it matters not. I can manage you easily."

"We'll see about that, small fry! Sabertooth's Black Lightning is gonna fry ya!" Orga exclaimed with his boisterous voice!

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Slowly but surely, Erza was beginning to be pushed back by the forces of Mermaid Heel. Kagura was already a big problem in and off herself, and being backed up by Melody and Milliana only made the situation even less so in Erza's favor. Being unable to assist the loud, tied down Natsu, was the biggest factor since she had to act in protecting him as well. "Tch…they're coordination may be tough to break through their formation like this…"

"It looks like Erza is being pushed back!" Chapati was a little surprised.

"It's not surprising." Emmeraude said while waving a hand. "She's fighting an Ace and her comrades, and I'm fairly certain Kagura is a tad bit stronger under normal circumstances. And she's driven by the will to win anyway…so our dear Erza and Natsu are in quite the pickle~"

Emmeraude's words were true; Erza was in quite the pickle. Kagura and Melody's formation alone was incredible. Kagura moved in from the left, while Melody came in from the right, both with their blades at the ready! Erza held her ground as the two slashed at her, gritting her teeth to prevent from being pushed back. As soon as the two slashed, Erza switched to her Purgatory Armor, wielding the giant spiked blade in her grip and used its massive strength to push them backwards! Erza pursued Melody and aimed a downward swing at the woman, but she managed to block in time, however the ground cratered under her feet and the pressure Erza had was still as formidable as ever compared to her own strength. "I have to admit…you've come along way, Melody…"

"Heh…" Melody had a sweat drop on her forehead as she felt her knees buckle against Erza's might. "I'm not that same dark mage from a few years ago…Mermaid Heel has toughened me up a lot, so the least I can do is win for them!" The silver make mage then leapt back, allowing Erza's blade to strike nothing but the ground. She was going to prepare for a counter, but Erza moved too quickly and slammed the blade into her side, sending her flying through a window into a nearby shop. "GAH..!"

"Melody…" Kagura grit her teeth before finding herself on the defensive, blocking a destructive slash from Erza. For a moment she forgot who she was dealing with. A cornered Erza was most often the most dangerous. But she wouldn't have it any other way. Unfortunately for her, an old wound was still an active one and was the cause for her legs to buckle for a slight moment. "Milliana!"

"Got it!" Milliana placed her palm on the ground, causing several large tubes to rise up from under Erza in attempt to bind her once and for all.

Erza knew this was coming and performed a huge leap into the sky to avoid the tubes, switching into her Heaven's Wheel armor and had multiple blades at the ready. "Dance, my blades!" The blades spun around, shooting off in every which direction at Kagura, Milliana, and Natsu to free him at last! Kagura used her gravity change to the course of the blades and send them into separate directions while Melody returned from the building, using her Silver Make to make a dome briefly appear over both Milliana and Natsu, shielding them from any harm as the swords just bounced off.

"Sorry…but you're not getting your prize that easily!" Melody winked at Erza as the dome dispersed.

"Ah, DAMMIT!" Natsu groaned, squirming as he really wanted to get in on this action. "Let me go you bastards!"

"Tch…" Erza figured it wouldn't be so easy. Milliana was the trickiest one to deal with. If Erza got caught by her magic, that would be it. But attacking Milliana was extremely difficult with the formation Kagura and Melody assumed.

"Now why don't you come down so we can talk about this…" Kagura pointed her hand down, causing the gravity to intensify tenfold around Erza and made her plummet to the ground! Before Titania could even react, Kagura stabbed the hilt of her sword into Erza's exposed stomach. "Strong Form!"

A direct hit! Erza's eyes widened from the impact and a choked cry of pain left her as she tumbled violently along the city street before coming to a halt on her knee. A few coughs escaped her, but she managed a grin regardless of the pain. She'd had worse. "Heh…are we still warming up?"

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"This isn't good! She's totally losing ground…!" Lisanna bit her lip in anxiety. "If only Natsu was able to help her!"

"Is this the end for Erza? Over before it truly begins?" Mii spoke in a melancholy tone.

"YEAH! KICK HER ASS!" Daryan cheered from his location.

Mavis shook her head, her intent stare never wavering even at the adversity of the situation. "No…Erza will be fine. She just needs to hold out for a little longer…"

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"She just grins no matter the situation, doesn't she!?" Melody was a little irritated at this.

"That's just who she is." Kagura had a semblance of a smile herself. But it faded as soon as it appeared. "But that is precisely why we can't afford to take much longer. It's not or never."

"Got it!" Melody gave her ace a nod before leaping into the air, pointing her hands down as lightning sparked dangerously around her body. "Let's see how well you handle this: Lightning Blast!" The Mermaid then unleashed a widespread blast of lightning that fanned out in several directions, covering a large area that made it nearly impossible to dodge with such a narrow space such as the city street. "It's over! You're done for!"

At this point, the three Mermaids expected Erza to switch to her Lightning Empress armor to reduce the damage. It would be then that Kagura moved in for a swift, fatal blow against the mighty Titania of Fairy Tail…but this was Erza, and she betrayed everyone's expectations. Instead of the Lightning Empress armor, she went right for her Flight Armor! The speed boost was all she needed to swiftly avoid the lightning much to Melody's surprise. "Your lightning is impressive…but compared to Laxus's, it's just a small spark!" Erza then did the unthinkable and darted right past Melody and aimed for her true target: Kagura! With momentum built up from her Flight Armor, the scarlet knight then changed to her Giant's Armor and reared her fist back. She then SLAMMED it right into Kagura's chest for a direct and heavy blow! One that almost sent the Mermaid Ace herself reeling and even send her back quite the distance, but Kagura managed to keep her composure even after such a stunning blow.

"Did you aim high…because of my injury…?" Even Kagura needed to catch her breath after that one. The possible consideration was taken into account and appreciated since outside of Mermaid Heel and Daryan, Erza was the only other one who knew about what damages that scar of hers did. "I suppose you just won't go down that easily. As expected."

"I have a job to do." Erza responded.

While all focus was between Mermaid Heel and Erza, a lone figure made their way onto the rooftops of a building nearby, grinning at the sight before him. Reve Volver had a clear view of the street that was used as a battlefield. The three mermaids had their full attention on Erza, and as much as Reve would've LOVED to take a shot at Erza right now…there was a bigger prize! Natsu was still squirming and had barely moved at all since he was restrained by Milliana. "A gift for me…you shouldn't have…"

"Huh…?" Natsu's ears picked up Reve's voice and his eyes darted around the surroundings. He then spotted the gunslinger on the roof and his eyes widened. "REVE…?!"

"Huh!?" On that cue, everyone turned to the roof where Reve was standing.

The Eclipse S-class already had a pistol at the ready, blue eyes shining green to signify the activation of his Precision Eyes. With his finger on the trigger and the barrel aimed at Natsu's forehead, the slender male grinned. "I wouldn't miss this shot for the life of me. Bang." Reve's finger squeezed the trigger and a potent bullet flew from the barrel, rushing for the spot right between his eyes. The bullet was so fast, that at their current positions, none of the females involved would be able to stop it in time. One shot was all Reve needed to finish off a tied down Natsu.

Did this one shot dignify the reign of the Eclipse once again?

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Next Time: Shot In The Dark.


	129. Chapter 129: Shot In The Dark

Scoreboard:

1st: Fairy Tail A: 66

2nd: Empyrean Dawn: 65

3rd: White Eclipse A: 64

4th: Sabertooth: 60

5th: Fairy Tail B: 59

6th: Mermaid Heel: 44

7th: White Eclipse B: 43

8th: Blue Pegasus: 37

Member Status: All participates active. Sophie Active.

Eyes widened as Reve made his grand entrance! Not even Mavis foresaw this occurring and it spelled trouble for her plans and Fairy Tail's potential morale. "When did Reve…" Mavis began.

"That's not good…Natsu can't defend himself like this…!" Happy panicked. "Erza help Natsu!"

"She can't…!" Levy gasped. "She's too preoccupied with Mermaid Heel…!"

"Oh dear…" Zelos glanced around at the ensuing panic from Fairy Tail. "Don't tell me a minor inconvenience is about to ruin the careful plan you guys laid down."

"Nah, they'll be fine." Mii said flatly. "Or they're doomed. I guess we'll see!"

"You…have no faith in anything, do you…?" Lisanna had a deadpanned expression at Mii's attitude.

"I'm a realist." The angel shrugged.

"And I'm an optimist!" Zelos spoke, clearly wishing to be Mii's foil whether she liked it or not.

"No, you're just an idiot." Mii quipped.

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"AAAH! YOU BASTARD!" Natsu roared out while squirming, but to no avail since he was just not moving anytime soon.

"Bang." The trigger was clicked; the bullet launched from the barrel, and went right for Natsu's forehead. Not even Natsu would be able to take a direct shot like this when tied down and magicless. Reve watched with a wide grin until…an arrow of light sliced through the bullet just before it made contact with Natsu! "What…!?"

"Huh?" Even Natsu was taken aback by this sudden save.

From a roof across the street, Lucy donned her Stardress: Sagittarius! A satisfied grin was on her lips as she just managed to save Natsu before he was taken out prematurely. "Made it on time!"

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"Lu-chan!" Levy let out a huge sigh of relief and clasped her hands together.

"See, I told you they'd be fine." Mii shrugged.

"Amazing! Lucy came in at the nick of time to save her comrade!" Chapati exclaimed. "Such timing was impeccable!"

"Oh yes…" Emmeraude gave a nod of agreement. "I thought scattering them across the city would provide such excitement. Even I find myself drawn into the action even more now that she's arrived on the scene."

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"Lucy!" Natsu's face lit up. "Aye!"

"Lucy…" A sigh of relief passed Erza's lips as Lucy arrived on the scene.

"So what!?" Reve spat at Lucy's timely appearance and aimed several shots at Natsu, intent on taking the Salamander out to prove a point to Fairy Tail and Fiore.

Lucy grit her teeth and fired off as many arrows as bullets! With Sagittarius being her current Stardress, she also had the ability to quickly fire arrows just as the archer himself. Every arrow sliced through the bullets before they could even get close to Natsu. "You're not getting your way, Reve!" The celestial blonde exclaimed before pointing her bow into the sky, drawing the bowstring back. "Six Falling Stars!" A bundle of light formed within the bow and it was launched into the sky. This bundle of light then exploded into six larger beams that all rained down on the gunslinger.

"Tch!" Reve had no choice but to move from his position, quickly leaping onto another building as the beams rained down on him. He was swift enough to avoid the beams before they even touched him, and soon he requipped another pistol and began shooting at Lucy.

"Come on! I can take you!" Lucy stated confidently while firing off arrows to match Reve. Bullet for arrow, there was an explosion in the air as the two collided.

"You think you can out shoot me? You've got guts, Heartfilia! But you don't have the skill!" Reve stated with his patented cocky grin. To Reve, Lucy was just a half-decent warm up!

"Oi! Don't think just because you've got backup means you can ignore us…!" Melody charged at Erza with an electrically charged fist, but Titania was quick to react and leaned her body to the side, gripping Melody's wrist and used her momentum against her for a toss right into Milliana!

"Gyah…!" Both Melody and Milliana cried out as they tumbled backwards from Erza's hard throw.

"Lucy, now!" Erza screamed.

"Right!" Lucy nodded and quickly drew a golden key from her hip. "Sagittarius!" With a puff of smoke, the archer appeared and was given a command immediately. "Free Natsu!"

"As you wish, Moshi-Moshi!" The archer saluted and aimed his bow at the tied down Natsu.

"And you think you'll get your way that easily? What do you take me for?" Reve spread his arms, manifesting multiple guns in front of him with the intent of gunning down Lucy right then and there before she could interfere with him further. "Let's see how fast you can fire arrows now! Devil's Wheel!" And on Reve's command, the bombardment began! Judging by Lucy's expression, it was clear that neither she nor her spirit were going to escape this assault unscathed…but luckily they didn't have to worry about it as all of the bullets stopped just before they struck the blonde, leaving all confused. "What now?!"

Kagura had her hand extended, using her control of gravity to stop Reve's bullets cold. "I take you for an egotistical fool. Thanks for the firepower, though." Once again, Kagura had to get in Reve's way. But she was going to use this onslaught of bullets to her advantage instead and bring it down on Erza. The 3 on 1 quickly turned into a duel between these two sisters.

"You took the words right out of my mouth!" Erza said while using her Adamantine Armor once again to shield herself from the bullet hail.

"Now!" Lucy commanded her spirit.

"Firing!" Sagittarius had a clear shot thanks to Kagura's intervention. The arrow flew from the bowstring and sliced through Natsu's binds at last!

"FREE!" Natsu exclaimed with a boisterous laugh, flames erupting around his body as he could finally move once again. "Thanks Lucy! And as for you…" After thanking his partner, Natsu turned with cheeks filled with fire, parting his lips to unleash a Fire Dragon's Roar right towards Reve. "BURN YOU ASSHOLE!"

Reve didn't even bat an eye at Natsu. Instead he just pulled out his Reverse Slayer, clicking the trigger to allow the weapon to inhale the roar and render it useless. "You're just loud these days, Salamander. Couldn't even beat a rookie and barely beat a pair of teenage girls. You're losing your touch!"

A noticeable tick mark of anger formed on Natsu's lips as Reve pressed all the right buttons. "You cocky bastard! You wanna come down here and say that to my face?!"

"Natsu, he's just trying to bait you!" Lucy exclaimed while preforming a high leap into the air in her effort to cross over to the next building. Another arrow was fired at Reve, but he dodged this be. This opened the gate, both metaphorically and literally for Capricorn to appear. "Go get him!"

"As you wish, Lucy-sama." Capicorn nodded and proceeded to rush Reve down! The goat began to attack with a series of high speed punches and kicks. Reve grit his teeth in annoyance as the strikes put him on the defenses. His Precision eyes allowed him to predict and evade the spirit's movements, but a kick to the chest was narrowly blocked and made Reve slide back across the roof.

"All these annoyances…" The Eclipse mage grunted before using the Reverse Slayer to unleash Natsu's roar that was fired at him just seconds ago. Capicorn had little choice but to defend against the onslaught of flames that razed the rooftop. "I'll take you all down, don't worry!"

"Doesn't he get tired being such an ass all the time…" Lucy grumbled when landing on the roof a few yards away from Reve. Her lack of being totally aware of the situation resulted in a large silver lance to hit her back. "Agh…!" She stumbled forward from the direct hit before looking behind her, spotting both Melody and Milliana.

"Oi oi! You better not be forgetting about us yet!" Melody smirked.

"Crap…" Lucy grumbled. Between Reve, Melody, Milliana, and Kagura…there was simply just too much going on. This situation wasn't beneficial to the Fairy Tail mages at all. Milliana attempted to have a tube wrap around Lucy's body for a surprise attack, but Sagittarius was quick on the draw and his arrow sliced through the tube before it could cause any problems, much to the chagrin of the spiffy mage.

"We have to pull back!" Erza acknowledged this situation and looked to Lucy to get them out of it since she had the advantage in positioning. As soon as she made this claim, she found herself clashing blades with Kagura once again, who wasn't so keen on the idea of letting her run off that easily. The ace mermaid was on full offense; aiming to cut Erza down before she could escape, thus putting Titania on the defensive.

Natsu heard Lucy as well, electing to focus on Melody and Milliana since he wanted a little payback on them. "All right Lucy, it's on you!" Flames erupted from Natsu's arms and he sped forward towards the two females and ran past them, slashing the both of them with his wings of flame. "Fire Dragon's Wing Slash!" Both Melody and Milliana were scorched by Natsu's searing flames, giving the opening needed.

As for Erza, she needed to parry Kagura's strikes long enough until she had her window to retreat by pushing herself backwards, flinging herself far back from Mermaid Heel. "Lucy!"

"Now…" Lucy closed the gates on Capricorn and Sagittarius and took to the air, donning her Aries Stardress. In the midst of her transformation, Reve used his Quick Draw to bring out a pistol and fired a shot that pierced right through Lucy's side! The celestial mage sucked her teeth and hissed quietly in pain as she drew yet another golden key. "Aries! We're using Wool Bomb!"

"O-Okay…!" Aries appeared in a puff of smoke. The sheep spirit sheepishly put her hands forward while closing her eyes, screaming out, "I-I'm sorry!" before releasing a thick cloud of pink wool in tandem with Lucy. This thick cloud of wool served as a comfortable barrier that cut off that section of the city temporarily. Mermaid Heel was stuck behind the wool, knowing full well if they tried to pursue, the wool's effect would render them sitting ducks.

"Whew…we made it…" Lucy exhaled, only to wince once again as her injury was noted. "Thank you, Aries…" Lucy then closed Aries gate.

Erza turned to Reve, who was still on the roof. He could easily take shots at them now…but instead he and Erza's eyes met for the first time these entire Games. Erza noticed the growing animosity in the gunslinger's expression. Clearly he had some unfinished business with her…but now wasn't the time. Instead, Erza made the ploy to retreat with Natsu and Erza and forge a new plan.

"Hmph…" Reve scoffed. He could almost hear the others from White Eclipse screaming at him that a confrontation right now was pointless. So he did the next best thing and shifted his gaze to Mermaid Heel and took a shot at Milliana. The bullet hit the back of her head and it was at this moment Mermaid Heel cursed themselves for forgetting about Reve. Milliana's eyes widened at the moment of impact before rolling into the back of her head, putting her down for the count as the first KO of the Final Day.

"And Milliana is down…" Siegrain announced. Mermaid Heel was now down a member and White Eclipse's score went up from 64 to 67, temporarily putting them in the lead.

"Shit…" Melody grimaced at her own folly.

"It's cute that you think you keep getting in my way…but you've yet to surpass me in anything yet, isn't that right?" Reve quipped while taking aim at Kagura and Melody.

"We're leaving." Kagura commanded while dragging Melody along before Reve could take any more shots at them. They didn't have the advantage anymore and it was simply wise to retreat.

"Yeah, you better run." Reve took the retreat of Fairy Tail and Mermaid Heel as a symbol of his overwhelming abilities. Considering he also scored 3 points out of that entire mess, his ego was pretty inflated right about now. At the same time, he noticed a cut on his side. His brows furrowed as it seemed in the end one of Lucy's arrows did managed to graze him. But it wasn't worthy enough to be considered damage compared to the wound he left on her, so Reve considered himself to be the victory of this exchange in the end.

Cecelia watched the entire conflict from the alleyway, only giving a slight chuckle at the end of the skirmish. "How interesting…"

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Separated from all the others, Darren, aka Shade the Wizard Hunter for those who may have forgotten, he was happily walking down the empty street. Being without any of those from Blue Pegasus put his mind at ease. Plus, it allowed him to communicate with Yumia and Yukia. "Are you two there?" He asked aloud.

 _"We hear you loud and clear!"_ Yumia reported.

 _"Such events leave the palace empty! Emmeraude may think she's sneaky, but we're gonna pick up so much dirt on her!"_ Yukia whispered. Wherever the pair was, they had to be quiet. _"Just make this free for all last as long as possible. Digging in here isn't going to be very easy. Try and win or something."_

"I can assure you both…" Darren began while grinning. "I will not be going down anytime soon. Such is my pride as a Wizard Hunter."

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Orga cracked his knuckles while staring Hubert down, a malicious grin plastered on his wide lips. He couldn't wait to beat the snot over this overconfident string bean! "All right tough guy! If you're so strong, let's see how you handle this!" Orga held one hand forward, not even wasting any time as black lightning immediately gathered around Hubert's location to entrap him within a large sphere and shock him with extremely high voltage lightning!

Hubert simply leapt to the side, sensing such an attack coming on pure instinct. This left Orga miffed, but a little impressed at Hubert's quick reaction time. "Honestly…using that as an opening attack? Such an attack would be better saved for if I were in a compromising position. But your attempt to assert dominance right off the bat only makes you the fool. I was hoping you'd have some semblance of a brain in that noggin of yours, but it seems you're quite literally a musclehead."

This only irritated Orga even further! "Okay…you think you're so cool too? Then try this!" Obsidian lightning surged around Orga's arms and he brought them into the ground, creating a fierce shockwave that caused electrified debris to rise into the air. He was utilizing the same trick he had used against Melody in Day 1 against Hubert now. He was positive that Hubert had no timely counter to this.

"The fool who doesn't learn remains a fool." Hubert adjusted his glasses with one hand while snapping his fingers in the other. "You didn't think I would take note of this on day 1?" As Hubert spoke, the aerial debris began to transform into miniature soldiers, all aiming guns down at Orga and opened fired! The sudden turnaround left Orga bewildered and he had to cross his arms to defend against the bombardment before the rubble fell on him.

"What the hell!?" Orga exclaimed in ironic shock.

"W-What is this!?" Chapati yelled in surprise. "This is new…!"

"Ah, my dear Chapati…" Emmeraude wagged her finger. "Not quite. Hubert has a unique ability to control any inanimate and inorganic object as long as it has a certain size and mass. That is the nature of his Commander Magic. It was the same ability he used in the day 4 event to take the lacrima dolls under his control. It's quite a troublesome magic really. You can't trust any nearby object…he'll find some way to use it against you when you least expect it. The Ozwell name is still as threatening as ever, I see…"

"Flattery will get you nowhere, my lady." Hubert remarked quietly to Emmeraude's commentary.

"GRAH!" Lightning exploded and the rubble was blown off in all directions. Orga looked pretty pissed while Hubert's stoic expression remained. "The hell is up with you?"

"I am a war veteran." Hubert explained with his usual tone. "I've seen many a trick in my day. In fact, I've invented most of them, and at this rate your points will be mine. So…in order to showcase that 'Sabertooth is Number 1', how about you rack that muscle brain of yours and show me a trick I haven't seen before?"

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Cynthia's lips curled into a frown as Wendy began to engage Sophie on her own. Considering Sophie's circumstances as a competitor, she rather Wendy not waste such stamina on an opponent that had no worth yet. But at the same time, Sophie's strange fighting style and determination made it clear neither of them were going to escape from her unless they did so forcefully. "…"

Sophie sent a straight fist towards Wendy's face, but the sky dragon was swift enough to evade the strike by ducking to the side. As soon as Sophie missed, Wendy's hand extended to firmly press against her opponent's chest. "Wind Palm!" A burst of cyan wind erupted from the sky dragon's palm, pushing Sophie back a considerable distance. However, Sophie didn't fly back nearly as far as Wendy predicted and this left her brown eyes wide. "E-Eh?! She didn't go anywhere…!"

"Training with Aira…has allowed me to come to an understanding about how wind based attacks work. They either hit hard and multiple times…or they hit hard and push you back. I've watched your fights…and Waiston's words were correct. You are not a very aggressive fighter." Sophie stated flatly before pursing Wendy once again. Wendy had no time to react as Sophie pulled her hand up, gathering pink energy within her palm and pressed it against Wendy's own flat chest at an angle. "Raging Blast!" The ensuing cry called forth a powerful burst of raw energy that sent Wendy skyward!

"Wendy…!" Cynthia felt her instincts kick in, but she stopped herself because of what Wendy told her earlier.

"Waaaah…!" Wendy cried out in a little bit of pain while tumbling about in the air. Sophie took a leap into the air to finish off Wendy; however the young Fairy Tail wizard regained her bearings quickly and narrowed her eyes. Cyan wind wrapped around her leg and the moment Sophie was close, Wendy flipped her body around and swung her leg down, slamming it into Sophie's shoulder. "Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!" As soon as the kicking motion was complete, a fierce whirlwind expanded from the girl's leg and forcefully sent Sophie rocketing back down towards the ground with a terrible crash!

"Yeah…!" Cynthia cheered.

Sophie grunted from the impact, groaning softly before shaking it off! Wendy was still in the air and she planned to make optimal use of this and her speed increased. The machine moved so quickly she was only visible as a pink streak of light, bouncing around the surrounding area before pushing off a building to gain height on Wendy. "Sundering Fury!" One foot extended, Sophie dove down to slam her foot into Wendy's back, however the sky dragon narrowly managed to avoid this strike! It didn't end there as Sophie bounced off a street light, devliering a swift roundhouse kick to Wendy's side. That was enough to send the bluenette down to the ground. The final touch was a flip kick that unleashed a crescent beam of energy that sliced through the street, but luckily Wendy was capable of avoiding this by rolling at the last second.

"She's aggressive…" Wendy muttered while exhaling.

"She's not done yet…!" Cynthia warned her partner.

And Cynthia's words rang true. As Sophie descended from the ground again, her right arm was extended, the red gem adorning the gauntlet shining brightly as it gathered a large amount of photon energy. "Shotstaff Blast!" The gem itself unleashed a large spherical explosive that rapidly traveled towards the currently downed slayer. Wendy was able to evade the ensuing explosion, but the blast radius did scuff up her outfit in the process.

Wendy tumbled across the ground before managing to stay on her feet once again. Arms spread apart, small whirlwinds forming around her arms. "Sky Dragon's…Wing Slash!" Thrusting her arms forward, the petite slayer unleashed a large hurricane from both arms that spread in both directions, converging on Sophie to sandwich her within the surprising wind pressure! After landing, Wendy let out a breath while examining her clothes. "I should've expected these to get ruined sooner or later…"

Sophie brought her arms up to defend against the Sky Dragon's Wing Slash. This air pressure was a little different from what she was expecting, thus making it more difficult to properly defend. Scratches and bruise marks formed along her skin from the impact, but in the end she was fine and still standing. "…I see."

"No way…she didn't fall over?" Cynthia grumbled. "What's with this girl…she was the one giving Lucy trouble, right? She's right about our age, I think…"

Emmeraude shifted her attention to Sophie's fight, a proud smile crossing her lips as her dear Protos Heis went to work. She knew including Sophie in the final day was going to yield positive results, and the day had just started! Like a proud mother watching her child, she silently watched and it felt as though her presence was known to the three girls. _"That's right my little darling Protos Heis. I need you nice and warmed up before confronting our infected friend. We don't have much time left until the process becomes nigh irreversible…but I have faith in you, my darling. Bring me my creation, my life's work…so that I may begin my plot to rule over everyone and everything…"_

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Next Time: Castle Brawl.


	130. Chapter 130: Castle Brawl

Scoreboard:

1st: White Eclipse A: 67

2nd: Fairy Tail A: 66

3rd: Empyrean Dawn: 65

4th: Sabertooth: 60

5th: Fairy Tail B: 59

6th: Mermaid Heel: 44

7th: White Eclipse B: 43

8th: Blue Pegasus: 37

Member Status:

White Eclipse: All members active.

Fairy Tail: All members active.

Mermaid Heel: Kagura, Melody, Beth, and Arana active.

Blue Pegasus: All members active.

Sabertooth: All members active.

Empyrean Dawn: All members active.

Sophie Active.

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"NOOOO!" Shadowlore comically wept as Milliana was taken down by Reve. "My kitty cat!"

"…I don't think she'd approve of you saying that if she was conscious." Alex pointed out, but Shadowlore was too sad to hear her.

"That was a pretty hectic battle, though." Gaia mused. "Is it bad I was hoping for Reve to take them all out? It would've been quite the feat considering the scale of his opponents."

"Why can't you be normal and go for Fairy Tail like the rest of us?" Alex pouted towards her new mother figure.

"Ah, but my dear….that would be so boring." Gaia hummed while leaning back in her seat. "What fun would it be if we all went for the same teams? You know I adore Fairy Tail…I just want to see what their biggest rivals are capable of when the pressure is on."

"We all have our favorites." Daryan shrugged. "Gaia may be trying to hide it, but she wants Fairy Tail to win just as much as you do Alex…and the two siblings of Dealer, right?"

Tia scoffed, glancing away as Daryan tried to call her out. "I just think it would be disappointing if the guild that did so much for us got flattened so easily. I'm not saying I want them to win or anything…I just don't want to see them lose so terribly…yeah…"

Diamond sighed heavily at Tia's poor attempt to deflect the question. "It's okay to be truthful about how you feel, Tia…"

"I don't know what you mean." Tia scoffed.

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"Reve almost had all of them…" Zalen said while adjusted his glasses. "If Lucy hadn't shown up, he would've walked away the victor for certain."

"He took too long." Mary simply stated. "He'll always be that way, though. What's important is that he was able to grab three points and put the guild in the lead. If we can keep this momentum, then I can predict another trophy sitting on the shelf."

"We have the strength and means to win." Calium commented, watching his children very cautiously. "Now we just have to hope those runts will be able to put forth their best efforts to ensure victory."

.

"Oh thank goodness…" Levy let out a huge sigh of relief as Lucy managed to get Erza and Natsu out of that sticky situation. "That was way too close…"

"That got extremely hectic." Evergreen said while fanning herself.

"I told you they'd be fine." Mii shrugged.

"You also said they were doomed…" Carla rolled her eyes at Mii's remark. But then her focus went to Wendy's battle, frowning as Cynthia stood on the sidelines. "But what is she doing, just standing around?"

"I think they're learning and growing." Mavis explained.

"What do you mean, First?" Lisanna asked.

"I think…after their fight with Natsu and Gray, they realized something. Their teamwork is superb…but they're still held back by their concern for one another." Mavis began. "After what they've been through and their bond…I understand why they're hesitant. It's that hesitation that holds them back…and I believe they're actively trying to break through that barrier. It's not that they don't trust each other…it's that they ironically trust one another too much. That's why I'm glad they wanted to stay in the Games…and I also gave them a task."

"You really planned for a lot of things, didn't you?" Mii turned her head back to look at Mavis. "Your tactical prowess is something else, ghosty."

Zelos was looking back and forth between everyone, only catching half of the conversation since he was unable to see Mavis. This kept happening and he honestly had no clue what to make of it. "You guys just love having half a conversation, huh?"

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.

Hisui continued to watch the games from the railing on one of the higher castle floors. The action caught her attention and she didn't want to look away. Watching everyone fight like this did make her think on Emmeraude's words from the other day. How the mages of Fiore were more reliable than the country's own military. She never realized how true this was…and she wanted to be a stronger leader because of this as well. The Jade Princess was lost in her own thoughts until she heard some odd sounds behind her. "Huh?" When she turned, she spotted Yumia right in front of her. Eyes widened and she prepared to scream, but Yukia appeared on the railing behind her and slapped her hand over her mouth. "…!"

"Oh no, you don't want to do that." Yukia whispered. "It would be really bad for everyone involved if you screamed. So if you don't want things to pan out badly…don't scream and cooperate with us, okay?"

"…." Hisui nodded slowly. It was situations like these in which she needed to remain calm. Yukia slowly removed her hand and Hisui stared at the two girls. "You two are the Wizard Hunters, Yumia and Yukia, correct?"

"Awww, she knows us!" Yumia quietly squealed.

"Your dragon companion has been causing problems here and there…" Hisui narrowed her eyes at the twins. "Although we've been unable to pinpoint his location…"

"Ahhh! I knew Raijron was still active! We haven't seen him since our first operation here was a bust. That dummy hasn't come back to us yet…he must be enjoying his freedom…" Yukia huffed. "Well…that doesn't matter. He'll be back soon enough."

Since they were so talkative, Hisui tried to get some answers from the twins before they caught onto her. "…I assume you're here for a reason? Who is your employer…and what do they want with me? This isn't another kidnapping, is it?"

"Ah ah…" Yumia shook her head, motioning for Hisui to start walking. "A contract between the hunters and the employer is a strict bond of trust. We are sworn to confidentiality."

"And we're not here for you." Yukia added on. "We're actually here for something faaaaaar more important."

"Well…I never…!" Hisui frowned. "What do you want…?

"We want information, our dear Princess." Yumia and Yukia spoke in unison. "We want information on your father, and on the current 'Queen' of Fiore, Lady Emmeraude."

Hisui took a hesitant step back as the twins spoke in unison. It was rather jarring to hear their similar voices at the same time. A look of curiosity appeared on her face at the mention of her father. "Father…he was imprisoned. Emmeraude…won't tell me why, or even let me near him. I do miss him…but she said he did some bad things…so I can understand."

"Oh, you poor dear…" Yukia shook her head. "You really don't know anything, do you…?"

.

.

Black lightning surged around the lightning god slayer of Sabertooth. His anger reached a boiling point as Hubert continued to make him look like a fool! With incredible speed, the lightning god made use of his own Lightning Body technique, speeding towards the Empyrean with full intent to slug the cocky solider right in the jaw! "Lightning God's Iron Knuckle!" Orga swung his large knuckle at Hubert's face…only for it to be avoided! "Huh!?"

"You're too predictable." Hubert spat while turning on his heel, jabbing the tip of his Dualblade into Orga's side after the failed miss. "It doesn't matter how fast you are if your movements are so easy to read. Detonation Bloom." The tip of the weapon exploded violently, causing the Lightning God to let out a loud cry of pain while flying back into a building! Hubert sighed and turned around, adjusting his glasses with his usual stoic expression. "If you're going to charge at me like some rampant bull, this isn't going to take much longer at all."

"Grrrr…." Orga grumbled while crawling out of the rubble from the building. Hubert's attitude just continued to piss him off! How was this scrawny punk going to keep belittling him like this!? "I'm gonna wipe that smug grin right off your face!"

"Smug? I don't recall gloating about my superiority like White Eclipse." Hubert said with a mere shrug.

"Then let's see…how you handle this!" Orga pushed his arms forward, black sparks dancing dangerously around his large bulky body. "100mm Black Lightning Cannon!" From Orga's hands, a widespread beam of obsidian lightning blasted forward, barreling across the street while racing towards Hubert. The Empyrean did not move a muscle as the powerful beam rushed towards him and soon a large explosion occurred, the dust cloud making it impossible to see the outcome. Orga's lips curved into a knowing smirk. "I felt that connect. There's no way he survived that."

"And it appears as though Orga finally landed a direct hit on Hubert! Is a seemingly one-sided battle over in an instant!?" Chapati asked while impatiently awaiting the result.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that…" Emmeraude hummed with a knowing smile. "Where I come from, the Ozwell name is prided on their being rather stubborn opponents. This Ozwell in particular upholds the family name well."

As the dust settled…Hubert was seen standing precisely where he was when Orga started the attack. There didn't seem to be much damage on him despite the massive property damage dealt to the area around him. The only noticeable thing around Hubert were the black sparks around his body that signified a direct hit. "I will admit…that stung." The Empyrean said while adjusting his glasses. "It seems those muscles aren't for show after all. I wouldn't engage you in a battle of fisticuffs so willingly."

"What the hell?!" Orga spoke with widened eyes. That was one of his strongest attacks and Hubert ate it! "Wait a minute…" With his brain in gear, he recalled something similar that happened a day earlier with Lucy and Hubert, how she got a clean hit but it didn't appear as though he took much damage.

"Oh, did you figure it out?" Hubert tilted his head.

"You got some kind of barrier around your body, huh? Magic based, I bet?" Orga then smirked as the black lightning erupted around his body once again. "You're nowhere near as tough as I thought if that's the case then! You can't take hits very well without that barrier…so I'm going to shatter it to pieces and wipe the floor with you! Lightning God's 100 Volts!" A large black bolt of lightning shot from Orga's body and raced directly towards Hubert. "After this, I'll gladly clobber you into a pulp!"

Hubert shook his head at Orga's assumption. "Ah…so close. Yet so far. I suppose a half-right assumption is as good as much as that brain of yours can muster. For your attempt, I will grant you a swift defeat." Hubert merged his Dualblade into a giant great sword, using this large blade to slice through the incoming bolt of lightning. Orga's raw destructive power was noticeable as everything in the surrounding area was destroyed!

While Hubert slashed through the beam, Orga used this chance to get in close, planning to finish this battle with one strike as to not waste anymore magic. "Take this!" And with all of his might, Orga swung his fist right for Hubert's face. It seemed like a direct hit…until at the second, Hubert evaded and pointed the barrel of his gun right at Orga's chest.

"You tried." Was all the male had to say before a potent bullet of light shot from the barrel, striking the lightning god's chest and carried him backwards before exploding! The explosive radius was a large dome that incinerated everything within a few yards radius due to the heat the light gave off. When the explosion faded way, Orga was knocked unconscious. Soon after this, Empyrean Dawn's score went up from 65 to 67. "Only two points? Hm…interesting…"

"A-And that's it! Orga has been taken out in a stunning turn of events!" Chapati exclaimed.

"As I thought…" Emmeraude said with a knowing smile. "They sure do know how to keep their wits about them."

Micaiah and Kanade were watching Hubert and Orga's battle. At no point did they think to interject and even while on the sidelines, they were almost caught up in the wake of their destructive attacks. Kanade was still willing to fight Hubert, but Micaiah could barely restrain her. "No no…let's not do that…!"

"That was a complete waste of my time and energy." Hubert exhaled softly before beginning to walk off. He turned his head back in the direction of Micaiah and Kanade, fully aware of their presence. But since they didn't engage him immediately, he took it as a sign that he could leave without any more trouble.

.

Wendy and Sophie were still going at it. The two of them were both fast in their own right despite their small size. Wendy aimed a swift kick at Sophie's chest, but Sophie blocked it with both arms sliding across the pavement before coming to a halt. Sophie retaliated immediately by lunging forward as lightning surged around her palm. "Beast Thunder!" Sophie aimed to thrust her palm into Wendy's chest, where a bestial roar echoed out, bringing down thunder from the heavens! Wendy blocked the initial beast cry, but the incoming bolts of lightning posed an issue. She leapt from side to side, avoiding the lightning as it fell. "I got you…" Using Wendy's evasion to her advantage, Sophie lunged forward with her leg reared back, a bright pink light wrapped around it. "Dualblade Spin!" Sophie began to twist her body in a similar fashion to how Hubert twirled his Dualblade.

"…!" Wendy wasn't expecting Sophie to attack while she was in the middle of dodging. She braced for impact, but there was no need to do that as Cynthia had enough of standing by, appearing to Sophie's leg and slammed the girl with her own fiery leg with enough force to send her flying! "Cynthia!? I told you I…"

"I got tired of watching…" Cynthia pouted while pointing at Sophie. "We can't spend too much time on this girl! She's not worth anything right now and it would just be bad for you later. I need you all full strength so we can fight together. Isn't that what First told us to do?"

"Ah, you're right…" Wendy nodded. Sophie was reeling from Cynthia's kick, so now seemed like the best time to make a tactical withdrawal. "Okay, let's go…!" With that, the dragon slayer duo of Fairy Tail hurried off as Sophie stood up.

"Ouch…" Sophie rubbed the back of her head. "That hurt a little bit…but it doesn't matter. They weren't my targets anyway."

.

.

Hisui couldn't help but stare at the Twins as they continued to speak. The way they talked…it was as though they were aware of things that she didn't know about! She also had no choice but to lead them to Emmeraude's private chambers, which used to be her father's. "I…don't know anything…?"

"Absolutely nothing." Yumia said while extending her index finger. "What do you know about Emmeraude? How long as she been ruling? Do you even know what kingdom she originally hails from? Or her former profession?"

"Uh…." All these questions…Hisui wasn't exactly sure where to start! She'd known Emmeraude ever since she was young! At least…that's what she'd firmly tell someone. "Emmeraude…comes from Pergrande. I …overheard her speaking with Sophie about it a few days ago.

"Now…isn't that odd?" Yukia placed her finger on her chin. "Fiore has been ruled by the same family for many years, correct? The last ruler being your father…so can you explain how someone from outside of Fiore is able to rule over you of all people?"

"…." Hisui felt some fuzzy memories beginning to surface, but it pained her head. Those vague memories of Emmeraude ascending to the throne…there was something unnatural about it, but those memories were forcibly being pushed down for one reason or another. "Emmeraude was a close friend of my father…and I was too young to rule. She's…always been like a mother to me….since my real one…"

The twins looked at each other as the pieces began to fall into place. "Ooooooh…" They said in unison.

"I get it now…" Yukia nodded to her twin. "So…you think that rumor about her is true, then…? It would coincide with everything we know so far…"

"What rumor?!" Hisui rose her voice, but Yumia quickly kicked the princess in the shin to silence her. "Ow…"

"Hush!" The twin said. "And those rumors don't concern you. If you want to find out more about Emmeraude, then you should ask her yourself once the Games are over. It seems you're lacking even basic knowledge about your 'mother'."

The Jade Princess had no retort. These two were just stringing her along for some incriminating evidence…but why? She could already tell they knew much more than they were letting her in on. But soon enough, they arrived at Emmeraude's room and Hisui had no choice but to open the doors, only to see a pink barrier blocking off the room. "H-Huh?"

"Someone's inside!?" Yukia huffed. "That's not how this was supposed to go down! We're the only ones in here…!"

Roy soon appeared, letting out a huge sigh while shaking his head. "I know, right? Stealing from the Queen is such a capital offense…I think she'd have you hanged for that."

"Huh!?" All three females turned around, spotting the thief perched on a railing high above.

"Roy!" Yumia and Yukia pointed at the former Wizard Hunter. "You traitorous thief! Are you here for our bounty!?"

"Nah." Roy waved his hand. "I'm just chilling. I'm here to steal something…what that is, I'm not sure yet. I mean…I know it when I'll see it. Also…your castle guard is extremely lax, Princess. I walked past one and they didn't even acknowledge me. They have Emmeraude on the brain…but then again, they probably just have the hots for her."

"Normally you are a friendly face…but I don't have that sense of comfort around you…" Hisui muttered.

Roy shrugged and conjured two bombs in his hand. "Like I said…I'm here to steal from the castle. It wouldn't be my first time."

"P-Pardon me…!?" Hisui's eyes widened.

"Ah, don't worry about it. I didn't take much." Roy then flung the bomb at the pink barrier, watching as both the bomb, and barrier dissolved; the second bomb exploded in a large plume of smoke. "I think our friend is in there. Did you find anything?"

Zinnia was forced out of the room sooner than she would've liked, coughing a few times with a small emerald journal in her hand. "Ugh, who did that…?"

"Yo!" Roy waved. "What'cha got there?"

"T-That's….Emmeraude's journal…"

"Her journal? Now that's a nice find…" Roy cracked his knuckles. "I think I'll fancy that myself…"

"No way!" Yumia pointed at Roy while Yukia kept an eye out on Zinnia. "We're taking that, thank you very much."

"I didn't come here to be pilfered by a bunch of thieves…" Zinnia said ironically. She had stolen a few more things such as jewelry, but as a thief, she was simply unwilling to give up anything she stole for any reason.

A smirk crossed Roy's lips. "Well…it seems like we've got ourselves a Thief For All."

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A unique matchup was happening near the northern part of Crocus. Kuro and Waiston were preparing to face off against Eve and Ren of Blue Pegasus. "Well well…it seems that we've encountered some of the threats early on, eh?" Eve gave a somewhat nervous smile to Ren, who oozed nothing but confidence.

"Worry not, Eve…they are simply no match for our handsomeness. We've perfected 'that' move. They don't stand a chance!" Ren exclaimed while making a pose. "These two Eclipse mages will be the cornerstone for the handsome reign of Blue Pegasus!"

"These guys talk a lot, huh?" Kuro said while rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry guys…but you guys are going to have to go down. Things are a little too close…and I promised Mary that we'd be winning these Games!"

"Exactly." Waiston said while cracking his knuckles. His magic aura flared and that alone caused the temperature in that area of the city to drop slowly. "The Pegasus can't claim the skies, because the three moons will always be above it."

But it didn't end there either as an interesting third party made their presence known with grace and elegance. Minerva Orland of Sabertooth arrived on the scene, painted lips giving a ravenous smirk. "Well…this is quite the collection. I was waiting for the chance to sink my teeth into some poor souls~"

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Next Time: The Unexpected Struggle! Pegasus Magic!

Writer's Note: Happy New Years! I hope everyone will have a good 2018. This fic has been going strong for over a year now, but I can announce that there are only roughly 20 chapters left to this season! Things are going to be picking up quickly! Thank you all for your continued support and I'll do my best to produce this content for you.


	131. Chapter 131: Pegasus Magic!

Scoreboard:

1st: White Eclipse A: 67

1st: Empyrean Dawn: 67

3rd: Fairy Tail: 66

4th: Sabertooth: 60

5th: Fairy Tail B: 59

6th: Mermaid Heel: 44

7th: White Eclipse B: 43

8th: Blue Pegasus: 37

Member Status:

White Eclipse: All members active.

Fairy Tail: All members active.

Mermaid Heel: Kagura, Melody, Beth, and Arana active.

Blue Pegasus: All members active.

Sabertooth: Sting, Rogue, Minerva, and Rufus active.

Empyrean Dawn: All members active.

Sophie Active.

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Arana and Beth could overhear the commentary by Chapati. Beth frowned at the news of them having lost Milliana. "We hit a snag in our plan…" The vegetable mage grumbled. "If we weren't split up so early, we couldn't make use of Melody's part of the plan."

"It is unfortunate…" Arana admitted. "But with what we've set up in the streets, we should be able to rack up points fairly quickly. Even without Melody, we have to show that we can hold our own."

"Yeah, I agree…" Beth nodded. "Mermaid Heel is counting on us…we can make a comeback!"

As the two females discussed their battle plans, Sophie rounded the corner and spotted them on the far end of the street. They seemed like simple targets…but something seemed off and Sophie was aware of it. "Sensor Flare." With this technique, Sophie's senses sharpened tenfold and she was able to see the various pit falls laid out within the ground. "I see…"

"She hasn't moved yet…" Arana took a defensive stance. "But she's clearly looking at us…"

"Do you think she suspects something?" Beth questioned. "But wasting our time on her now wouldn't do us any good. She's not worth any points, right? We'll just have to evade her until then…"

Sophie wasn't going to allow either mermaid an easy chance. A pink light flared around her body as she stared down the two females. "Destroy it all. Gauntlet Blitz." For a moment it appeared as though Sophie vanished, slipping right past Arana and Beth. Nobody registered what happened for a moment, but it was all made clear as several explosions occurred on the street and a few buildings nearby; even Beth and Arana were caught in this explosive wake and were tossed aside, several holes appearing in the street as their traps were exposed.

"A-Agh…what the heck…?" Beth grimaced while sitting up. "There's no way she's that strong…!"

"She destroyed our traps…!" Arana pointed out.

"I didn't destroy them all." Sophie explained. "Only the ones that posed an issue to my rush."

"That's a power difference from just a few moments ago." Siegrain commented before glancing at Emmeraude. "Has your daughter always been this strong, Lady Emmeraude?"

Emmeraude merely smiled at Sophie's progress. That fight with Wendy seemed to be enough to get her warmed up. "Of course." The Queen responded while crossing one leg over the other. "Sophie has always been strong…she was just worried that her power would cause some serious harm to others. So I specifically told her to release her natural inhibitors for this final day. I don't want her getting neglected simply because she's not worth any points at the start." In other words…Emmeraude made certain that Sophie's inhibition to hold back was turned off for this Free for Fall. "She's been preparing for something…and I only wish to help her be as strong as possible for when that confrontation comes."

"I noticed a few traps were laid out…" Chapati spoke of the state of the field. "What were to happen if those traps caused elimination, but Mermaid Heel was out of participates?"

"They'd still get the points." Emmeraude clarified. "Because it was their doing to between with to cause some knock outs with some nicely laid traps, so if anyone happened to get KO'ed because of that, they'd get the points. Of course this goes the same for any other team that uses traps as well. There is more to fighting than the actual fighting itself, after all. I can appreciate such tactics being used. It shows the drive of who really wants to win when it counts."

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Lucy, Erza, and Natsu took cover behind in an alleyway. With the unpredictability of the randomized starting locations, leaping into a fight would've been extremely bad despite Natsu wanting to jump into a new fight right away! "I could've taken them."

"You were tied up." Lucy said with a deadpanned expression. "Erza was barely able to keep you safe."

"They snuck up on me…!" Natsu tried to defend himself. "They got lucky too. If it wasn't for Reve, they all would've gone down."

"We have many things we have to watch out for." Erza said. "We don't know where anyone is. So we have to remain cautious. The gap between us and Sabertooth isn't very large, so any victory can sway the favor."

As Lucy listened to Erza talk, all seemed normal at first…until she felt something pulse in her chest. Brown eyes widened because that wasn't the sensation of her own heartbeat. She took a break and let out a quiet hiss. "…."

"Are you okay?" Erza asked.

"I'm fine…" Lucy nodded, gesturing to the wound Reve's parting shot left on her side. "It just stings a little, but I've had worse!" She said that…but she honestly felt as though the worst had yet to come.

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"So, which of you want to be first?" Minerva eyed her victims; they weren't even worthy enough to be considered opponents in her eyes. "It's been a while since I could fight freely…so I hope you'll understand I don't intend on holding back even if you can't handle it."

"The only thing that's hard to handle…is your beauty!" Eve and Ren slid up to Minerva, sparkles appearing around their being. "How about after the Games are over, you and I huddle up by the fire place and have some hot chocolate? My magic can make things pretty cold, and it's the perfect way to pass the time."

Minerva's lips curled in disgust at Eve's words, and his logic. "It's the middle of Spring." The Tigress replied before lifting her hand up. An explosion of territory occurred on the locations of Eve and Ren, but they were able to evade just in the nick of time.

"Is that a no then?" Ren questioned with a coy smile. "It's a shame…normally we would despise having to hurt such a beautiful queen…but if Blue Pegasus is to win, we have no choice."

"You're going to have more than a few problems in a minute." Waiston spoke loud enough to bring attention back to him and Kuro. "Two members of the strongest guild in the country are right here!"

"Oh yes…I've heard all about White Eclipse during my time away from Sabertooth." Minerva casually brushed her hair behind her shoulder, letting her magic aura flare around her body. It was intimidating to most, but the men in the area would not bend the knee to her. "It seems that in my absence, things have gotten messy. But I don't mind cleaning it up." Spatial magic began to form on Minerva's hands and with a swipe of her arms, multiple explosions occurred in the area, forcing Waiston, Kuro, Eve, and Ren back. "I will happily devour all 4 of you."

Waiston slid across the ground, grinning as Minerva intended to take on all of them. "You don't have to worry about the small fries! I'm the only one you need!" Waiston sprinted forward, ice coating his leg during his charge at Minerva. Admittedly, the man was more than eager to challenge the infamous Minerva Orland. She wasn't present during the first Grand Magic Games and this was the perfect chance to see if the rumors were founded or not! "Ice Dragon's Claw!" With a leap, the frozen dragon swung his ice covered limb right at the woman's chest, but the impact was blocked by her arm. "Heh…so that's how it is." Waiston flipped back after impact, cheeks inflating. "Roar!" Lips parted, a large funnel of ice shooting from his mouth and right at Minerva from point black range.

"…I can't wait to smear that overzealous expression from your face." Minerva responded to Waiston's grin with one of her own. With the roar coming in her direction, one hand was held out as a 'shield' of territory appeared in front of the woman. The territory in front of Minerva was composed of fire/heat, thus lowering the effectiveness of Waiston's roar and barely damaging her in the process.

As soon as Waiston finished his roar, Kuro sped forward with dark red flames blazing around his fist. "Flame Devil's Thermal Fist!" The devil slayer's target was Minerva; however his attempted strike was intercepted by Ren of all people! The man who dubbed himself Chocolate Swirl used his air magic to disperse Kuro's flames before swinging his leg at the male for a direct hit to his side. "Huh?"

"Have you two no shame!" Ren landed and adjusted his tie. "Attacking a woman mercilessly. At least have some honor and attack us handsome men as well!"

"Indeed!" Eve spoke in agreement while standing next to Ren.

Minerva felt her brow twitch in annoyance as Ren and Eve had the audacity to 'protect' her as though she were some damsel in distress. "Chivalrous you may be…the only thing it's gotten you is my scorn." Palm extended, a series of territory spikes began shooting forward towards the pair of handsome men, and Waiston and Kuro since she wasn't going to be forgetting about them.

The four men in question had to take cover and avoid the onslaught of spikes. While there was no physical threat such as being impaled, a direct hit was going to feel like such. Being skewered was the last thing on the list of things to do today. Even and Ren took to the air, nodding to one another. "Eve!" Ren called out.

"Right!" Eve nodded and a blue magic seal formed in the sky above their battlefield. "White Avalanche!" From the blue seal, a torrent of snow fell onto Kuro, Waiston, and Minerva! This snow was extremely cold and the amount of it made it difficult to move.

Waiston was able to consume…some of the snow. It refueled the magic he spent and energized him a good amount, but even this dragon slayer was unable to consume all of this snow that left the northern part of the city a winter wonderland. The conditions didn't bother him in the slightest. "Is that your big trump card? This is warm compared to the mountain White Eclipse stands on!"

Kuro used his fire to melt some snow around him. It was going to take a while to remove all of the snow even with his flame, but he removed enough to move. "I can't see over the rest of it, though…"

As for Minerva, she used her Territory to compose more spatial magic composed of heated properties to keep herself from being crushed underneath the tons of snow that fell. "…For a small annoyance, he was almost impressive…" A big move on Eve's part for sure. Even if the overall attack failed due to the type of opponent's he used it against, the fact he nearly succeeded in smothering Kuro and Minerva within the snow.

"Ren-san, now!" Eve exclaimed to his partner after effective stealing the spotlight.

"Hup!" Ren was in the air after Eve's White Avalanche. While everyone else was gaining their footing in the snow, the Blue Pegasus male spun around before landing dead center in the field of snow, signature pose taken as the air picked up around him. "Aerial Phose!" A sphere of air formed around Ren and rapidly expanded outward. This attack had been used multiple times within the Grand Magic Games and everyone knew how strong it was, but there was a twist to it this time. Not only was this attack expanding out. But it also shot snow in all directions with violent force! On top of the powerful force of air pushing Waiston, Kuro, and Minerva back, a large amount of snow was hurled in their direction, each individual snowflake cutting into them while pushing them back. Despite Ren's attack, there was still a large amount of snow present on the ground and the air caused a blizzard to form. "Do not underestimate the might of Blue Pegasus!"

"So they can be a problem if they want to be…" Waiston grimaced after regaining his footing. Such a blizzard wasn't going to bother him in the slightest! "It doesn't matter, because White Eclipse will reign supreme! Kuro, let's go!"

"On it!" Kuro placed his fist in his palm and thrusted both forward, a red magic seal forming in front of him. "Fire Make: Spears!" Multiple fiery spears shot forth from the seal, striking the airborne Ren who had no defense in his current position. The best he could do was cross his arms to mitigate the damage as he fell into the snow.

"You're open!" Eve emerged from the snow with no problem, snowflakes surrounding his arm as he prepared to strike the open Kuro. "White Fury!" From the youngest Trimen, an impressive blizzard shot out from his palm.

"You're too slow!" Waiston already upon Eve, taking the brunt of the White Fury as cold based attacks didn't bother him much. "Ice Dragon's Fist!" WHAM! An ice covered fist slammed into Eve for a direct hit! At least…that's what it seemed like at first, until Eve's form vanished into snowflakes that scattered in the raging wind. "Huh…?"

"Got you!" Eve emerged from the slayer's blind spot, a sword composed of tightly compact snow already in his grasp! With a strong horizontal swing, Eve managed to strike both Waiston and Kuro for a direct hit, sending the pair of Eclipse mages right into the large pile of snow from the avalanche. "Heh. Never underestimate a Trimen."

And right as Eve said this, Minerva appeared behind him with her hand placed upon his back. "You're putting up a fight? I'm impressed. Allow me to pat you on the back as a reward." And immediately after speaking, the Tigress unleashed a strong beam of Territory that carried Eve right into a building, and the impact wasn't pretty. "That was for thinking your chivalrous act flattered me." Minerva's skin was slightly cut and bruised from the Pegasus pair's attacks, but she was fine overall.

.

"Oi oi…what is this…?" Beth glanced around as Sophie began running circles around her and both! Sophie's speed increased and she appeared as a pink streak of light bouncing from one building to the next.

"Stay calm." Arana said while shooting webs at Sophie's predicted landing spots. Unfortunately for the web mage, she was just off in her attempts and Sophie managed to evade them. "She's faster than before…"

Sophie landed behind the pair of mermaids and immediately pushed her now blazing arm forward. "Fiery Beast!" No direct impact was made, but a lion's head composed of fire let out a bestial roar. The roar was the true attack, the force causing the ground to tremble and flames to erupt in a straight line! Beth and Arana were caught in this blazing wake and flew backwards!

Arana landed and recovered, shooting out a web that wrapped around Sophie's arm. "Now Beth!"

Beth was sprawled along the ground, but that didn't stop her from attacking! The Carrot Cannon was going to see some use as the magic seal formed and immediately bombarded Sophie with a volley of sharp carrots!

With her arm wrapped, Sophie was able to bring her free one up to defend! But that didn't stop the groans of discomfort as the carrots relentlessly pelted her. "Ow…ouch…I ate my vegetables last night…why is happening?" She silently questioned before deciding she had enough of this. Her free arm was extended and the red gem adorning the gauntlet began to shine. "Shotstaff blast." The shot was a little inaccurate since she was unable to properly aim, but the large sphere of photon magic still rocketed towards the opposing pair and exploded, thus sending them flying backwards once again. Sophie was released from Arana's web and used this time to leap into the air, continuing her offense as pink light formed within her palm. "Dagger Splash!" Small daggers rained down on the two women, pelting them in a similar fashion to the carrots from earlier and Sophie landed a little ways away from them.

"Ugh…" Beth groaned while standing up. "I know she's from White Eclipse…but this ain't right…" The vegetable mage mentioned. "I know the up and coming generation is supposed to be strong…but something about this girl bugs me."

"Are you done talking…?" Sophie tilted her head. "Because I'm going to end this now."

"I don't think so, little girl." Arana's tone was more authoritative than before. She was putting her foot down on this right now. "We don't have time to play with you anymore."

That phrase seemed to trigger something in Sophie. Her usual dull eyes lit up a little bit. "…I'm not playing. Release: Aceel: 50%!" And Sophie's Accel Mode was now active! With an increase to her speed, defense, and attack, she was a forced to be reckoned with! The young girl began to bounce around at high speeds, confusing the two Mermaids with her movement.

"What the…?" Beth couldn't even follow Sophie with her eyes. "I can't…!"

The pink streak of light known as Sophie continuously ran past Beth and Arana multiple times, striking them from all angles with each trip! "Infinita Soul!" At the end of it all, Sophie dropped down in the middle of them, creating a tremor and a burst of Photon energy that formed a crater. The impact was so strong several buildings nearby shook but didn't fall over quite yet; the ones who did fall over, however, were Beth and Arana in complete in utter defeat. Sophie powered down and exhaled.

Emmeraude clapped at Sophie's win. "Ah, that's my girl. So very strong! They were no match for her."

"Incredible! Sophie has taken down Arana and Beth of Mermaid Heel simultaneously!" Chapati exclaimed.

"That means that Sophie's point value is now 3." Emmeraude explained. "Those points will remain in limbo with my darling until she is eventually defeated, if that happens anyway. Although, if 3 points means much to Mermaid Heel, they are more than welcome to try and fight my dear Sophie to reclaim them to add to their own score."

.

The free for all in the northern part of town was heating up, literally. The blizzard Even and Ren caused slowly petered out, but the amount of snow was still the same. Kuro and Waiston were side by side, both inhaling for their respective attacks. "Frozen Dragon's Roar!"

"Flame Devil's Rage!"

From their lips, a conjoined beam of Devil and Dragon slaying shot forth; fire and ice merging in perfect unison towards Minerva with full intent to take her down right then and there! The unison raid barreled across the city street, incinerating and freezing everything that was in its path. Minerva curled her lips at this and quickly extended a palm, a spatial rift forming in front of her to consume the dual strike. "I don't take kindly to harmful gifts. Here, you can have it back." Another rift immediately formed to the side of the Eclipse duo, releasing their attack back at them.

"Wha…!?" Both Kuro and Waiston hardly had the chance to react and their own attack slammed into them, sending them flying backwards and right through a building and into an alleyway!

Before Minerva had the chance to fully dust off her hands, Eve came down with his snow blade, attempting to smash the sword into Minerva's frame. Unfortunately for him, the Tigress caught the blade in her hand with a tight grip, leaving Eve hanging. "Don't you know it's rude to sneak up on a lady?"

"You're beautiful." Eve managed to remark as Minerva began to rear her fist back, Territory surrounding it. "NOT THE FACE…!" The male pleaded, but alas, his cries were ignored as Minerva smashed her fist into Eve's face; his pride as a Trimen, and sent him flying backwards.

"It's also rude not to give a lady every effort of my fighting spirit!" Ren called out, using bursts of air to rapidly close the distance before swinging his leg at Minerva's side, since he was too much of a gentleman to actually hit her face. The master of air then flipped into the air, pointing his hands forward as another magic seal formed before him. "Aerial Laser!" And from the seal, a blue beam composed of highly compressed air flew forward and landed directly on Minerva! This was a heavy hit and even Minerva couldn't hide this fact, her teeth grinding together in annoyance as Ren and Eve proved to actually be troublesome opponents for all parties involved.

"White Cyclone!" While Minerva was currently holding her ground against Ren's attacks, Eve attacked from a distance; a light blue magic seal forming underneath the Tigress to release a snow that merged in a miniature vortex with Minerva at the eye of the storm, attacked from both above and below!

"It looks like Minerva is in a bind. Will Blue Pegasus be able to take out one of the strongest competitors?" Siegrain watched with an amused grin.

Minerva, however, only found this to be extremely annoying! With a growl, the woman swiped her hand and caused multiple explosions within their area of the city; Eve and Ren were tossed back while Waiston and Kuro barely had the chance to evade and recover from the impact of their own attack. "Well, all four of you seem to have a lot of gusto, and I can commend you that much for it. But I think it's about time to draw this little warm up to a close."

.

.

"Even after all this, she's still acting like it's nothing…" Marlene frowned. "Waiston and Kuro can win this, though!"

"Hm…" Zalen adjusted his glasses. "They won't admit it when Minerva is standing right there…but Ren and Eve are also putting up a good fight."

"Just call it what it is." Sidney stated flatly.

"They're struggling." Jaxon pointed out. "Minerva is already in a high league of her own, but those two sparkling aficionados just added another layer of difficulty even though their magic doesn't work well against Waiston and Kuro. More opponents to focus on with decent firepower makes this clash a lot harder than it needs to be."

"They better win." Heather said while popping a piece of popcorn into her mouth. "Otherwise I'll never let them live it down that they lost to men who sparkle."

.

.

"We're going nowhere…" Waiston grumbled while panting softly. Luckily there was still plenty of snow around so he was able to ingest that to keep his magic and energy high, but that wasn't going to do much when there was no progress being made in this battle! "We can't afford to spend that much time and effort here either."

"I agree…" Kuro nodded. "What should we do?"

"You can stand back." Ren spoke with a smirk to the Eclipse mages and Minerva. "We didn't want to have to unveil this so early…but we're going to show you precisely how HANDSOME Blue Pegasus can be when it counts! Eve, I've been relying on you this entire time, so it's your chance to show your handsomeness!"

"What are they going on about…?" Minerva groaned, but she wasn't going to take any of the opponent's present lightly either.

"Right!" Eve nodded and took a high leap into the middle of the snow pile left over from his avalanche. "This is the culmination of all our hard work! Blue Pegasus's handsomeness and beautiful will reign supreme for all of Fiore and Earthland to see!" As the youngest Trimen spoke, the snow began to…shift about and move!? The snow began to take shape while lifting into the sky with Eve and Ren at the helm. Soon, the snow morphed into a White Pegasus that was noticeable to everyone in the city! The wings sprouted and snow fell all over the city!

.

"W-What is that thing…!?" Lucy pointed up at the sky as it began to snow heavily. It was almost hail-like with how hard it was coming down!

"A Pegasus…?" Erza titled her head. "I didn't know Blue Pegasus was capable of this…!"

.

"W-What the….?" Waiston's jaw dropped at this. "I didn't know he could do this!"

"Neither did I…" Minerva admitted.

"Do you like it?" Ren spoke with a grin. "By putting our handsomeness together, we were able to craft this majestic beauty!"

"We dub this: White Peagsus!" Eve proclaimed.

"And watch its power! Hailstorm" Ren pointed his hand forward and the wings of the Pegasus began to flap, conjuring up a large storm of wind and snow that easily shattered the stone street and threatened to lift Minerva, Waiston, and Kuro off their feet. Large amounts of snow were compacted together and shot out in spheres, colliding against the ground for massive explosions. The current battlefield wasn't just a target either; this Hailstorm was meant to attack every other competitor excluding Blue Pegasus!

"This is bad…!" Kuro exclaimed while using his Fire Make: Hermes to use his speed boost and evade the falling snow. "Fire Make: Fireflies!" And with this creation, multiple fiery fireflies flew towards the falling snow, providing cover for Waiston and Kuro as they took the brunt of the hits and exploded to melt the remains into harmless water.

"Time for the coup de grace!" Eve pointed his hand forward, down at the three obstacles before Blue Pegasus's victory. "Handsomeness will win the day! Now, go forth, White Pegasus, and blast them with your full might. PEGASUS MAGIC!" The Pegasus let out a neigh and its mouth opened wide, gathering snow and air within its mouth before unleashing a gargantuan beam towards the three of them.

"I can't eat all of that…" Waiston said to Kuro. "Even if I could, I'd be more hurt than energized. And I'll be damned if I'm going down like that!" The wind picked up around Waiston and he entered his Frozen Sky dual mode, smirking at his partner. "Ready!?"

"Yeah!" Kuro was always upbeat and serious!

"Roar…of the Frozen Sky Dragon!"

"Flame Devil's Rage!" Once again, fire and ice merged together, only this time the beam was much more potent than before with the addition of wind. Kuro and Waiston's dual attack collided against the Pegasus Magic for a powerful clash! But it wasn't going to be enough as the two were slowly getting pushed back.

"Tch…" Minerva shook her head. "I can't believe I have to do this…" The Tigress allowed her familiar black markings to cover her body and her eye. She was tapping into the power of Neo Minerva very briefly without going through the full transformation. Territory and Curse surrounded her palm and she fired a widespread beam right alongside Kuro and Waiston's own. Right now, an unspoken ceasefire was agreed upon due to the threat Ren and Eve presented. If they were dumb enough to fight with each other even now, it could result in Blue Pegasus getting away with all of the points and leaving them out of the competition!

"They're fighting back hard…but just a little more…" Ren grumbled.

"I've just come back to Sabertooth…and the last thing I want to do is disappoint any of them and besmirch the name they've made for themselves. So…for that, I'll need you to go." Minerva narrowed her eyes and the intensity of her beam increased tenfold, pushing the Pegasus Magic back until the collision of powers collapsed on itself and exploded! Snow went everywhere and anyone who wasn't properly holding onto something was going to be blown away!

.

.

"Ah…all the screens are white! I can't see anything…" Yukino frowned, keeping her hands clasped in hope that Minerva didn't go down!

"Ah…! Such a clash of powers…it's amazing!" Chapati yelled.

"Yes…" Emmeraude nodded slowly in agreement. "So very amazing…I think I made the right choice after all."

"But this begets the question…who gets the points?" Siegrain remarked, his curiosity piqued after such a showcase of strength.

.

.

The snow raged on for several minutes, leaving all who watched curious and anxious! As the snow died down, the results were becoming clear. The ones who went down were….Eve and Ren, both lying face first in the snow despite their incredible efforts. Waiston and Kuro were presumably blown away in the final resulting explosion, but it was clear they were both still active. As for the winner of the standoff? Minerva Orland. Sabertooth's score skyrocketed from 60 to 67, putting them in the top three along with White Eclipse A and Empyrean Dawn. The Tigress stood proudly as her scarf wavered in the dying winds, a confident smirk drawn on her painted lips. "The Tiger can leap into the sky…and claim the Pegasus. Eventually, the Eclipse will be put to rest as well."

.

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Next Time: Random Chance, Once Again.


	132. Chapter 132: Random Chance Once Again

Scoreboard:

1st: White Eclipse A: 67

1st: Empyrean Dawn: 67

1st Sabtertooth: 67

4th: Fairy Tail: 66

5th: Fairy Tail B: 59

6th: Mermaid Heel: 44

7th: White Eclipse B: 43

8th: Blue Pegasus: 37

Member Status:

White Eclipse: All members active.

Fairy Tail: All members active.

Mermaid Heel: Kagura, and Melody active.

Blue Pegasus: Ichiya, Jenny, and Darren active.

Sabertooth: Sting, Rogue, Minerva, and Rufus active.

Empyrean Dawn: All members active.

Sophie Active: 3 point value.

.

.

"That was quite the clash…" Mavis said at the end of it all. "Minerva winning put her in the lead along with White Eclipse A and Empyrean Dawn. What are the chances of Ren and Eve being worth 7 points together?"

"It certainly shakes things up!" Mii said while suddenly having a pair of pompoms in hand. "Isn't this exciting!?"

"Whoa, she's suddenly happy." Happy tilted his head. "That must mean something bad is happening soon."

"Since when has my good mood been a sign of misfortune?" Mii paused. "Actually, don't answer that."

"Things are about to heat up…" Zelos predicted, a little ominously with his tone. "I wonder how you guys will fare in the end. I hope my sweet hunnies put in work~"

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.

Mira managed to find cover during the Pegasus Magic attack. Even though she came out unscathed, there was now snow falling on the city in the middle of Spring! The irony made the demoness giggle somewhat. "It's beautiful…but the winter season has already passed."

 _"…"_

The echoed silence in Mira's head was the resisting Sayla. As stated before, Mira had mostly taken over Sayla, but that was the keyword: mostly. Mira was afraid of using the demon's full power for her own benefit at the moment. She could slip and lose control at any moment…not to mention she was still in the process of another Takeover as well. As such…she had to tread carefully, least she risk unneeded complications.

[Flashback: The Day before the Final Day]

Mirajane walked through the busy Crocus streets. With the final day approaching, the people wanted to grab what they could before the city became a metaphorical warzone for the title of Fiore's strongest guild. Mira was one of these people and had a bag of groceries in hand. She had plans to cook a special feast for Fairy Tail to energize them for tomorrow! But soon enough, she ended up running into a familiar face: Takeba. Luckily she was able to avoid a head on collision with the witch. "Oh, I'm sorry. We seem to be running into each other often these days…"

Takeba waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, don't worry about it. I find you an intriguing individual, so I was searching for you actually."

Mira tilted her head curiously. "Me…?"

"Yes. I wanted to congratulate you on your event yesterday. Managing to move Emmeraude is no easy feat, but it seemed like you were capable of doing so with relative ease. You continue to intrigue me, Mirajane Strauss~"

Mira had a sheepish smile on her face. "Oh dear. I think you're flattering me too much. I wasn't able to do that well in the end. She had a very harsh criteria that I barely managed to score above…"

"Not at all." Takeba shook her head, now walking around Mira to examine her. "I can feel so much power surging within you. You may be a fearsome S-class, but there is still untapped power within. I'm not well versed in this country's conflicts…but it is true that Fairy Tail took part in the brawl against the demon guild, Tartarus last year, yes? A demon guild must have been a ripe opportunity for you."

"I'm…afraid I'm a little busy at the moment." Mira offered a smile while gesturing to the bag of groceries in her arms. "I have to get back to the others. I promised to make them something for tomorrow."

"Oh right…" Takeba waved her hand. "Forgive me for intruding. Good luck tomorrow~"

[End flashback]

Such a strange encounter. Every time Mira encountered that woman, she felt something a little off. Now was definitely not the time to think about such things, but she couldn't help it during the serenity of her time alone. That time alone was coming to a slow close as she sensed someone else's presence. "Hm…?"

"Ugh, it's so cold…" Micaiah rubbed her arms together, using what little fire magic she possessed to warm herself up. "Stupid Pegasi mages…huh…?" Looking up, she noticed Mirajane and her stare changed. "Oh…it's you."

"Hello there." Mira offered a sweet smile. "You're that girl from White Eclipse B, correct? You gave Natsu a little bit of trouble on the first day, and I thought you did really well."

"Ah…" Micaiah blinked a few times, not expecting praise from someone who was on the enemy team. "T-Thank you…?"

"Mhm. But I am here for Fairy Tail's sake after all…" A magic seal then formed over Mira, turning that sweet expression into a bit of a sinister one as her body shifted to her Satan Soul Takeover. "So do not expect to have such an easy time with me compared to him."

Micaiah was more than ready for battle. A white light manifested into her hands, transforming into her Oathkeeper blade. "If you know what I'm capable of, then you should know that this won't be easy. Dueling with demons is something I happen to be best."

Before the two females could really get their bout going, a series of sharp earth pillars rose up from the ground, causing the both of them to leap away. Julia appeared with an earth staff in hand, grinning slightly at her work of interruption. "Sorry to interrupt, but I can't let you all have so much fun just yet. Dogan would've been better for this over me…but I'll make due."

"And who are you…?" Micaiah lifted a brow, only assuming this new woman was from Empyrean Dawn since she hadn't been seen anywhere else.

"A walking roulette." Was all Julia had to say. She didn't have any intention on chatting it up with the enemy, and unlike her sister Nina, she preferred to get right to the point.

"Well, this is going to be fun, isn't it?" Mira spoke with a sweet smile that betrayed her demonic face. "Best of luck to you both. May the best lady win~"

.

"Ah, it's beautiful!" Jenny in her Mechanical Dragon takeover. She was fond of this form even though she was still trying to get it to work! The snowfall caught her attention even in the midst of her battle with Tyson. "Eve and Ren are truly handsome, don't you agree?"

Tyson gave Jenny a very uninterested expression. "It's Spring and it's snowin'. Frankly, I'm a little annoyed right now." Tyson then took the maker stance. "Fusion Make: Mud Meteors!" The ground around Tyson liquefied in a similar fashion to his Mud Pit technique. Orbs of mud then rose from the ground and rocketed towards Jenny at breakneck speeds!

"Mud?!" Jenny crossed her arms, defending against the meteors of mud. Not only did they make her dirty, but they exploded upon contact and sent Miss Fiore flying backwards! With a graceful flip the model was able to recover and she didn't look so very happy. "How dare you sully my beautiful Takeover with…with mud! How undignified!"

"Uh huh…" Tyson watched Jenny's reactions. He was told beforehand that it was his job to rattle the competition and soften them up for the A team. Rattling Jenny was a much easier task than he thought!

Jenny quickly fixed her composure and huffed. "Eve and Ren went down fighting with everything they could muster. I absolutely must do the same; otherwise I can't call myself beautiful in their presence!" Jenny then pointed forward as the gem on her chest began to shine bright blue, unleashing a powerful gust of Sky Dragon Slaying in Tyson's direction. "Sky Roar!"

"Tch…!" Tyson brought his arms up to defend against the powerful gale Jenny caused, but he found himself sliding backwards as a result. It didn't help that the gust of wind also sent snow in his direction. Not that it bothered him since White Eclipse rested on a mountain, but nobody came to the capital to see it snow in Spring! Regardless, he was stuck in this fight and planned to see it through to the end. "Fusion Make: I Am Iron Man!" Iron wrapped around Tyson's fist and the rookie lunged forward, swinging a full powered punch right at Jenny's chest. Jenny placed her hand out to catch Tyson's fist, grimacing as the sensation reverberated unpleasantly through her body. But she had Tyson right where she wanted him.

"Are you ready to see another beautiful quality of this Takeover?" Jenny hummed as the gem on her chest shifted from blue to gray. The iron on Tyson's arm began to fade away, instead being channeled into Jenny's being.

"What the…?" Tyson was taken aback, and it didn't look like Jenny was allowing him to go anytime soon!

"This Takeover also allows me to consume any of the elements within. That machine was a nuisance wasn't it? And now it works perfectly for me!" The iron from Tyson's arm went into Jenny's mechanical tail, and that tail was violently whipped across the fusion maker's body.

"Gyah!" Tyson cried out as Jenny's force was strong he was forced from the woman's surprisingly tight grip and spiraled into building. Jenny clearly wasn't playing around as Tyson was KO'ed from the direct and enhanced blow, thus making Blue Pegasus' score go up from 37 to 39. "That's one down! I think I can keep this up! Watch everyone; Miss Fiore will bring Blue Pegasus the comeback it deserves!"

Aira rushed onto the scene after seeing Tyson sprawled out. It didn't look like she was very happy that Tyson had been knocked out. But she also acknowledged the threat that Jenny presented with her Takeover. "Tyson…" Aira frowned before looking over at Jenny. "That Takeover is a lot stronger than she made it out to be the other day."

"Oh, another one?" Jenny turned, the excitement getting to her. She did only say she could maintain the Takeover for a few minutes at a time, and Tyson just happened to run her over that internal clock. She knew she had to switch back, but at the same time the surge of power she felt was overwhelming her sense judgement. "I can take you out too! I won't allow Blue Pegasus to become an embarrassment. Eve and Ren fought with everything they had…and I must too."

"This doesn't seem good…" Aira had a stance ready, wind surrounding her palms. "The intensity of the competition has gotten to her. I'll have to beat her quickly before she becomes a problem. I can feel her magic rising each second…"

.

Kagura brought Melody over to a bench, gently letting her down so she could rest. "Here. Take a seat."

"I'm all right…" Melody said, although her groan of discomfort gave it away. That punch she took earlier left her pretty injured and she felt bad she was weighing Kagura down when Mermaid Heel was just down to two members left. "This snow pisses me off…"

"I wasn't expecting it to snow either…but it seems every guild is really giving it their all out there." Kagura remarked. Before the conversation could continue the ace mermaid turned on her heel, hand on the hilt of her blade as the sound of crunching snow caught her attention.

Rufus slowly walked across the snow, his arms folded behind his back. "Ah…I hope I'm not interrupting anything, ladies." The Memory Make mage stopped a few feet away, presenting a smile. "I'll be more than happy to take the both of you on at once. I don't wish for the memory of being neglected to plague you for days to come."

Kagura took a few steps forward, meeting Rufus halfway. "You don't have to worry about that. I will take you on myself."

"The ace of Mermaid Heel? Now that is a significant challenge…and my memories of you have yet to be proven false." Rufus smiled, placing his index and pointer finger against his temple, a red magic seal forming behind him. "Very well. Memory Make: Night of the Falling Stars." A classic spell; the area proceeded to dim around Melody, Kagura, and Rufus, resembling that of a snowy night, stars twinkling in the sky before they all started to rain down. Golden beams showered down the mermaid, all of them homing in on her location.

Kagura was more than prepared for this spell. She didn't waver, gripping the hilt of her blade tightly. Not a single movement was made until the beams converged on her locations, where a single slash with her sheathed blade was seemingly all that was needed to cut all the beams down at once. "Flipped Form."

The night sky dispersed and Rufus was more impressed than upset at the ease his attack was dealt with. "As my memories confirmed…it seems that conventional methods are ineffective against you. But this is fine…I have other methods of combat." Rufus placed his fingers against his temple once more while extending his hand. "Now then…let's see what sort of memories plague your mind, shall we?"

Kagura narrowed her eyes, not saying a word as Rufus used one of his many Memory Make tricks. She felt her mind tingle before the thoughts in her head took form in a puff of smoke! What was the most prominent, annoying memory in her mind? Daryan of course. A memory of the Skeletal Dragon Slayer appeared in physical form, on a knee and taking her hand. "Kagura-chan~"

"…!" Kagura's eyes widened and she immediately swung her sheathed sword at the memory on instinct, causing the image of Daryan to fly away and disperse…before another one appeared.

"Man, that swing is still powerful…" The Daryan Memory said with a shrug. Even though the memories could not fully act on their own…this was pretty much how their interactions went regardless.

Kagura had a sweat drop on her forehead. This was not how she envisioned the final day going. Her composure faltered slightly because she did not want to deal with Daryan in any way, shape or form, until she could figure out what exactly it was she felt about this anomaly. "…."

"So you WERE distracted…!" Melody pointed accusingly at Kagura.

"Now is NOT the time…!" Kagura let out an uncharacteristic comical shout.

Rufus, on the other hand, chuckled quietly. "My my…I didn't expect this buffoon to be the chink in your armor."

.

Things continued to amp up in the city. Gajeel and Kanade were now swinging at one another! Iron scales coated Gajeel's arms and he matched Kanade blow for blow! The two were so strong small shockwaves boomed out upon clashing. "White Eclipse has people that can actually punch, huh? Not bad…but not good enough! Iron Dragon's Hard Fist!" Gajeel ducked the brawler's blow, countering with a hard fist right for the woman's cheek with enough power to send her spiraling backwards!

Kanade let out a grunt when landing on the snowy ground, but soon sprang back up as though the blow didn't affect her. "Is that all you got? That didn't even hurt!" She said, despite the bruise now on her cheek. "Pain is just weakness leaving the body."

"Yeah, okay. Let's see how much pain you can take then!" Gajeel was itching for action! Since Emmeraude denied him of any real action he had to let loose. Arm was extended, a green magic seal forming in front of him. "Iron Dragon's Lance: Demon Logs!" A series of sharp iron lances rocketed from the magic seal, all of them searching to pierce and impale the woman.

"Heh…" An aura surrounded Kanade's fist, shining blue like ice. The rookie mage then sprinted forward, using her fist to punch away the lances and shatter them easily. She then skidded to a halt in front of Gajeel, bringing her fist up for a roaring uppercut against the Iron Dragon's chest. The impact was stronger than Gajeel anticipated and sent him skidding backwards until he came to a halt.

"Gah…" Gajeel needed a few seconds to catch his breath, coughing up some blood from that one punch alone. "W-What the fuck? That was way harder than I thought it was going to be."

Kanade grinned while cracking her knuckles. "What's the problem? That was just a light jab. I'm still warming up."

.

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Next Time: High Octane


	133. Chapter 133: High Octane

Scoreboard:

1st: White Eclipse A: 67

1st: Empyrean Dawn: 67

1st Sabtertooth: 67

4th: Fairy Tail A: 66

5th: Fairy Tail B: 59

6th: Mermaid Heel: 44

7th: White Eclipse B: 43

8th: Blue Pegasus: 39

Member Status:

White Eclipse A: All members active.

White Eclispe B: Kuro, Micaiah, Reiss, and Kanade active.

Fairy Tail: All members active.

Mermaid Heel: Kagura, and Melody active.

Blue Pegasus: Ichiya, Jenny, and Darren active.

Sabertooth: Sting, Rogue, Minerva, and Rufus active.

Empyrean Dawn: All members active.

Sophie Active: 3 point value.

.

.

All eyes were on Daryan, the real one, while the memory of him plagued Kagura. "What!? Why are you all looking at me!? I haven't spoken to her in days…!" The skeletal dragon slayer defended himself. "I was told to leave her alone for the Games, and I did! So I don't get it!"

"Hm…this could be a problem for her." Tia placed her index finger on her chin. "Usually when girls think about a guy, it occupies their mind for a bit." She then looked over Daryan. "It doesn't help that you're so….you…."

"I haven't done anything!" Daryan said defensively, once again!

"This is rare…!" Chapati exclaimed. "It seems that something has Kagura a little shaken up…!"

.

'A little' shaken up was the understatement of the year. Kagura lunged forward, jabbing her sheathed blade into the fake Daryan's chest, causing it to vanish only for it to reappear again in another location nearby. "You sure seem angry, huh…?" And once that memory finished speaking, it was removed with another strike! Kagura was in an endless loop as Daryan just kept appearing over and over again!

"Why…won't…you…go…away…!" Kagura exclaimed, her cheeks growing red as Daryan continued to infuriate her even though she was well aware it wasn't the real one!

"K-Kagura…! Calm down…!" A rare sentence and one that Melody didn't like having to say.

But Melody was right. Kagura was overacting a little in the heat of battle. A deep breath was taken and she stared at the false Daryan. She was cursed to never be rid of him, real or fake. The woman shifted the field of gravity around her and then lunged towards Rufus, jabbing the hilt of her blade into the male's chest…or at least, that's what she thought. Rufus' form fizzled out, causing the Mermaid to quirk a brow as the Memory Make mage appeared elsewhere.

"I'm afraid not even you will be able to strike me…" Rufus spoke confidently, standing atop a street light elegantly. "I am intrigued to see what else I can pull from the depths of your memory…starting with this image right here." Rufus snapped his fingers and the memory of Daryan conjured up a bone that reached several feet before lunging at Kagura! "Just remember…memories are quite painful."

Of all people, it just had to be Daryan! Kagura was capable of blocking the fake's attempted strikes easily. As ironic it may be, she did remember quite well how he moved in battle, which allowed her to push it aside and leap into the air with amazing speed. Rufus was already prepared for Kagura's swing…however she was much faster than he anticipated. The incoming slash did cut through his side! "Hyah!" And a follow up diving kick to the chest landed true, pushing Rufus off the street light, but with an elegant flip, he landed with no issues.

"Impressive!" Rufus admitted with a grin, eyes shining with delight. "But I'm not finished yet!" Rufus extended his hand once more, causing multiple Daryan to appear around Kagura! This was all from her memories…so think of this as her worst nightmares come true.

"You're kidding me…" Kagura grumbled while swiftly evading her strikes. She hadn't actually fought or seen Daryan fight since their match 2 years ago. Since then, she improved and the Daryan from back then was much easier to deal with compared to her current status! The mermaid deftly evaded the annoying Daryans, making sure to knock them all down as there was something oddly therapeutic about it now that her mind was in the right state. "Is your plan to annoy me into submission…?" Strangely enough, had this continued any longer, she might've considered it….

"I agree…let us try something else." Rufus placed his index finger to his temple once again, the same magic seal forming behind him. "Let us see…the memory that strikes your mind and body in fear. Does it exist? What dwells in the memory of Mermaid Heel's ace that worries her to this day…?" That was a surprisingly easy question to answer for those who did know. The memory of a drenched Hubert Ozwell took form alongside Daryan. "Oh?"

"….." Kagura felt her body stiffen at the sight of the Z class. The scar on her stomach began to burn with intense pain as she recalled her near death experience. Her face showed composure, but the inside of her mind was racing.

.

"Oi oi…why's she's so stiff suddenly? She's afraid of that nerd?" Jack scoffed. "He has a punchable face."

"No kidding. I know hitting a guy with glasses is mean and all…but I want to hit that guy with glasses." Strong shrugged. Daryan, on the other hand, actually remained silent.

Meanwhile, Chelia narrowed her eyes. "Right…it's only natural she'd be at least a little wary of him. If Raven and I hadn't interfered, she would've died…"

Mii whistled at this confrontation, finding it hard not to laugh for some cruel reason. "My my…it seems even the strong, unwavering Mermaid has somethings that plague her mind. A nice rub down would ease those worries away. I offered, but she pushed me away…into the fountain, actually."

.

"What a pale imitation…" The real Hubert watched this battle from afar, but elected not to intervene since it was not his fight.

Kagura's stomach burned and churned in pain. Not only did she have to deal with the memory of the man she couldn't even figure out, but also that of the one who made an attempt on her life! Calm and collected was important, but that was all it was taking to keep her body from trembling. "…."

"Silver Make: Lance!" Melody hopped up from her seat on the bench, pushing her arms forward to send several lances shooting forward against the copies of Daryan and Hubert! The copies dispersed and Melody was seen panting heavily, but with a slight smirk on her lips. "You really have to keep your head together…"

"Hm…I was going to deal with you next since it seemed rude to purposefully target an injured lady. But since you wish to be a part of this as well, I won't exclude you. Memory Make: Karma of the Burning Land!" Rufus placed his hand upon the snowy ground, causing it to heat up instantly! The snow began to melt and the street started to split apart, multiple pillars of flame rising up to scorch the two females, eventually ending with a dome that covered a large radius. The cries of pain from both Melody and Kagura could be heard as the searing flames burned their being.

"Ugh…" Melody fell to her hands and knees. Her limit was rapidly approaching due to her prior injuries and Rufus' attack didn't help in the slightest.

As for Kagura, the burns showed, but she wasn't going to allow them to bother her too much. Instead her eyes were closed as she seemed to be focusing. "…."

"What's she doing…?" Melody grumbled.

"If you won't attack, I'll take this chance to finish things off. Let this defeat forever be inscribed into your memories. Memory Make…Luminous Saber." Rufus' free hand extended into the air, once again turning into the blade of rainbow light that was used to dominate the Magic Power Finder event on day one! Such an attack would surely be the end of any unfortunate soul who was struck by it! "Fare thee well, my lady." Rufus reared his arm back and swung it down, aiming a vertical slash at Mermaid Heel's ace.

Kagura still kept her eyes closed, but her legs moved, swiftly moving along the ground. Just before Rufus' Luminous Saber made contact with her, she pushed off to the side, now closing the gap with terrifying speed! The saber cleaved through the ground and tore it asunder, but Kagura was already in close range to finish this. "Slashing Form." The woman muttered under her breath, passing by Rufus while slashing him several times, faster than the eye could see! Rufus' memory make was no match for such speed and he collapsed on his back, eyes white to show his defeat. Mermaid Heel's score rose from 44 to 47.

"And Rufus goes down! Sabertooth is only left with Minerva, Sting, and Rogue now!" Chapati exclaimed.

Melody stood up, limping over towards Kagura. "That was great…! Are you okay, though…?"

"I'm fine. I just don't want to talk about it." Kagura let out a heavy sigh while beginning to walk off, making sure to wait for Melody. Rufus did manage damage on her, but in the end this was something she was used to and could carry on with no issues.

.

Mira took to the skies, cupping her hands at her sides as darkness swirled between the empty space between her palms. "Demon Blast!" Thrusting her arms forward, the demoness unleashed a widespread beam of darkness that crashed down onto Micaiah and Julia. The explosive radius caught the two opposing girls, forcing them backwards due to the sheer power that Fairy Tail's demon possessed.

Micaiah tumbled along the ground before sliding to a halt, letting out a silent groan. "Ugh…These demons…" An ironic statement by the women herself, but she stood up and swung Oathkeeper to the side, creating multiple blades of cyan light that began shooting forward towards both Mira and Julia, allowing neither opponent any time to guard! These blades dealt nonphysical damage while rushing towards the two opposing females.

Mira crossed her arms, but in the end the effort was futile as the blades that did strike her ended up dealing piercing damage. Mira grit her teeth as Micaiah's onslaught was stronger than she anticipated! "Tch…"

As for Julia, she was grounded while using flame claws to slice through the incoming blades. Unfortunately for her she was unable to destroy them all and it resulted in her being pierced a little, but she could handle it. "Try this…" The empyrean then sped forward; raking these flaming claws against Micaiah's side before it erupted violently, causing the half breed to fly backwards. "Heh."

Mira then flew by while gathering lightning magic within her arms. A fast punch was aimed at Julia, but the Roulette twin was narrowly capable of evading the attack while retaliating with a fiery claw to Mira's side. The demoness hissed quickly in pain while turning around, pointing her arms forward to unleash small orbs of darkness that quickly swarmed the empyrean and exploded violently. "These two are tough…" Which was a bit of a problem. Mira couldn't afford to expend too much energy on these two, but it wasn't being made easy.

For White Eclipse B, this was all a part of the plan. The rookies had already accepted the fact that there was no way for their B team to win…but because of this, the plan of exhausting the competition was working perfectly! Micaiah grinned slightly before standing up, pointing her blade Oathkeeper into the sky. "Salvation!" From the sky, large pillars of light sporadically dropped down on both their section of the city. Mira and Julia had little choice but to defend in whichever way they could, but those pillars of light hurt a lot and even forced them onto the ground. Seeing her chance, Micaiah ran towards the downed Mira and aimed a downward slash at the demoness for incredible damage, but unfortunately her blade was caught by Mira's hand!

"…I see…" Mira narrowed her eyes while staring at Micaiah. "So…you're one too…"

"Yeah…so what…?" Micaiah responded as the two ceased fighting momentarily during this stalemate. There was no point in trying to hide her blood when Mira could see right through it. "If you're thinking about taking me over, I wouldn't advise it. I'm half human, too."

"I wouldn't dream of it. You have someone important to you after all…and I would never take you away from them. But I do have to win this exchange, so forgive me for my actions." Mira began, however before she could say or do much else, she felt a sharp sensation in her leg and Julia interrupted the stalemate with an explosion of ice coming from a blade of hers, conjured up with her Random Weapon magic. Mira's wings were frozen over and she narrowly managed to avoid being an ice sculpture herself.

Micaiah's left arm was frozen, but the slight fire magic she possessed allowed her to thaw with no issues. "Right…the other one…"

"Don't forget me." Julia said while twirling around a sword that radiated cold and ice.

Mira wouldn't be able to fly with her wings frozen just yet and there was no time to try and break free of the ice. As such, the demoness held her hands together and another dark colored sphere appeared between her hands. "Evil Explosion!" The sphere was fired and the ensuing explosion was devastating, covering a wide radius almost instantly. There was property damage that couldn't be helped…but at the end of the Evil Explosion, both Julia and Micaiah were down for the count. Mira let out a heavy exhale as she was forced to use more magic than she would've liked. But at the very least, Fairy Tail B's score went up by 5 points. When Mira looked back, she noticed that there was a figure on the rooftop who vanished as soon as Micaiah was defeated; Micaiah's Trickster threw a knife at Mira's leg during their earlier stalemate…and now Mira was stuck with a leg wound that would slow her down later. "…."

.

.

"Amazing! Mirajane takes out a strong contender form White Eclipse B and Empyrean Dawn!" Chapati yelled.

"Ah…but you see that limp?" Emmeraude pointed out. "She didn't make it off so easily. I think I see the game that White Eclipse has been playing this entire time…and I have to say, it's quite clever. The B team, while filled with mages new to the world of magic…has been doing exceptionally well for their first competition. White Eclipse may just win these Games once again at this rate."

"Yes! Let's go Mira-nee!" Lisanna cheered as her sister took a strong victory. With Fairy Tail B entering close contention for 1st place with 63 points, it seemed like things were turning up. The Games were in the middle stage now, so any play was important.

"If we keep up this momentum, we could win." Freed spoke with a firm nod. "Once Laxus gets to work, it'll be over for White Eclipse and Empyrean Dawn."

"There are still some things that bother me…" Mavis muttered. A few mages in the tournament thus far continued to elude even her tactical mind. Due to the mysterious nature of the wild cards of Empyrean Dawn, she was unable to get a read on them and provide a sufficient tactical ploy. Although…that lack of awareness was going to bite Fairy Tail in butt soon. Very soon, actually…

.

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Juvia had the misfortune of encountering Marshall of all people! No one but Empyrean Dawn was able to discern what his magic was since it all varied! That was a trump card as the water mage was clearly struggling against him! Juvia panted heavily before water swirled around the lower half of her body, forming a vicious cyclone that tore apart the ground she traveled over. "Water Jigsaw!" Juvia rapidly closed the gap between herself and Marshall, planning to ram him into a brick wall and apply the pressure.

Marshall only grinned as Juvia closed the distance. A green aura flared around his body as his sins shifted from Pride to Envy. The Envy of wanting to be just like Juvia in the heat of battle! As a result…Marshall's envious sin allowed him to copy Juvia's magic perfectly, a similar whirlpool of water forming around his lower half and he too rushed forward, clashing with Juvia's Water Jigsaw. "Heh…! Your magic makes me jealous…I want it."

"Huh!?" Juvia's eyes widened as she and Marshall were in a stalemate. This was the same thing the Empyrean had done against Milliana in the day 3 fights! The water mage couldn't afford to back down and pushed harder…but unfortunately for her, Marshall was just that much stronger than she was physically. As a result she was pushed backwards and her own Water Jigsaw was broken though, and now she was on the receiving end of an attack meant for her opponent. "A-Ah!" Juvia was eventually thrown onto the ground harshly on her back.

Marshall continued this offensive pressure, keeping the Water Jigsaw around his body and took into the air. The spinning tip at the body grew in intensity before it was harshly brought down on Juvia's chest. "Aquatic Burial!"

Juvia's eyes widened as she felt her own abilities pierce right through her Water Body. A cry of pain escaped the water mage that was eventually drowned out by the sound of a watery explosion. The magnitude of the explosion shook the area slightly and caused a small rainfall. When the rainfall subsided, there was one sight visible for all to see: Juvia was down, and Empyrean Dawn's score went up from 67 to 70, those three points cementing a solid lead for them. Marshall landed, his expression showing nothing but pride. "Easy."

.

.

"And Marshall takes out Juvia in stunning fashion!" Chapati exclaimed. "A method similar to his battle with Milliana!"

"Oh no, Juvia!" Carla gasped.

"What is that guy!?" Macao questioned. "Nothing he does makes any sense…! One second he's like a rampaging bull, then he's lying about on the ground, and the next he's copyin' the magic of others for a bit!? And lastly, he's acting like some prideful smug bastard!"

"…!" Mavis' eyes widened at Macao's words. The wheels were beginning to turn in her mind with the way he phrased things. "Pride…? Wrath…? Envy…?"

"What's wrong, First?" Makarov tilted his head curiously as Mavis began to contemplate something.

"I think…I'm starting understand…" Mavis whispered quietly. "From what we've seen so far…Prideful actions…Sloth-like behavior…Envious attitude…Gluttonous…they match with a few of the 7 sins…" While she did wish this epiphany didn't come at the cost of Juvia's consciousness…she was just going to have to make do with the information given. Unfortunately she was also unable to deliver this information to those competing now…so they were going to have to figure it out for themselves.

.

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Gajeel and Kanade were locked in close combat. The potency of Kanade's punches were an extreme threat, so the iron dragon coated his body in his signature scales to boost his defensive and offensive capabilities. An iron fist rocketed forward, slamming harshly into Kanade's cheek. At the same time, a punch was delivered to Gajeel's gut, his iron scales managing to reduce some damage but he still gasped out for air. "Gh…!"

"HA!" Kanade's leg lit up in a frosty blue aura and slammed it right into Gajeel's side for a follow up. The iron dragon grunted while sliding backwards. One would think Gajeel had the range advantage over this brawler; however she more than proved capable of dealing with long ranged attacks. The rookie slammed her fist into the ground, her pure strength causing the ground to tremble and rise up underneath Gajeel's feet, thus hurling him into the air.

"What did she eat for breakfast…?" Gajeel grumbled while flipping his body into the air, shooting his leg forward and allowed it to turn into a sharp iron spike. The spike was evaded as Kanade shifted her body to the side, allowing it to get stuck in the ground. That was precisely what Gajeel wanted. "I got you now!" Gajeel pulled himself forward to his extended leg, rearing his arm back as he gathered all the momentum in the world and even tapped into his Iron Shadow Dual mode just for a bit. "Iron Shadow Dragon's Hard Fist!"

"…!" Kanade's eyes widened as she realized her mistake immediately! There was no time to guard and a shockwave boomed out as Gajeel's fist met with her chest. The impact sent the rookie tumbling along the ground roughly until coming to a stop only upon hitting a street light.

"Heh…" Gajeel grinned while regaining his stance. "Might as well give up, kid."

"Like hell…I will!" Kanade stood back up, although she was still reeling from the impact. "It's White Eclipse or second place, damn it!" An aura exploded around the woman, giving off a completely different vibe than before. "Enhancers' Mode!" This mode gave Kanade a frightening boost in power at the cost of tearing her muscles. But it did prove effective when her speed increase closed the gap between her and Gajeel, and she was able to deliver a bone crushing blow to his chest!

"Gah…!" Gajeel's red eyes widened the second of impact. Not only did his scales crack under such physical pressure, but he was certain that his chest may have caved in if not for those same scales. The Iron dragon flew backwards before landing harshly on his back, coughing up some blood from the impact.

"Amazing…! The rookies of White Eclipse continue to prove they shouldn't be taken lightly!" Chapati commented.

"Gotta be kiddin' me…" Kurogane spat out while staring at the woman. A few more punches like those and he was certain even he wouldn't be able to last! That's why he had to turn things up now and not regret it later! A purple/black aura flared around his body, eyes now gleaming a violet hue as shadows leaked and merged with the iron around his skin. Now he was fully making use of his Iron Shadow Mode! "All right, rookie. Let's see how well you can handle this! Roar…of the Iron Shadow Dragon!" Gajeel parted his lips, unleashing a widespread beam of iron and shadows directly for Kanade!

Kanade cracked her knuckles before extending her hands forward to 'catch' the roar! She attempted to use her brute strength to stop the roar in its track, but even she was being pushed back slowly! The purple haired female grit her teeth and let out a yell, using her brute strength to rip the roar into nothing! With a grin, Kanade prepared to strike Gajeel once more…but he was nowhere to be seen!? "Huh…where did he…?"

Gajeel slowly rose from Kanade's shadow, and the moment his form was tangible, he gripped the back of her head harshly and began to run forward, taking her for a ride. Without a word, Gajeel tossed the woman into the air, through part of a building and pointed his arm forward, allowing it to take the form of a railgun once again. "Iron Shadow Dragon's Railgun!" Unlike before, he didn't need to release a full power blast like before since he still needed his arm later! A potent beam of iron/shadow magic was unleashed, consuming Kanade whole without much of a fight since she didn't even have the chance to recover. The rookie fell from the ground, kicked out of her Enhancers' Mode with pure white eyes to signify her KO. With that, Fairy Tail A's score went up from 67 to 68! "Only one point!?" Gajeel shouted in annoyance as his body returned to normal. There was recoil from Kanade's strikes and he pieced together the plan White Eclipse had in store; it was just as Mavis warned them about. All this effort for little value…the rookies were giving them a hard time since they were forced to unleash cards they didn't want to play so early…

.

Aira was having a difficult time getting a read on Jenny's wild behavior. The Mechanical Dragon Takeover was starting to run amok despite Jenny's attempts to keep her self-control. Miss Fiore flew into the air and the gem on her chest shone a bright red color, soon unleash a funnel of orange flame similar to that of Natsu's own roar. The heat melted the remaining snow while rushing towards the Eclipse female. "Blazing Roar!"

Aira narrowed her eyes as the funnel of flame neared her. "Illusory Veil!" Just as the roar of flame neared her person, a wall of wind appeared around her being to 'grip' the flames, holding them in place before blowing it back at Jenny. Since wind tended to feed flames, the reflected roar was much stronger when bounced back to the model.

Jenny narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, gritting her teeth furiously as the roar scorched the exposed parts of her skin. The takeover's passive ability to absorb any element it possessed came into play and the enhanced flames were soon absorbed and appeared around her claws. Jenny flew forward, swinging her claws at Aira who had no choice but to evade and block.

Aira was no slouch in the hand to hand department, using wind to surround her palms, which allowed her to deflect several strikes and land several blows. But she was also scratched, feeling the sharp claws and searing flames burn her skin. "This takeover…is really an issue…" Aira admitted before shooting out a strong gust of wind from her palm. The suddenness of it pushed Jenny backwards while inflicting some damage. "I have to end this quickly for her sake!" Lifting her finger in the air, a tiny black sphere formed on the tip of her index finger. "Black Hurricane!" The sphere vanished, immediately turning into a fierce hurricane that formed around Jenny, ripping at her with intense winds as she was forced into the eye of the storm! "Please forgive me…"

Such an attack at this strength would take down any opponent after a short while…even Jenny was starting to feel the effects. But since the mechanical dragon was based off a dragon's temperature by Aiden himself…the injuries she sustained failed to calm her rational, and instead increased her aggravated temperament! The wind that was shredding her being was slowly absorbed thanks to the gem on her chest. It wasn't much longer before that Black Hurricane was unleashed at Aira once again!

"Huh…!?" Aira's eyes widened and she had to cross her arms, feeling her own attack strike her back with intense force! The blonde slid across the ground before eventually losing her footing and being blown backwards, landing on her back with scratches and marks all along her body. "Ugh…" Aira looked up with tired eyes, and the last thing she saw was Jenny's mechanical tail coming down on her face.

A crushing impact echoed through the city. Aira lay unconscious under Jenny's tail while the woman herself panted heavily. Blue Pegasus' score went up from 39 to 41, Jenny let out a low, somewhat feral growl at this increase; it wasn't enough! At the same time she was physically trying to exit the takeover, but electric sparks danced around her body as such a thing was denied! "I can't…change back…?" She was starting to realize her mistake in using her incomplete takeover so soon…any further and she'd push her body to limits she wasn't prepared to handle.

.

Nina was one opponent that had everyone stumped. Ever since her debut battle against Juvia, she had one magic after another. It was unnatural since she was never seen using the same magic twice! Reiss had a tough time figure out this literal wild card and it was costing him. Nina was making use of earth magic similar to that of Jura's, manipulating the ground to send large fists at Reiss and his Native Spirit, Taru. "I'm feeling lucky today!" Nina exclaimed.

"What's with this girl…!?" Reiss grumbled while commanding Taru to break through the incoming fists with its own stone hands.

"Let's see…!" Nina snapped her fingers, using the earth manipulation to stop the rocks mid-flight and shoot them back towards Reiss once again.

"Taru!" Reiss exclaimed while lifting his hand up. The stone spirit slammed its hands into the ground, creating a wall of rock to withstand the rocks that eventually ended in an explosion. Reiss grit his teeth as he was quickly losing ground against the Empyrean's wild card. This fight didn't last for much longer as a large sphere of lightning dropped down between the two of them, forcing both Reiss and Nina to leap back or get caught in a surprisingly strong explosive wake. "Huh?!"

"Who?" Nina glanced around at her surroundings. But since the explosion created some smoke, she used this time to send another fist of earth directly at Reiss as he was visible to her. The rookie had little time to respond and the fist rocketed right into his body, sending him sprawling across the ground in KO. As a result, Empyrean Dawn gained 3 more points!

As the smoke cleared, a scoff was heard. The person who scoff? None other than Laxus Dreyar himself. The Lightning Dragon cracked his knuckles while staring down Nina. "So…you're that problem chick, huh? You don't look like much…" Laxus said while giving her a once over. She may have been giving problems to others, but Laxus didn't see anything more than an inconvenience to Fairy Tail's eventual victory.

"Heh…" Nina smirked as her Ruby Gema shone. "Looks like Lady Luck really did smile on me today. One after another? This'll be easy."

Lightning began to spark around Laxus' body. There was no confident smirk on his lips yet…just a serious visage that displayed his determination to win. It mattered not who he was against, because they were all going to suffer the same fate. "Come on then. I don't have all day. I have a few more to trounce after I beat you."

.

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Next Time: Offensive Momentum.


	134. Chapter 134: Offensive Momentum

"Things are heating up…and with only 26 people remaining." Siegrain shifted in his seat. "It's still anyone's game."

"I agree!" Chapati nodded to the Chairman. "These Games are even closer than the last one! Any guild has a chance to make a comeback as long as they have one member left! But it looks like Fairy Tail may indeed win this year! They still have plenty of members remaining!"

Emmeraude waved her finger at Chapati's assumption, snickering quietly. "Oh, Chapati…that's a cute way of thinking. But I think you're forgetting about one thing. Fairy Tail's numbers may look better…but most of their members have been involved in strenuous battles, and they are quite injured as well."

"T-That is a good point!" Chapati replied. "But what do you think about the separate teams and their scores? Their numbers are beginning to dwindle."

"Indeed. The scoreboard looks ugly like this." Emmeraude shrugged. "So…for that, I will be merging both Fairy Tail and White Eclipse teams into one. All the points Fairy Tail B scored will be added to Fairy Tail A's and vice versa…even though White Eclipse has only gotten the 3 points from Milliana's defeat." Shots were fired, but the decision was final. To clean up the scoreboard was adjusted accordingly.

"You do enjoy ruining people's plans, don't you?" Siegrain remarked, referring to the method White Eclipse A used their B team for.

"I enjoy making things more entertaining. If they cannot adapt to a few simple changes, then they mustn't be as impressive as they brag to be." The Queen shrugged.

.

.

Scoreboard:

1st: Empyrean Dawn: 73

2nd: Fairy Tail: 72

3rd: White Eclipse: 67

3rd: Sabtertooth: 67

5th: Mermaid Heel: 44

6th: Blue Pegasus: 41

Member Status:

White Eclipse: Luke, Cygnus, Reve, Waiston, Kuro active.

Fairy Tail: Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Gray, Wendy, Cynthia, Gajeel Mira, Laxus active.

Mermaid Heel: Kagura, and Melody active.

Blue Pegasus: Ichiya, Jenny, and Darren active.

Sabertooth: Sting, Rogue, Minerva, active.

Empyrean Dawn: Nina, Marshall, Hubert, Cecelia active.

Sophie Active: 3 point value.

.

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"Empyrean Dawn is still in the lead…" Levy mumbled. "And Laxus is going against that wild card girl. I haven't been able to get a read on her magic since day 1. Every day it's something completely different and it doesn't make sense."

"Perhaps her magic is something that allows her to use other magic?" Freed suggested. "I would suggest copy magic…but it doesn't seem to be something that simple. We haven't seen her use the same magic."

"I wonder if Laxus will be okay against a foe like that…didn't she also say something about resisting lightning?" Romeo asked while looking at the others.

"Of course he'll be fine!" Evergreen snapped while fanning herself. "It's Laxus. When has being outmatched ever stopped him before?"

"He'll crush his foes like always." Bickslow said, his dolls mimicking with, " _Always! Always!"_

.

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BOOM! An explosion of black and white erupted from some outer edge of the city. Sting and Rogue slid backwards, both in their Dragon Force while squaring off against Cygnus in his God Trigger and Luke in his Pseudo God form. White Eclipse was finally making their offensive move after the final day nearly reached the halfway mark! The Rookies did their part and well, leaving a strong opening for those who had yet to fight to come in and clean up the rest. Their plan was finally coming together!

"Heh…not bad…" Sting said while rubbing the back of his head. Despite the situation, it was clear the white dragon of Sabertooth had no plans of giving up! "But Sabertooth will be winning today!"

"Exactly…we don't care how strong you've gotten, we're stronger." The usually quiet Rogue spoke confidently. Nothing was going to get them down!

"That's cute, Twin Dragons…but we need those points." Cygnus said while cracking his knuckles. "This fight isn't in your favor…but feel free to put up an effort. It'll make things more interesting."

"I agree." Luke shrugged, although he didn't seem as into this fight as Cygnus.

"Always acting so high and mighty. I can't wait to wipe those smug grins from your faces!" Sting pushed off, darting towards Cygnus while Rogue took look. Light began to shroud Sting's fist and he lunged towards the gravity god. "White Dragon's Punch!"

"That's what I like to see…" Cygnus reared his arm back as Sting drew closer, allowing heavy gravity to surround his entire arm. "Heavy Smash!" The moment Sting swung, so did Cygnus. The two clashed and a heavy shockwave echoed out, causing the ground around them to cave it. Cygnus wore a smirk in the midst of their clash as he had a trick up his sleeve: decreasing the amount of gravity to prevent Sting from holding his ground. "You're out of your league, Sting!" The Gravity God yelled while overpowering Sting as he tried to ground himself, pushing the White Dragon backwards a great distance.

"GAAAH!" Sting cried out while tumbling violently across the ground.

As for Rogue, he was having a tough time with Luke. The Shadow Dragon attempted to wrap his shadowy body around Luke's form to constrict his movements, and the first part of that plan did come to fruition. But Luke smirked at this action, having read the shadow dragon like a book. "I don't think so…!" Lightning surged from Luke's body, shocking the shadow dragon due to the suddenness. "Darkness Crash!" Darkness swirled around his fist and was slammed into Rogue's chest, causing an explosion of black to occur and throw the twin dragon backwards.

"Guh…!" Rogue was thrown back next to Sting, the pair on their knees. "These two…are tough."

"They are White Eclipse mages…" Sting said while rubbing his mouth with the back of his hand. "But we're the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth. We take them down one by one. Ready!?"

"Of course." Rogue nodded before dipping into the shadows.

"Come on, Cygnus-san!" Sting pushed forward once again. Unlike before, the palm of his hand was swirling with an abundance of White Dragon slaying. "I'm just getting started!"

Cygnus took a stance, preparing to counter Sting by rushing forward…but he felt something grab his legs from below before he could move! "Huh…?" A glance down and he saw it all; Rogue slipped into his shadow and grabbed his ankles with an ironclad grip! "What the…!?"

"WHITE DRAGON'S HOLY NOVA!" Sting thrusted his arm into Cygnus' chest, a massive explosion of white light occurring on the point of impact. A white flash of light blinded those watching and nobody could see what happened to Cygnus in that moment.

Nobody except Sting and Rogue. They were prepared for this outcome and the moment Cygnus was sent flying, they turned their attention to the recoiling Luke. "Now!"

Both Sting and Rogue inhaled, gathering their respective magic within their mouth before exhaling; two roars were shot forward and quickly merged together into a beautiful mix of shadows and light, all rushing towards Luke. "Roar of the White Shadow Dragon!" Sabertooth's duo exclaimed in unison.

Luke couldn't see, but that wasn't going to stop him from defending! "Ah crap…" His arms crossed and that was the last anyone saw of him as the dual roar shot out into the distance, covering a long, wide radius as it consumed the confident copycat.

There was a large cloud of smoke surrounding the point of impact from both attacks. Sting and Rogue panted heavily, however they high fived one another for a brilliant show of team work. "See…they couldn't take us."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that…" Luke's voice rang out in the silence. The smoke cleared around him and he was revealed to be somewhat scratched in the end. His Black God's Bubble protected him from the majority of the unison raid, but he did still take quite a bit of damage. Overall? He had dealt with much worse.

"We were just warming up…" Cygnus followed suit. Sting's Holy Nova burnt a hole through his shirt and there was a noticeable bruise on his chest…but Cygnus was fine otherwise. "But that was a good way to loosen up the muscles…we should be good for the rest of the day."

"Wha…?" Sting narrowed his eyes at this dire situation. "No way! They took both of that?"

"Not easily…" Rogue remarked…but the fact Luke and Cygnus were still standing was the issue. The Twin Dragons put their all into their attacks and their opponents hadn't gone down!

A magic seal formed above Sting and Rogue, Cygnus taking a familiar stance as he did on the day 2 battle with Erza. "You did okay, Twin Dragons…but now it's time to sleep. The Eclipse will reign." Swinging his arms down, Cygnus made use of the spell taught to him by Mary: Eclipse Hammer! But there was his own spin on it. The Eclipse Hammer dropped down from the seal, infused with his own gravity and poison to increase its intensity and its ensuing explosion! The city of Crocus trembled somewhat as the Eclipse Hammer crashed on Sting and Rogue. The Twin Dragons were completely destroyed by the spell, lying on their faces in the dirt. White Eclipse's score went up from 67 to 72! 5 points and the gap they were experiencing was closed just like that.

"They just don't listen…" Luke said while returning to normal along with Cygnus. "We said we were here to show dominance. They've had their time in the sun…but the Eclipse is coming in now."

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The somewhat injured Mira in her normal appearance was squaring off against Reve, who only had some damage on him from the earlier confrontation against Fairy Tail and Mermaid Heel. The gunslinger wore his usual smirk as he eyed Mira's injuries, feeling more than confident about his situation. "You sure you don't want to throw in the towel now? It'll make things that much easier for everyone at the end of the day. I doubt you can even keep up with those injuries."

In response, Mira smiled as she was completely unfazed by Reve's taunts. "You'll have to forgive me for my unsightly appearance. I've been busy gaining points for my team. Although the damage done is nothing compared to the Isle and Tartarus. Your B team was very impressive…but it's a shame they had to go out so early."

"All part of the plan." Reve said while twirling a pistol in his hand. Mira's comment went one ear and out the other. "But I'm going to have to get rid of you as soon as possible. You're not my target."

"Is it Erza?" Mira tilted her head curiously. As soon as Erza's name left her lips, a bullet was shot right for the space between her eyes; however Mira was able to dodge by leaning to the side without having to exert too much effort. "I've seen the way you side glance her…I can see it in your eyes too. Your brow furrowed the moment I mentioned her name."

Reve's lips curled into a scowl. Not only did Mira make him look like a chump with that missed shot, but she had the nerve to bring up that woman's name. "Transform already so the people have a fight to watch, even though it'll end with you on the ground in the end."

"I want you to answer my question first." Mira had that tone that usually made the others at Fairy Tail do what she wanted. "Being so stressed isn't good for your health. Is it because of what happened in Tartarus? Erza is truly amazing when we need her…and you did technically help save her life. Even though you have a rivalry, I'm sure she'd be thankful for that."

Reve was getting annoyed at Mira's attitude. Another shot was fired, but the way Mira evaded this one made it seem like a warning shot and nothing less. "You would never understand. Now I won't ask again…feel free to go down like that. It doesn't make a difference to me."

"Very well." Mira eventually gave in. It didn't seem that Reve was willing to talk. A magic seal formed over Mira's body and she instantly went with the Takeover that was she was the most comfortable with: Sitri, currently known as her strongest form. That sweet expression shifted into something much more confident as she stared down Reve. "We can make this quick, then. Erza won't even need to get involved."

.

.

Kagura and Melody walked down a ruined street. The damages were noticeable and sometimes it felt as though they were walking around in circles. Melody sighed while rubbing the back of her head. "It feels like everything looks the same at this point. It feels like these Games have been going on forever…I'm burnt out." The silver make mage groaned. "And at this point, I'm a liability to you, Kagura…"

"Don't say that." Kagura said while supporting Melody. "I need you present. There are a few people here who pose a challenge to even me."

"Just keep it together and you'll be fine." Melody said with an encouraging smile. The moment didn't last very long as Ichiya sped down the opposite end of the street with two vials plugged into his nose. "Huh…?"

"MEEEEEN~" Ichiya exclaimed while sliding to a halt before the two beauties before him. "Ah…the mermaids have graced me with their presence and beauty!"

"But…he came to us…" Melody sighed before gesturing for Kagura to go on ahead. "It's fine. I can take care of this clown myself."

"If you insist…" Kagura knew what Melody was doing. The Silver Make Mage already decided she was dead weight at this point, but if she could scrounge up a few more points, then Kagura wouldn't have to worry. Kagura had no choice but to go on ahead, wherever that was.

"There seems to be some sort of mistake, men." Ichiya clarified while pointing up to the sky. "I didn't come alone…nor did I mean to turn this encounter into a threesome."

Gray was the one who pursued Ichiya from above. The ice maker leapt into the air from a rooftop with his fist within his palm. "Ice Make: Hammer!" Both Melody and Ichiya were in his sights now, since that was how the cookie crumbled. A blue magic seal formed in the sky before a monsterous hammer was dropped down onto both foes.

"Ah crap…" Melody closed one eye and braced for impact; in her condition she wasn't able to make any sudden movements without putting herself at risk. But then…something surprising happened! Ichiya swept Melody off her feet and whisked her to safety, allowing the ice hammer to explode on the ground and catch nothing. "H-Huh?!"

Ichiya donned his super strength perfume, his body achieved maximum handsomeness and his form was much larger than his usual stout body. "What an unhandsome tactic!" Ichiya then set Melody down and glared at Gray as he landed. "This fight was between us MEN! There was no need to drag this lovely lady into it!"

Melody blinked a few times. While Ichiya's gesture was…nice, she felt a little weirded out because it was him. So she just awkwardly stood by since it looked like the handsome Pegasus had no intentions of attacking her. "….Uh."

"What the…?" Gray was just as flabbergasted as everyone else. "You can't be serious."

"MEEEEEEN!" With that battle cry, Ichiya rushed Gray down with surprisingly high speed. The handsome man smashed his fist into Gray's gut, causing the ice maker to double over in pain. Before he could even react, the handsome man then brought his arms down onto Gray to crush the ice fairy into the ground with a powerful shockwave following suit.

"GAH!" Gray cried out from the strong impact.

"Ouch! And a strong attack from Ichiya has Gray reeling!" Chapati yelled. "Will he be able to recover!?"

Melody blinked once again, because now Gray and Ichiya were going at it! It was as though she was nothing more than an afterthought…or a third wheel. It didn't matter since this was a free for all and a chance to actually get some points! "Sliver Make: Floor!" The woman placed her hands on the ground, causing silver to spread across the street and along a few nearby buildings. Neither Gray nor Ichiya noticed the chance until it was too late! The Silver Make mage lifted her hand into the air, a magic seal forming high in the sky as she went all out. "Legion Fulminate!" From the seal, a gigantic bolt of lightning dropped down onto the silver covering. As sliver conducted electricity, the impact was only made stronger and resulted in a large explosion that consumed both Ichiya and Gray in the process. Melody wore a proud grin at the damage she was capable of dishing out. "H-How was that?"

Ichiya was the one who was KO'ed; the 5 points to his name lifting the score of Mermaid Heel from 44 to 49, still leaving a noticeable gap from Mermaid Heel to Sabertooth. As for Gray, he was noticeably injured from Melody's attack, but still stood. "Still as annoying as ever…" Gray grumbled before pointing his hands forward. "Ice Make…Cannon!" A large cannon materialized within his arms and on his shoulders. With a click of the trigger, a massive blast of ice shot forth, barreling through the air before colliding with Melody for a large, frosty explosion. Since the mermaid was already at her limit, she was KO'ed without much resistance. Fairy Tail's score went from 72 to 76, temporarily putting them in the lead again for now.

.

Reve started to open fire on Mira with his dual pistols. Mira was fast in her Sitri form, but Reve was capable of keeping up due to his Precision Eyes. The speed the demoness possessed was still allowing her to evade the bullets Reve fired, even when he predicted her next movement and fired where she was going to be. Mira closed the gap between the two of them quickly, flames blazing around her leg and she swung it forward at Reve's chest; it was too fast to dodge so he brought his arms up to block. The flames burned his chick and the gunslinger slid back across the street before coming to a halt. That hurt like hell, but he wasn't going to admit it. Instead, his usual smirk appeared and he scoffed. "That the best you got?"

"I'm just getting started…" Mira placed her hands together, mimicking the actions she would normally use for her Demon Blast. Only this time, a sphere of flame formed within the empty space between her palms. "Demon Flare!" Hands extended forward, a widespread blast of fire shooting forth; the intensity of the flames was so great the ground was melting.

Reve scowled at the incoming attack. Normally he'd expect something of this size from a Slayer, however he didn't have the luxury of using the Reverse Slayer so he had to improvise. The dual pistols were dropped in favor of two sawn off shotguns. The triggers were clicked and a singular bullet flew forward from both guns, soon spreading out in a fan-like shape to cover a wide radius. "Spread Shot!" The bullets and the wave of flame collided, not lasting for seconds before exploding violently. A large cloud of smoke formed as a result but this was no problem for Reve; his eyes changed once again to his Heat Vision, enabling him to detect Mira's body temperature through the smoke. "Got you." Bang! Two shots were fired off – condensed bullets that flew through the air and struck Mira for what he assumed to be direct hit. Mira didn't remain stationary for long and soon her form vanished into the sky.

Mira took a high leap into the air, coming down with a fiery axe kick meant for Reve's head. The Gunslinger was capable of leaping back to narrowly avoid a brutal hit to the skull that might have either taken him out, or lead to his demise. But Mira anticipated this and the ensuing explosion of flame was still more than enough to catch Reve, inflicting a lot of damage in the process of throwing him backwards. Reve tumbled along the ground before coming to a halt on his knee, but Mira pursued, intent on finishing this. "You won't escape!"

"I don't need to…" Reve dropped the sawn off shotgun and replaced it for his signature Magnum. Mira was coming in fast and he only had one shot…but this was Reve Volver after all. The Eclipse mage sprang to his feet as Mira reared her arm back, the two of them lunging at one another! The first one to connect was…Reve. The barrel of his magnum pressed against her chest, while one hand did cut into his side…the other one stopped just short and there was a clear expression of struggle on her face.

 _"_ _My body…stopped..?"_ Mira attempted to process the turn of events.

Reve, on the other hand, had a much wider smirk than usual. "Didn't that demon warn you not to mess with powers you can't control? Yet you ignored the warning and had a feast anyway. It's no surprise she's still fighting you. I saw that look she gave you before you took her over. It's a shame…but that's just how the cookie crumbles. And to tell the truth…" Reve clicked the trigger and the massive bullet of magic consumed Mira with a scream of pain, sending her flying back. The Fairy hit the ground in her normal form, unconscious, and with her clothes tattered. "Even if you could control all that power…it wouldn't make a difference in the end." With that, Reve allowed his magnum to fade away, White Eclipse's score rising from 76, putting them back in the running for first place along with Fairy Tail.

.

.

"Oh…that's disappointing…" Emmeraude huffed. "My favorite non-Sophie competitor has been taken down…oh well."

"Oh no, Mira-nee…!" Lisanna cried out in worry as Mira lost. "What happened…!? She almost had him…!"

"Her body stopped moving." Zelos reported. "It was probably involuntary…since she was about to go for the finishing blow."

"Didn't you say she took over that one demon and it was still in her head or something?" Mii looked back with a curious expression. She somewhat zoned out on the detail. "Because if it was…I wouldn't put it past a demon to pull a trick like that."

"That cursed demon…" Elfman grumbled. "How dare it take away victory from my sister! That's unmanly!"

"I'm gonna level with you big guy…" Mii said while patting Elfman on the shoulder. "I don't think it cares. It saw a chance and it took it. Either that…or Reve is just that good."

"Please, don't say that…" Carla said while rubbing her temples.

"We don't need his head to inflate with even more hot air." Pantherlily remarked.

"…." Mavis remained quiet. White Eclipse was beginning to get the offensive momentum they were looking for. The competition was rapidly approaching its climax…and that would be the decisive moment for the victor…

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Nina punched the air, sending multiple pillars of earth and rock rushing towards Laxus. The Lightning dragon was unfazed and used his Lightning Body spell to speed forward, nimbly evading the incoming pillars as lightning surged around his fist. "Iron Fist of the Lightning Dragon!" CRACK! A direct hit was delivered to Nina's jaw, forcing the Z-Class to stagger backwards. Laxus landed, lifting a brow to see the effectiveness of his attack.

Nina moved her jaw a bit before facing Laxus with a grin. "That probably would have hurt." The wildcard remarked with a sly grin. Thanks to her specific Gema, lightning magic had no effect on her. A terrible matchup for Laxus and he knew it, but when did that ever stop him from kicking someone's ass?

"Probably, huh?" Laxus cracked his neck, unbothered by his magic having no effect. Clearly his brute force did, and that was all he needed. "All right then. I'll make sure the next one hits home."

Nina grinned. Fighting against someone like Laxus really got the blood pumping of the Roulette sister! With a snap of her fingers, the roulette in her head spun around to grant her another magic. What was the magic this time? Fire Magic! A burst of flame occurred directly on Laxus' location for a direct hit! The Z-class grinned at the impact and as the flames died, Laxus was still standing in the same place, only with his shirt charred, some burn marks on his skin, and his infamous jacket didn't show any signs of wear and tear. "Huh?"

"That it?" Laxus scoffed. "Those lukewarm flames won't do anything to me. I've dealt with fire that burns much hotter." Laxus brought his arm up and clenched his hand into a fist, causing a mighty bolt of lightning to drop down from above and right onto Nina! Considering the circumstances it seemed to be a pointless endeavor, especially since Nina was unharmed from the attack.

"Oh, that tingled!" Nina taunted, but by the time the attack faded and her line of sigh returned, Laxus wasn't in the same place! The Lightning Dragon sped behind the woman and slammed his foot into her back! Nina was sent stumbling forward, but she caught herself with a flip. "Oof! Try this then!" Using the earth magic from before, the ground moved under Laxus and rose to consume him. Combined with the fire magic, Laxus was trapped within a heated dome of earth.

All was silent for a moment before lightning occasionally sparked from the dome. With a roar, Laxus unleashed a powerful discharge of lightning that caused the dome to explode, rubble and rock flying in all directions! Laxus was shown to be damaged from the attack, but he was nowhere near finished yet. "Not good enough."

"You're right where I want you." Nina smirked as she snapped her fingers once more; the rubble flying in all directions all focusing into the air above Laxus, forming a large slab of rock that covered a wide radius. "Earth Crush!" This large, near mountain of rock began to descend to the ground, rapidly falling down onto Laxus.

Laxus scowled at the rock falling towards him and had no choice but to brace for impact. Even if he could reach Nina, which he could, the problem was that the mountain of rock falling covered too much space. So what did Laxus do? He allowed lightning to surge around his body to form a large sphere just as before. He wasn't going to let some rock get the better of him. When the mountain was to land on Laxus, he unleashed a powerful bolt of lightning from his body at the same time. There was a large explosion that spanned a wide radius in the city, thankfully not dealing so much property damage as it was mainly focused on the point of impact.

"An earth shaking explosion! I could feel that all the way over here…!" Chapati said while trying to stay in his seat. The ground really did rumble violently.

Everyone wondered what happened to Laxus after the explosion. Nina was fine and narrowed her eyes into the smoke. "I hope he didn't die…that would suck…" Nina whistled while scoping out the area.

And as the smoke cleared, there was a bruised Laxus, standing tall while panting somewhat. But his expression didn't change; his usual stare at all his enemies was ever present. "If that was your best…then we're done here." For a brief moment, Laxus' entire body began to bulk up, scales appearing around his arms and his eyes went white! Laxus was bringing forth the power of his Dragon Force, which was a statement whether he'd admit it or not. With his strength enhanced tenfold, the Lightning Dragon lunged forward with amazing speed, high voltage lightning surging around his arm.

"Now this is what I'm talking about…!" Nina's grin widened since Laxus wasn't down yet. The Earth magic was still coming into play, causing large pillars of earth to shoot up to impede Laxus' charge, but he wasn't slowing down! Laxus Dreyar evaded the pillars of earth and closed in for the finishing blow!

" Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Roaring Thunder!" With a powerful downward swing, Laxus' fist slammed into Nina's skull. The CRACK of lightning made itself known and there was a terrible crash as Nina's head was forced into the ground! Lightning briefly flashed at the moment of impact and Nina was down, not because the lightning affected her, but due to the raw strength Laxus was packing within. Laxus stood over Nina and his body returned to normal; his expression said that this was the expected result, bad matchup or not. With Nina down, Fairy Tail's score rose from 76 to 78, putting them in the lead again. But White Eclipse and Empyrean Dawn were still right behind them….

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"That's my Laxus!" Freed cheered, but Evergreen and Bickslow gave him that look again.

"Stop it!" They both shouted, but Freed was too proud of Laxus to hear their objections.

"He did it…" Mavis couldn't help the sigh of relief. "If he went down, that would have been a problem. But I had faith he'd pull it off. You've done well with him, Sixth." Mavis smiled at Makarov.

"He's come this far on his own." Makarov responded with a proud smile of his own. "But we aren't out of the woods yet."

"Indeed…" Emmeraude lightly kicked her feet out. "With that KO…we've now reached the halfway mark of the final day. Only 20 competitors, plus my darling Sophie, remain. I feel the climax of the Games is approaching quickly…I can't wait to see how this pans out…"

.

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Hubert rounded the corner after Laxus defeated Nina. The Empyrean adjusted his glasses and let out a small sigh. "Well…it seems you have downed one of my comrades. That won't do."

Laxus turned as Hubert approached. "Oh, you." The Dreyar spat while crossing his arms. "If you want to be next…then be my guest. This won't take long at all."

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Marshall slowly wandered Crocus…seeming to be in a daze. An ominous green aura wavered around his body to resemble his unending Greed. His destination was the city square…where he would have the chance to dine on all the Erthano in the air. After these high magic fights, there was plenty to use…and he wanted it all. He wanted it all and more.

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Next Time: Insatiable Greed.


	135. Chapter 135: Insatiable Greed

Scoreboard:

1st: Fairy Tail: 78

2nd: White Eclipse: 76

3rd: Empyrean Dawn: 73

4th: Sabtertooth: 67

5th: Mermaid Heel: 49

6th: Blue Pegasus: 41

Member Status:

White Eclipse: Luke, Cygnus, Reve, Waiston, Kuro.

Fairy Tail: Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Gray, Wendy, Cynthia, Gajeel, Laxus.

Mermaid Heel: Kagura.

Blue Pegasus: Jenny, and Darren.

Sabertooth: Minerva.

Empyrean Dawn: Marshall, Hubert, Cecelia.

Sophie Active: 3 point value.

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20 out of 40 people remained. The halfway mark of the Final Day was reached and the sun began to set. Most of the people who remained sustain some sort of injury, whether it is small or large. Orange painted the sky overhead. The day itself was mostly over…just what was in store for these last few battles of the Grand Magic Games? Which guild would win? That would be decided soon enough.

.

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Natsu, Erza, and Lucy were still mostly in the clear. Erza ended up supporting Lucy because of her bullet wound, but otherwise they were still fine. Natsu's nose wrinkled in annoyance since it was clear fights were happening all around them, but they had yet to actually find anyone. "Can we just fight someone already!? And not get jumped! I'm still upset about that."

"You're lucky I made it in time…" Lucy sighed, lightly thwacking Natsu on the head. "You should have been more aware. If I didn't, you and Erza would have been in trouble. The only thing I got out of that exchange was a bullet wound too. Thanks Reve…" The blonde rolled her eyes, quickly hissing in pain. "I think he shot a vital…"

"I wouldn't put it past him…" Erza remarked. The trio was slowly approaching the city square, the largest part of the city. "We're coming to an opening…hopefully we can meet up with the others and regroup."

"Hold on…" Natsu's nose began to pick up a funky scent. "I don't think we'll be alone…" And as soon as he said that, the salamander punched a fist into his palm, grinning wide. "About damn time!" With those words, Natsu began running forward, leaving Lucy and Erza behind recklessly.

"Natsu, slow down…!" Lucy groaned. "Ah…don't worry Erza, I can walk." With that, Lucy and Erza followed behind Natsu to the city square, where they stopped shortly behind Natsu. "Huh…?"

They spotted Marshall. He was looking directly at them…but he didn't engage. There was that eerie green aura wavering around his body…but he was doing nothing. The Empyrean just sat on the fountain with a smile on his face. "….."

"This guy is giving me the creeps…" Lucy shuddered. "He's the same guy who beat Milliana, right, Erza?"

Erza narrowed her eyes at Marshall. She felt the need to get revenge for Milliana from the day 3 fights, but it was clear that Marshall wasn't even interested in them. "It looks like he's not even paying us any mind."

That was all Natsu needed to hear. The fire dragon sprinted forward with flames blazing around his arm. "OI, YOU BASTARD! WE'RE RIGHT HERE!" Natsu exclaimed loudly, alerting pretty much everyone who was left to their location. That was a consequence he'd deal with later. For now, Natsu's fiery fist slammed against Marshall's jaw, cocking the male's head off to the side after the direct hit…but he seemed mostly unfazed after the strike. "…Huh?"

Marshall turned his head around slowly, staring at Natsu for a moment. What happened next occurred in a flash. Wrath was briefly tapped into and a powerful punch struck Natsu's sternum, throwing him back as Greed set in once again.

Natsu was thrown backwards, but recovered with a flip and growled after landing. "Tch…!"

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked.

"I'm fine." Natsu grumbled. "He has Juvia's scent around him…he must have been the one to take her down."

"He beat Juvia? Now there's even more of a reason to beat him." Erza said while cracking his knuckles.

From the southwest alleyway, Cynthia and Wendy ran out and waved to the others. "Ah, there they are…!" Wendy pointed. "We heard Natsu-san yelling…!"

"You idiot…" Lucy brought her hand to her face, using the other to wave to the girls. She was glad to see that they were okay at least.

"Are you girls all right?" Erza asked while keeping an eye on Marshall…but he really wasn't moving from his seat.

"We're fine…!" Cynthia exclaimed. Uh…what's that guy doing there…?"

"About to go down." Natsu said while cracking his knuckles again. "Sitting there like an asshole! My next punch will knock him out! Come on Lucy, let's go!"

"Why me?" Lucy sighed before shrugging. "Fine, fine…let's make this quick. He's kinda creeping me out…"

Before Lucy could even take a step forward, a pink streak of light sped forward at blinding speeds. Nobody had the time to react as Sophie slammed her gauntlet into Lucy's gut, causing the celestial mage to double over as Sophie continued to push Lucy backwards several yards. "You won't escape from me now! Critical Blade!" With a flip, Sophie's leg landed right onto Lucy's skull and a massive explosion of Photon Magic occurred on the spot.

Lucy cried out in pain and she struggled to pull herself up. Brown eyes briefly flashed red as Sophie continued to pester her. "You again…? Why can't you just leave me alone!?"

"Lucy!" Natsu turned his attention off Marshall and finally spotted Lucy in danger. The fire dragon moved one step to help, but he was then ambushed by Waiston!

"Sorry Salamander!" Waiston's frozen leg was brought up to Natsu's chest, but he was capable of blocking and sliding back. "But Sophie's really been gunning for Lucy lately, right? I think it's only fair we let her have it! They have something to settle, and it's not our place to interfere!"

Kuro then slid to Natsu's right, flames of the devil flaring around his fist. "But we'll take your points in the meantime! Flame Devil's Impact!" The blazing fist struck Natsu and he was sent flying back due to Kuro's raw power. Even though the two had a rough battle earlier, they still had energy to spare!

"Tch…!" Natsu flipped and managed to land, glaring at the Eclipse duo.

With Natsu occupied, Erza began to make a move to help Lucy. Sophie was no opponent to take lightly, that much was made clear. But the moment Erza took a step; a black sphere flew down and exploded in her face! Titania was capable of dodging the explosion but it forced her backwards. "What the…!?"

Luke hopped down from a building nearby, giving Erza a wide grin. "Sorry Erza…but it's like they said. Sophie's been itching to face Lucy for some reason…so why don't we stay out of it, yeah? Besides…we need your points. Fairy Tail has a few too many members remaining…and once you all go down; White Eclipse will win the Games once again. By the way…thank Natsu for screaming so loudly. It really helped pin your location down."

"Cynthia! Wendy!" Erza shouted while summoning a blade. "Go assist Lucy!"

Wendy and Cynthia were surprised by the White Eclipse ambush! But Erza's orders were absolute and the two girls nodded…but they couldn't even take a step forward as several explosions occurred right in front of them. Both girls yelped out in surprise only to see the one who caused the explosions: Minerva. The last remaining member of Sabertooth waltzed into the fray with her hands on her hips.

"Well well…it seems things are really picking up." Minerva said while glancing at the ensuing bouts. "I was hoping to have another go with Erza…but she's occupied, and it's rude to intrude on someone's fight. So in the meantime…I think I'll babysit you children. I know how rambunctious you two can be when together…and I can't allow that, it's way past your bed time…" Minerva's magic aura began to waver around her body. As the last remaining member of Sabertooth…she essentially hit the jackpot. If she could take out everyone at once, not only would she assert her own dominance, but she would establish Sabertooth's as well. "Once I finish here…I'll be crowning victory for myself, starting with the lazy one over there." She was referring to Marshall, who entered his Sloth state. He just seemed to be biding his time…truly the least threatening person around at the moment, but that didn't mean people weren't keeping their eyes off him.

"One after another…" Cynthia grumbled. Among those remaining, Minerva was a large threat. But when glancing at Wendy, there was that determined fire in her eyes! "You ready…?"

"Mhm." Wendy nodded, feeling no fear with Cynthia by her side. "We have to do this…!"

And while everyone was beginning to fight, Marshall moved from his position from the fountain to the roof of a nearby building. He was out of the way and surely nobody would notice. Now he just had to wait…

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As soon as Sophie engaged Lucy, Emmeraude practically stood up from her seat, focusing on nothing else. The twinkle in her eyes was noticeable and her smile was present. "There it is…"

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.

Laxus zipped around in his lightning body, avoiding the various bullets from Hubert. Considering he didn't have to deal with any issues of his magic not being effective, this was going to be a much easier battle than with Nina…and even though, he would never admit that he narrowly escaped that one. With the distance closed, Laxus reared his arm back and swung it forward with all the might he could muster. "Take this, you four-eyed freak!"

Hubert brought one arm up to defend against Laxus' punch. Lightning crackled from the blow but Hubert didn't budge! Instead, the free pistol in his hand was pressed to Laxus' chest. "Gravity Blast!" A potent blast of gravity was released right inside of Laxus! The brutal blow caused Laxus' eyes to widen and his jaw to drop in pain as he felt the harsh gravity tear him apart from within. With this opening, Hubert swung his leg in a fierce roundhouse kick that sent Laxus staggering.

"Gah…" Laxus shook off the blow, but he did cough up some blood. The look in his eyes changed, and now he was pissed that Hubert dealt a blow like that. "All right…I'm gonna make sure you regret that one."

"Oh?" Hubert adjusted his glasses. "You know…you're quite the anomaly, Laxus Dreyar. To be fighting so hard in that condition…"

"A little damage isn't going to slow me down." Laxus scoffed while glaring at Hubert.

"That isn't what I meant." Hubert shrugged. Laxus assumed what he meant, but that didn't matter right now.

Laxus brought his arm back before shooting it forward. This prompted a magic seal to appear before him, unleashing a gigantic fist composed purely of lightning to shoot towards the annoying Empyrean. "Lighting Dragon's Breakdown Fist!"

Hubert narrowed his eyes and brought Runeblade up to defend himself, a barrier forming around his body. "Guardian!" As this spell implied, it was a defensive technique to mitigate the damage. The Breakdown Fist exploded against Hubert's barrier! The barrier did hold, but that was just a ploy even if Hubert managed to defend against it, which he did.

"Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd." This was a big one, and to ensure that this was going to hurt, Laxus entered his Dragon Force state once again to really hit home. While the Breakdown Fist flew towards Hubert, Laxus generated a massive spear within his arms and hurled it towards Hubert. The spear flew through the air with incredible speeds and exploded against the Empyrean for what was a direct hit.

Hubert grimaced from the blow just slightly. Even with the special properties of the barrier that Orga half deduced earlier, that attack still stung, but not to the point where Hubert was unable to handle it. Instead, he grinned. "Was that it? I felt the tingle of that one…" The Empyrean then pulled his blade apart into dual pistols once more, beginning to open fire with every element in the book; water, earth, wind, fire, the special bullets of his Scarlet Salvo, poison, gravity, etc! The long list continued and this flurry of bullets was sent directly towards the Dreyar.

"You just don't quit…" Laxus groaned before letting out a loud cry. A massive discharge of lightning occurred on the spot, countering all the bullets coming his way. The overload of power caused a massive explosion in their area. "Now…I'm going to end this in one blow."

"I concur." Hubert adjusted his glasses once more. With the Sapphire Gema on his finger shining, he could see Laxus through the smoke. The dual pistols were merged into a singular great sword that shone brightly. Hubert swung the blade forward, allowing it to fly faster than light while being completely intangible! It still had the ability to pierce through objects, and Laxus found that out as the blade ran through his side. The blade made a return trip, but the lightning dragon was capable of avoiding this one. The large sword then plugged itself deep into the ground of what was considered to be the 'center' of their battlefield, a large magic seal encrypting itself within that entire radius. "Fare thee well. Brilliant Cataclysm!" The sword unleashed multiple shockwaves before turning into a large pillar of magic that covered the entirety of the magic seal! This attack was different from most, because this was not physical or even magic damage, this was damage brought from Hubert's superior intellect! Laxus was caught within the large pillar before it eventually exploded, leaving a gigantic smoke cloud.

The smoke cleared and the sword returned to Hubert. As it cleared, Laxus was still seen standing tall, even after all that! His head was tilted down and as a result, his eyes shaded as a result. "…." He then just…fell over, eyes white. Laxus Dreyar had fallen, thus giving Empyrean Dawn 5 points. Their score rose from 73 to 78, tying them for first once again.

"It was a good effort…but not good enough." Hubert brought his hand to his head, groaning softly as his Brilliant Cataclysm did leave him with a small migraine.

.

.

"Hubert defeats Laxus in a stunning turn of events!" Chapati was just as shocked as everyone else.

"The Ozwell family never disappoints…" Emmeraude made that remark, but her eyes weren't even glued to the fight. She was completely focused on Sophie's encounter with Lucy.

"Things are getting intense, don't you think?" Siegrain chuckled softly. "This is, without a doubt, the climax of the Final Day. The winner may be decided within these last few bouts."

"LAXUS!" The Raijinshu exclaimed out in worry at their Leader's defeat.

"That four eyed bastard!" Bickslow shouted. "How dare he!?"

"I can't believe this…he only got lucky because Laxus' injuries prior…!" Evergreen scoffed while rapidly fanning herself.

"That's a problem…" Mavis said aloud. "Between Laxus and Mira both being down…and the White Eclipse ambush…"

"Things are spiraling out of control…" Makarov mumbled.

"I hope that's not too much of an issue for you, Fairy Tail." Calium remarked, the master giving a grin. "We anticipated you'd have plans of your own…but White Eclipse has grown. Even more so than I expected. I didn't play a single part in their planning, but I'm surprised at how far they've come. I may be young now, but I still feel old after seeing all their hard work."

"Come on, Natsu! You can do it!" Happy shouted. Things were heating up…any misstep could lead to defeat. 19 people remained…Fairy Tail has 7 people left, most with some form of injury. If now was the time to pull off a turnabout, it was now!

.

.

[Flashback: The day before.]

Sophie briefly returned to White Eclipse, a little sheepish since she had been away this entire time, but they were happy to see her nonetheless. But Sophie proposed a request to them regarding her mission. "I'm sorry to ask this…but tomorrow…I'm going to be taking part in the final day. I don't wish to fight any of you…but I have something important I must do. The blonde girl from Fairy Tail…Lucy…I have to fight her…I can't say why, but…"

"Don't sweat it." Luke said while waving his hand. "I get it. You got something to settle with her, yeah?"

"Your points will be added to your score, right?" Reve lifted a brow and Sophie nodded. "Then it's not a problem. She probably won't be worth much anyway. But…we can make no promises. If we encounter her and end up defeating her first, you'll miss out. However…on the chance that you do encounter her, we'll let you fight her. In exchange, you will give your points to us when you finish."

"Okay." Sophie nodded in agreement. All she wanted to do was encounter Lucy…anything else didn't matter to her. "I'd be happy to help White Eclipse win, too. This is still my home…and I'll be returning once the Games are over."

"We want to hear all about it when you come back!" Yaya said while grabbing Sophie's hands.

"It sounds like a lot of fun!" Nyx spoke with a wide grin.

"Are we still ignoring the fact she's totally a robot…?" Shinji said with a huff.

"I guess so…" Yuji said while rubbing the back of his head.

[End flashback]

Sophie assaulted Lucy nonstop with a flurry of punches. Her speed was great, appearing as a pink streak of light to continue the offensive. Lucy utilized her Stardress: Taurus, to fight with Sophie on even found. Blow for blow, punch for punch, miniature shockwaves occurred with each colliding blow. "You…must let me help you! You are getting worse…!" Sophie said with an uncharacteristic shout.

"Help me?!" Lucy narrowed her eyes and let out an irritated growl. "First you talk about destroying me in Tartarus, and now you're talking about helping me! Make up your mind and leave me alone!" Lucy violently swung her fist at Sophie's face, but the girl was able to block it with her gauntlets and slid backwards before coming to a halt. The black-red aura around Lucy slowly started to intensify the more she battled Sophie. The black markings along her arm steadily returning….

" _It's no good…it's waking up, and she's rejecting my help…"_ Sophie narrowed her eyes before lunging forward again, forming a sphere of Photon magic within her palm. She slammed the sphere into Lucy's gut and allowed the sphere to carry the celestial mage away it exploded violently.

"AAAAAAAH!" Lucy's cry of pain was louder than even she expected it to be. Every time Sophie hit her with her magic, it hurt more than it should have. She could never understand why, but it was getting on her nerves.

"Listen to me. You are getting worse. You are reaching the point of no return. You must allow me to…" Before Sophie could finish, a pair of hands rose from the ground under her feet to latch onto her ankles with an ironclad grip. "Huh…?"

"You will be punished for attacking the Princess with such hostility." Virgo stated. "Princess, she is open for attack. She will not be escaping my grip."

"Thanks, Virgo…" Lucy nodded before pulling her whip forward, allowing it to wrap around Sophie's arms to tie them together. Then, with the strength Taurus' Stardress granted, she pulled Sophie from Virgo's grip and slammed her into a nearby building! The process was repeated once more before slamming Sophie into the ground, creating a large crevasse from impact. "I don't like having to beat up a kid, but you're giving me no choice. Now leave me alone if you know what's good for you, Protos Heis." That last bit…where did it come from? Lucy had no idea and she blinked a few times in surprise. If she could see a mirror, she would be surprised at what Sophie and Virgo saw.

One of Lucy's brown eyes completely changed to red…the black markings along her arm spread to her back and neck, and that aura was ever present. Sophie's jaw dropped and her hand clenched into a fist. "It's…awake….Lambda…the virus…" Even after such a beating, she had to stand up! It was her mission to capture that virus…but things took a hard turn now that it was fully awake…would it be for long? It didn't matter. Lucy was in danger. Sophie slowly made her way to her feet, a pink aura flaring to counteract Lucy's own. "It must be now or never…Accel: 100%!" Sophie unleashed her full power!

Lucy narrowed her eyes. It was that odd sensation again…she didn't even feel like she was in control of her own movements. The thoughts and actions of another entity were muddled with her own. "You won't beat me…" Lucy said while cracking her whip to make a statement.

" _They've been connected for so long…this may be impossible…but…but I have to try! My creator, our creator…Emmeraude is counting on me to complete my mission. My reason for existence. I won't let her down…!"_ With these thoughts in her head, Sophie lunged at Lucy once more…only this time, the hostility between the two of them as at an all-time high.

.

The Waiston and Kuro tag team proved troublesome for even Natsu alone. He could handle one or the other, but both? This was like Sting and Rogue, but harder, and they were carrying injuries! Waiston aimed a punch at Natsu, but the salamander ducked to avoid it, firing back with an uppercut to the jaw! A direct hit, but while he was in the motion of hitting Waiston, Kuro moved in with a kick to Natsu's face! Natsu groaned and staggered back, but still kept his ground. "Damn you guys are annoyin…" Natsu then inhaled before lurching forward, unleashing a gigantic funnel of flame towards the Eclipse pair. "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

This was their chance! Kuro slid forward, placing his fist into his palm. "Fire Make: Jar!" A jar appeared in front of Kuro, converting Natsu's attack into fuel. As a result, Kuro's muscles briefly bulked up as he drained the power of the roar for himself! He then opened his mouth, releasing his own oral attack. "Flame Devil's Rage!"

"Frozen Dragon's Roar!" The two attacks merged together and barreled towards Natsu, where an explosion occurred on contact! A direct hit for certain and Natsu cried out while being thrown back, but he recovered fast to prevent the duo from following up.

Lightning and fire exploded around Natsu and he sprinted forward, flames trailing behind his arms as he dashed right between Kuro and Waiston. "Fire Dragon's Wing Slash!" A direct hit on both, forcing them to split up as a result. No time was wasted and Natsu pivoted on his heel and leapt into the air, merging lightning and fire over his head to form a gigantic thunderous blaze with the both of them. "And…Dazzling Blaze of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" Arms dropped down, sending this dual sphere right towards the Eclipse pair, where a large explosion occurred! Waiston and Kuro dropped down, both damaged, but grinning.

"Super Freeze Arrow!" A voice called out from the left. An arrow traveled at sonic speeds towards the duo, but Waiston caught it in his hand with a grin.

"Thanks for the meal…" Waiston said before chomping down on the arrow, feeling his lost magic and even some of his stamina return. "Gray."

Gray let out a silent 'tsk' as Waiston ate his attack, but soon appeared next to Natsu. "You good, Flamebrain?"

"I was having an easy time." Natsu said with a smirk to his rival and childhood companion. "Now that you're here, this will just be too easy."

"Ha!" Waiston laughed. The wind began to pick up around his body as he entered his Frozen Sky dual mode. "That's a joke if I've ever heard one. You're outclassed, Fairy Tail!"

Kuro nodded in agreement, red markings appearing along his body as he accessed his Devil Slaying. The heat picked up, but was balanced by Waiston's cold. "This is where it ends."

"In your dreams!" Gray said as his own Devil Slaying markings appeared around his body. "You're going down, White Eclipse!"

.

Erza donned her Flame Empress Armor, swinging her flaming sword around to send whips of flame towards Luke. Erza had not the time to deal with Luke when Lucy was in trouble against Sophie. The cry of pain Lucy let out could be heard all the way over there and Erza needed to provide some assistance, but Luke was adamant in not letting her out of his sight! "Luke! Get out of my way!"

"No can do!" Luke exclaimed while weaving through the trails of flame. His fist lit up in white light and as soon as he closed the distance, he brought his arm forward to Erza's chest. "White God's Shimmering Smash!" The impact caused a bright flash of light to temporarily force Erza to close her eyes. Luke saw this opening and aimed another punch, but this wasn't the first time Erza had to fight without her eyes. Erza ducked Luke's punch, leaving the copycat wide eyed at her movements. "Huh?!"

The opening was clear; Erza changed to her Giant's Armor, slamming the enlarged fist into Luke's chest. "It will take more than blinding me to get the upper hand on me." The heavy blow was enough to wind Luke and Erza followed up by changing into her Wind God's Armor, twin blades at her disposal as her eyesight returned. Two swift slashes were aimed at the infamous Eclipse mage; however Luke was able to avoid the slashes in the nick of time.

The copycat landed, giving a smirk while snapping his fingers. "Of course it wouldn't be that easy." As soon as his fingers snapped, a yellow magic seal formed underneath Erza's feet. The infamous lightning trap came into play, but Erza wasn't going to fall for such a trick. The seal did as it usually did: unleashing a high voltage discharge of lightning to inflict temporarily paralysis. Erza took a high leap into the sky…right into the actual trap! Luke quickly fired off a White God's Holy Ray the instant Erza jumped, multiple rays of light colliding onto Titania from all angles to inflict a high amount of damage. "You're not getting out of this one unscatched!"

After the Holy Ray, Erza fell from the sky for a few seconds before switching to her Black Wing Armor and the matching sword. From above, Erza began sending crescent beams down towards Luke. "You are persistent…" Erza admitted.

Luke brought one arm up, allowing a circular mirror to appear as though it were a shield! "What can I say? I don't go down easy, and it's only expected that the same can be said of you." This reflective surface bounced the beams back towards Erza with no effort. Erza nimbly evaded the reflected beams and dove down towards Luke once more.

Another light shone and this time Erza donned her Amadura Fairy Armor, holding absolutely nothing back against the copycat. The twin swords the armor came with were pointed forward, large amounts of magic gathered within the blades for one of Erza's strongest attacks. "Photon Slicer!" The ensuing blast did consume Luke, but there was no sound from him. This left his condition unknown…until Erza noticed the palm on her armor. "Huh…?"

"Man…that hurt like hell…" Luke admitted before taking a few steps back. His body was bruised and the Photon Slicer dealt noticeable damage, however…his body began to shine, a shine that was exactly identical to Erza's requip. Black and white armor formed around Luke's body, fully equipped with a black and white sword with the White Eclipse emblem on the hilt. "But I think that was worth it…"

"What the…you copied my armor…" Erza went on the defensive. It had been ages since Luke actually copied someone's magic…so to not expect the tactic was a folly on Erza's end.

"You've got so many armors; copying requip wasn't going to do me a lick of good." Luke said while testing out the sword. It handled like a dream, noted by the content expression on his face. "So I had to wait until you brought out one of your strongest and the gambit paid off. So…as for a name…I think I'll call this one…Eclipse Knight."

.

Minerva was no opponent to underestimate. Wendy and Cynthia were both aware that she was leagues above them…but they were together, and they could do anything when they were a unit! With that thought in both of their minds, they both rushed Minerva together. They had numbers to their advantage and needed to use that if they wanted a chance at winning. At the same time, both dragon slayers leapt into the air with their respective element coating their dominate leg.

"Sky Arrow!"

"Fire Arrow!"

Minerva crossed her arms as spatial magic formed around then, lessening the damage inflicted. But the two girls still had impressive might, pushing Minerva backwards just a little bit. As the two girls leapt back, the Tigress pointed her hand forward, unleashing an orb of territory to explode in their face! Both girls let out a cry of pain while tumbling back, but they weren't out yet. "Just like a Fairy Tail mage…annoying resilient."

"We've learned from the best." Cynthia grinned.

Wendy then spread her arms, a magic seal forming underneath the feet of both girls. "Ile Arms! Ile Vernier!" They were going complete offense for this bout. Wendy's enhancement increased speed and power, allowing the duo to move and strike much harder and faster than before. With this buff in speed, Wendy, the one who was already faster than everyone else, appeared behind Minerva. As for Cynthia, she appeared in front of the Tigress, both girls having their hands extended. "Wind Palm!"

"Flame Palm!"

From their palms, a burst of omega flames and air shot forth to completely engulf Minerva. Things weren't going to be that easy for the girls as Minerva created a barrier of Territory around her body to mitigate the damage. As soon as the attack was over, the orb she used to protect herself began unleashing beams from all angles. Wendy and Cynthia had to back away to avoid being caught within the onslaught of nonstop beams; however they were grazed due to the sheer number of them. Minerva dispersed the barrier and held her arms to her sides after having successfully split the pair apart. "I don't like fighting children…it's somewhat of a hassle if I'm to be honest."

"We're not here for your sympathy!" Wendy exclaimed. "We're here because we're fighting for our guild. They're counting on me…so I'm going to give it my all no matter the opponent. You should be doing the same!"

Minerva sighed, because Wendy was right. A part of her just felt bad to utterly annihilate a pair of budding teenagers…but they had to learn somehow. "Very well. I'll make this quick for respect of you girls fighting for your guild."

"You better give it everything you've got…because we're not holding back!" Cynthia sprinted forward, blue eyes turning brown and scales appearing along her ankles and wrists. Her Earth Flame dual mode was active and she reared her arm back, flames taking the form of a sharp claw. She was about to swing…but it was a feint! Just before she closed the gap, a pillar of earth briefly rose to shoot her into the air over Minerva, landing behind her for a fierce claw strike on that beautiful back of hers. "Claw!"

"Tch…!" Minerva hissed in pain while glancing back at Cynthia…which was a mistake, for Wendy had the chance to strike then!

"Roar…Of the Omega Flame Sky Dragon!" Wendy exhaled, unleashing a potent blast of wind and flames from her mouth. Her singular roar was already excellent at blowing people away, but merged with the Omega flames from Cynthia turned this simple wind into a blazing hurricane that collided against Minerva's chest. The Tigress held her ground, sliding backwards only slightly. She held her ground for the majority of the roar, feeling the wind and flames mar her skin with marks.

"Okay, I see…" Their teamwork was different to watch, and much different to experience. Minerva couldn't afford to drag Sabertooth's name in the mud because of some teenage girls, and she definitely wasn't going to lose before facing Erza and/or Kagura again! The demon marks appeared along Minerva's body as she utilized the curse power within her. There was no shame this time around and she brought forth Neo Minerva, instantly pointing her hand at Cynthia. "You want my full power? Then you shall receive…but do not ask for me to take it back. I will sink my fangs into any Fairy…old or young." An explosion then occurred right where Cynthia was standing, blowing the girl backwards. With her magic, Minerva appeared during Cynthia's flight and forcefully blasted her back towards Wendy.

"AGH!" Cynthia cried out while flying back, feeling the damage stack until she crashed into Wendy harshly.

"Oof…!" Wendy grunted. "A-Are you okay…!?"

"I think…" Cynthia got the worst of it for sure…but it wasn't over yet. Minerva formed a sphere of territory above them and began raining down destruction in the form of large beams! "Watch out!" With her earth manipulation, Cynthia formed a dome to protect her and Wendy from the multiple explosions the beams caused. The dome held strong for a little while before it eventually crumbled and left the pair susceptible to the beams.

Minerva placed her hands on her hips, watching carefully. Despite her attitude…she did know never to underestimate a Fairy Tail mage, least of all two of them. Especially when she already sustained damage herself. "So girls…were you all bark and no bite?"

The smoke steadily faded. Cynthia and Wendy were still both standing…but they had both seen better days. Both girls were bruised and bloodied, but they refused to fall just yet! The Dragon Duo panted heavily, but the look in their eyes showed they weren't finished yet. "We…we aren't done yet. We…have to prove…"

"That we're reliable…" Wendy said, her knees buckling…but she didn't fall. Cynthia and Wendy were both determined to do more for Fairy Tail. Their performance in the Games only pushed this want into a need. They were growing up…they weren't kids anymore. Any challenge presented to them and they'd take it on together.

Minerva felt a smile tug her lips. She wasn't the sadistic woman she used to be…she had a heart now thanks to Sabertooth and Erza. "I see they've taught you well. I still don't like fighting people younger than me…but I will take you both down with everything I can muster while I claim victory for Sabertooth. Nothing will stop me from that."

.

With everyone so into their fights, it was only natural that they forgot about Marshall since he wasn't doing anything harmful to begin with. It was assumed that whoever was finished first would get rid of the Empyrean after. But that was their mistake to assume he wasn't doing anything. In reality, he was biding his time. Marshall was in the center of where all the battles were occurring and his Greed was becoming more and more potent. Nobody noticed it immediately due to the high octane action. But a green dome covered the entire radius of the city square, capturing everyone within it. "…Give me everything." The green dome flashed and for a moment, everyone ceased fighting. The magic in the air was all drawn towards Marshall.

"What the hell is he doing…?" Gray narrowed his eyes. "When did this dome show up!?"

"The guy who took out Juvia…I forgot about him…" Natsu said, but the remark wasn't missed by Gray.

"He's drawing magic…" Erza reported. "But…what's he planning to do with it…? Whatever it is, I won't let it stand!" Erza took her attention off of Luke for a moment to shoot a sword at Marshall, which cut into his side.

"…." Marshall turned to look at Erza, glaring as the woman interrupted his process. He didn't have enough…it was never going to be enough, but she cut him off! As a result…he had to unleash what he did gather. The dome exploded, catching everyone in its wake. Luckily most people such as Gray, Waiston, Erza, Luke, Minerva, and Cynthia were able to protect themselves and their partners from the explosion…but in the end it didn't do much as the damage output was insanely high! Lucy and Sophie wouldn't let this damage stop them. They'd slow down a little, but their battle was far from over and Marshall wasn't going to stop that.

"Agh…what the hell!?" Luke shouted in pain. "That was way too much damage…if I didn't guard that…"

"Speak for yourself…" Minerva scoffed.

Marshall was mostly unfazed…a little annoyed since he didn't have enough. "…I need more. It's not enough. It's never enough. I want everything and more. Everything you all have to offer. Give it to me now." Once again, another dome formed and the magic was starting to sap from everyone within! "Give it all to me!"

"O-Oi…" Natsu staggered around a little bit as the magic was being drained from him. "W-What's he doing…?"

"Getting a little dizzy here…" Waiston shook his head, trying to focus.

"Tch…" Gray grit his teeth. After hearing that Marshall was the one who beat Juvia, he couldn't let this man do what he wanted! "Ice Devil Zeroth's…Destruction Bow!" Gray had to work fast, forming a bow and arrow within his grip and let it fly towards Marshall! The icy explosion cut Marshall from absorbing anything else and he fell from the building he was standing! But when he stood up, he didn't look happy in the slightest. "Natsu, you got those two, right!?" He said, already sprinting towards Marshall.

"In my sleep…!" Natsu said with a nod. Thanks to Gray, he felt better and he turned to his adversaries.

"You wanna bet!?" Waiston shouted, grinning as the numbers were in their favor again.

"Not on my watch!" Gajeel exclaimed from above, dropping down on Natsu's side in his Iron Shadow. The fun was really getting started and he wasn't going let happen without him. "Your Rookie was a cakewalk. Too bad you two won't be much of a challenge either."

.

Gray sprinted towards Marshall with his fist in his palm. "Ice Make…Excalibur!" Gray was unleashing the heavy artillery for Marshall. In one fluid motion his hand was drawn and a finely crafted blade was forged. Gray swung this sword at Marshall's body, but Marshall countered with his own sword, a red aura flaring around his body. "…What?"

"You should've let me have it, kid…" Marshall said as the red aura around his body intensified. His Wrath was increasing! "It's never enough, you know? You always want something…and when you get it, you only want more. It's a feeling you'd never understand. But right now…you've got me pretty upset. So for that…I'm going to cut you down."

"Oh yeah!?" Gray grit his teeth, struggling against Marshall's blade. "You took down one of our Nakama and someone important to me…you don't understand the meaning of mad! I'm going to be the one to cut you down!"

"Oh…?" Marshall had a sick grin as Gray had the nerve to tell him that he wasn't mad. "Now you've done it…I'm going to have to show you true Wrath…" With the aura growing even stronger, Marshall forced Gray away with a simple slash of his sword, breaking Gray's in the process and left the Devil Slayer wide eyed. "I AM Wrath. You…are someone who's about to die."

.

.

Next Time: Unbridled Wrath!


	136. Chapter 136: Unbridled Wrath!

Scoreboard:

1st: Fairy Tail: 78

1st: Empyrean Dawn: 78

2nd: White Eclipse: 76

3rd: Sabtertooth: 67

4th: Mermaid Heel: 49

5th: Blue Pegasus: 41

Member Status:

White Eclipse: Luke, Cygnus, Reve, Waiston, Kuro.

Fairy Tail: Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Gray, Wendy, Cynthia, Gajeel.

Mermaid Heel: Kagura.

Blue Pegasus: Jenny, and Darren.

Sabertooth: Minerva.

Empyrean Dawn: Marshall, Hubert, Cecelia.

Sophie Active: 3 point value.

.

.

Emmeraude never once took her eyes off of the Sophie and Lucy fight. Yes there was action going on everywhere else, but this was the battle that meant the most to her. Two of her creations were battling it out fiercely. While this was technically the intended result in the event the Lambda Virus did get out of control, so in a way, things were going according to plan. But this wasn't what Emmeraude envisioned…Lucy interfering with her plans ruined everything! And now… _"This…is a problem. The virus and that girl have been bound together for too long now…Protos Heis may not be able to separate the two of them without taking…drastic measures…"_

For the audience, they were all watching intently as things reached the wire. White Eclipse clearly caught Fairy Tail off guard with their ambush and the final moments of the Games were drawing near. Tia narrowed her eyes at Lucy, easily discerning that something was off with the girl she called her first friend. "Lucy…what's happening to you…?"

.

Sophie was at full power and used it well. Her speed was so great she didn't even appear as light anymore, just a faint blur that occasionally appeared into view for not even a second. Even the trained eye was going to have high difficulty in keeping track with her. The distance was closed and Sophie pushed her arm forward. "Raging Beast!" Another lion's head formed along her arm, unleashing a loud bestial cry. The force of the roar decimated the street behind Lucy, but the mage herself held her ground.

" _I don't know what's going on with me…I don't understand. But every time this girl shows up…I lose control of myself…"_ Those were Lucy's thoughts. Her body didn't feel like it was her own right now. Arms crossed as Sophie unleashed her attack. It always felt as though Sophie's magic was made specifically for Lucy, because each hit hurt more than it should have. But that wasn't going to stop her. Lucy sprinted forward, changing from Stardress Taurus to Cancer, wielding twin blades that she used to slice and dice at Sophie.

Sparks flew from the collision of steel meeting steel. Every slash Lucy aimed at Sophie was parried by Sophie's gauntlets. There was no need for the girl to fret in close combat since she was adept at holding her own. "There may still be time…I don't wish to hurt you…just allow me to."

"I don't need your help!" Lucy shouted and swung her blades out in an X formation. This prompted a black/red wave of magic to shoot out and explode against Sophie, sending her flying back. Lucy blinked a few times, stunned at what she did…because she knew that she was not capable of such a thing. "Uh…" Once again, she was unleashing attacks she had no control over.

" _Destroy her."_ The voice inside of Lucy's head whispered. Just when she thought it was gone, here it was again plaguing her mind. Now of all time's when she was trying to fight for her guild!

"Get out of my head…" Lucy groaned, shaking her head a few times. She really needed some answers…Sophie was likely capable of providing them, however…the two were far too high strung right now. The hostility between them was too high and despite Sophie's efforts to try and talk, Lucy didn't want to hear it.

Sophie recovered from Lucy's blow, panting softly at the damage inflicted. "That magic…without a doubt. Time has run out…I have to end this fast…" The Eclipse mage extended and pink light formed a small saber within her hand. Sophie appeared in front of Lucy in an instant, swinging her sword at Lucy. "Slash Rose!"

Once again, they were in a deadlock. Sophie's sword and Lucy's blades clashed. The two had an odd sense of familiarity when fighting once another. Their sword slashes clashed and they managed to evade the other strikes. At the end of it all, both girls extended their hands forward and unleashed a blast; Sophie's pink and Lucy's black. They were so close a large explosion occurred and blew them both backwards a few yards. Both tumbled before catching themselves on a knee.

"Ah…hah…" Lucy panted heavily. Her body felt heavier as she consciously tried to fight against this sensation attempting to control her. Standing, Lucy hunched over, closing one eye as the felt the damage rack up. But Fairy Tail needed her to fight in this pivotal moment. That was the thought keeping her standing.

Sophie hunched over, panting heavily herself. Things were going about as she expected…but she refused to allow things to continue. "Release!" Sophie's aura expanded and her body split apart into multiple streaks of light. These streaks of light began to assault Lucy from all angles, leaving no quarter for the celestial mage to respond, only letting out shouts of pain upon each hit. While it was difficult to see, each blow from Sophie was actually a powerful punch. "A flurry of fists swarms the sky…!" With Lucy reeling from the attack, Sophie's body converged and reformed, the girl now rearing her arm back for the finishing blow. "Accel Fatality: Zero Dissolver!"

Lucy let out a cry of pain for each blow that landed against her. The damage stacked, yet for some reason she could see it all in slow motion, even as Sophie winded up for the finishing blow. Lucy dropped one sword, extending her arm forward as if to block Sophie's attack. "You…"

It all happened slowly for both parties. Just as Sophie moved her arm, she got a good look at Lucy's face. Despite all circumstances, there was one thing that was clear: Lucy still had time left. Only one of her eyes were red and the other was still brown…that meant she was fighting against the Virus. If Sophie hit her now in her condition…it could kill her. Sophie couldn't take a life that could be saved…not like this. If there was time, then Lucy could be saved…this went against her mission, but she couldn't kill someone. "I can't…" That wasn't her mission…so at the last second, Sophie's aura dispersed and she stopped her attack.

And as soon as Sophie hesitated, Lucy followed through with her sudden instinct and brought the one blade in her free hand forward, cutting Sophie's chest. It was by no means fatal as Lucy held that intensity back, but it was enough to take Sophie down. Those 3 points Sophie was worth were added to Fairy Tail's, pushing them from 78 to 81, putting them in the lead once again. Lucy fell to her hands and knees, feeling her entire body shake. "Ah…ah…ha….w-what is happening to me…"

.

.

"And Sophie goes down after putting up a show! How do you feel, Lady Emmeraude!?" Chapati glanced at Emmeraude who settled back into her seat.

"I imagine she must be proud." Siegrain remarked.

Arms crossed, the Queen closed her eyes and appeared to be deep in thought. "Sophie did admirable. I'm very proud of her." That was no lie. Sophie handled herself extremely well. Emmeraude was able to deduce Lucy's condition from afar with how Sophie acted in battle at that last moment. _"She stopped at the last second…that must mean there's some time. Not much…but I have to devise a plan to separate them, otherwise my plan will never come to fruition…"_

.

.

Luke and Erza were having one hell of a duel. The Eclipse Knight vs. Amadura Fairy. Their blades clashed and sparks flew. Luke knew what he was doing with a blade and that caused Erza some problems. She was capable of parrying his strikes, but the intensity of his swings made it exceedingly difficult for her to get a strike in. Luke whistled while grinning at this development. "Man! This thing handles like a dream! Who knew I was so good with swords!"

Erza narrowed her eyes as Luke spoke, swinging one blade to the side to parry Luke's sword slash while the other moved to slash, but he was able to leap back to avoid it. "It doesn't matter what kind of weapon you wield, what matters is those who wield them. You may have taken the attributes of my armor, but you yourself are no good with weapons. I won't lose to some cheap imitation!" Erza pointed the twin swords forward once again, unleashing yet another Photon Slicer at Luke, this one larger than the previous. The sphere of lightning rushed forward in attempt to utterly destroy the copycat.

"Come on! You should know me better than that, Erza. What goes around comes around!" Luke pointed his sword forward, unleashing a raw beam of emerald lightning to counter the Photon Slicer. The two beams collided and exploded into a thick cloud of smoke. "Now let's try something out!" Luke kept his blade pointed forward, generating some Eclipse magic through the sword. The magic gathered turned into a raw Eclipse beam that shot towards Titania at breakneck speeds.

Erza's eyes widened and she brought her swords forward in an X formation, attempting to block against this widespread blast. It didn't do her much good and she ended up being thrown back, covered in wounds from the damage dealt. It wasn't over yet! Luke took to the air, swinging his blade down atop Erza's head. Titania shifted to her Adamantine Armor once again, bringing the defensive plates over her head. The moment Luke's blade made contact a pillar of Eclipse Magic exploded. Both Erza and Luke were thrown back; Erza's armor got the worst of it and she wouldn't be able to defend against another high caliber attack without it completely breaking. "Tch…"

"What's wrong? Don't tell me you're quitting!" Luke grinned while sliding across the ground.

"Don't bet on it." Erza took to the sky, shifting armors into her Heaven's Wheel armor, summoning multiple blades and shot them all at Luke. "Dance, my blades!" As these blades moved in, Erza herself swooped in. Luke was able to parry away the incoming swords, but the direct hit from Erza herself was one he couldn't avoid. Blumenbatt was a powerful strike and even Luke felt the damage linger. Erza landed after the strike, grinning a bit at Luke's damaged armor. "What's wrong, Luke? I'm just getting started."

Luke groaned while turning around, panting softly, but still grinning at Erza's words. "Oh please…I haven't even warmed up yet." The two had quite a back and forth, but it was going to come to an end as a bullet flew towards Erza's skull. Titania was able to avoid it, but the bullet still did graze her cheek. Both Luke and Erza took a glance in the direction the bullet came from.

Of course it was none other than Reve Volver. It took him a while to arrive to the party since his position was a ways off…but he was here now and that was the important part. "Luke, tag out."

"Heh…" Luke simply nodded to Erza and backed off. "Shame…you at least had a chance with me…" The copycat let those words linger as he departed the scene.

Reve landed where Luke was, glaring at Erza as these two rivals once again met face to face. Both of them were beat up, but they made it far enough to ensure that only one of them would lose to the other. "It's about time I finish this once and for all."

"Oh…?" Erza quirked a brow. The animosity in Reve's stare was greater than usual and she knew it. "I don't recall doing anything to tick you off…but I'll be more than happy to destroy you."

Reve had his aim trained on Erza, the tension between them reaching a boiling point. "I don't know what it is that makes you think you're so special…but I'm tired of everyone gloating about your feats like you're the greatest person in the world. I will NEVER be in your shadow." Just what was Reve referring to? A moment that honestly haunted him for the last few months: Erza's feat at Tartarus. Even with all her senses robbed by Kyouka, she was still capable of standing and fighting as though it were nothing but an inconvenience at best, and Happy deemed it as nothing less than 'because she's Erza', while Lector was capable of giving a better explanation. Didn't mean Reve wasn't upset about it. And back on the Isle…why was Erza the one who got to wield the Eternal Sword? Not that it bothered him in particular…but he just wondered why _her._

"Me? Special?" Erza managed a small smirk at Reve's words. She honestly had no idea what had him so nettled…but she was going to roll with it because it only meant she did things that he could never do. "I don't think of myself as such…but I appreciate the compliment. If I'm so special, what do you intend to do about it?"

"I intend to put you down again." Reve stated calmly even though the look in his eyes said differently. "Just so people can be reminded…that in the end, compared to me, you're nothing."

"You make it sound as though you'll truly end me if this fight goes south." Erza remarked, slowly getting into a stance.

"If you do end up dying, it just means you weren't special after all." Reve shrugged, his callous words rubbing Erza the wrong way. But it was to be expected. They may have been allies when the time called for it…but in the long run, these two were not friends. Far from it.

.

Wendy and Cynthia both panted heavily. Marshall's large-scale attack from earlier didn't help their standings against Minerva even though they were able to defend against it. With the condition that everyone was in, there was a high chance that Minerva could run through everyone in their state. Those two knew it, and Minerva was pretty confident in herself. "Okay…we have to do this fast…" Cynthia said with heavy breaths.

"Mhm…" Wendy nodded in agreement.

"On my mark…let's go!" Cynthia began to inhale along with Wendy, the process not taking very long as they both gathered more than enough magic within a second of inhaling. "Roar of the Omega Earth Flame Dragon!"

"Roar of the Omega Flame Sky Dragon!" Both girls exhaled, unleashing dual roars of flame, sky, and earth. The two roars merged as soon as they left the users' mouths, turning into a triple elemental roar that barreled across the street, racing directly for Neo Minerva.

The girls had vigor, Minerva could give them that much. Two hands were pointed forward, a shield of territory forming in front of her to act as a wall. The roar collided against this barrier and held strong enough to the point where when the roar exploded, it didn't crack at all. "You'll have to hit much harder than that…" There was smoke, meaning she couldn't see them…but she assumed they'd try and rush her down again after seeing long range spells having no effect. As the smoke settled…only Cynthia was present, and she had her hands firmly on the ground. "Hmmm…?"

"Here we go! Geo Rumble!" Cynthia called out. The entire ground within a few yard radius began to tremble and quake violently, splitting apart while stalagmites rose, erupting in bursts of earth magic to keep Minerva off balance and throw her off.

While Minerva staggered about below, Wendy was the one who attacked from the sky. The sky dragon had her arms spread out and twisted her upper body slightly, gathering wind and omega flames around her being. "Secret Art Revision: Shattering Light: Blazing Drill!" Multiple cyclones formed around Minerva to box her in with the sheer intensity of the wind pressure. These cyclones were imbued with flames that only burned stronger with each passing second. A magic seal formed in front of Wendy, unleashing a gigantic beam of wind and fire that ended up resembling a bright red/blue beam that tore through the sky as it moved down. Cynthia from above, Wendy from below - that was the synergy of their plan! The Secret Art collided against Minerva, who did struggle against its might.

As the attack died down, Minerva looked more pissed off than hurt…and those attacks were nothing to sneeze at. Her form vanished as she used her magic to appear before the falling Wendy, swinging her leg at the sky dragon to clip her wings and ground her. Wendy hit the ground pretty hard as noted by the loud crashing sound. "I've had enough."

"Wendy…!" Cynthia began to sprint towards Wendy, but Minerva appeared before her and she ran right into her open palm.

"You two are terrible when separated." Minerva remarked while unleashing a large, widespread blast of Territory directly at Cynthia's face. The omega dragon let out a cry of pain and flew back until landing roughly on the ground. Her Earth Flame dual mode increased her durability…but only for so long as the injuries continued to stack and she felt herself growing weak. "That is the flaw of your teamwork…so; I'll get rid of you first. You are the far more troublesome one." Minerva raised her hands, mobbing hem in a circular motion. " _Niel Wielg Mion Terse Elcantaeus_ : Yagdo Rigora!" This chant prompted a large statue with intricate designs to appear before Cynthia. It only flashed for a second before its body emitted a powerful blast of magic that spread far and wide. Not even Cynthia was going to take this well…if at all.

The blast died down and the result surprised…well, everyone watching. While Cynthia did end up taking the blast, she didn't take most of it. That pleasure belonged with Wendy as she was in her Dragon Force, standing before Cynthia with heavy damages on her person. The eyes of Minerva and Cynthia widened since Wendy was clear across the other side of the city square when Minerva fired that blast. "W-Wendy…?" Cynthia stuttered, her body returning to normal from the damage.

"W-We're a team…so…sometimes…you have to let me do the protecting too, okay…?" Wendy said while glancing back at Cynthia with a pained smile before falling over, panting hard as she barely managed to stay conscious.

"She…was much faster than I anticipated…" Minerva herself was caught off guard at Wendy's speed…and the fact she was willing to move so desperately to defend Cynthia.

"Can you move…?!" Cynthia asked while kneeling down.

"I…I don't know…" Wendy then reached out to grab Cynthia's hand. "But…I want you to finish this for us…" There was a flash of light, Wendy returning to normal as the remaining magic she had went right into Cynthia. The overflow of Sky Dragon slaying pushed Cynthia into the state of Omega Sky Flame once again, just like during their fight against one another during the Tartarus incident.

"Mmm…" Cynthia nodded and understood what Wendy wanted. Wendy was down, but not out yet. She couldn't waste this chance!

"You can save the niceties for after the battle, yes? You'll have a long time to think about." Minerva pointed her hand forward and unleashed a large beam right for Cynthia, but Cynthia's speed was much faster than before! She wasn't as fast as Wendy, but it was still good enough.

She slipped past the beam while rearing her arm back, shooting it forward with no hesitation. "Hurricane Claw!" Cynthia swung her arm up, causing a blazing tornado to erupt around Minerva to hold her in place with an unbearable heat that could sap the strength out of anyone.

"Annoying…!" Minerva swiped her hand, not allowing that tornado to last very long. But Cynthia was nowhere in sight after she dispersed it. "Where did…"

Cynthia was above in the sky, one hand raised over her head as a sphere of omega flames and wind formed within her palm. This sphere grew exponentially at a rapid rate, becoming a smaller size than Sema. "Secret Art: Radiant Heat!" This huge sphere of wind and flame was hurled down towards Minerva and it fell to the ground like a meteor, causing the surrounding area to heat up like the sun as it fell.

Minerva pointed both hands forward, unleashing an incredibly large beam of territory in effort to counter this…but it was no use. The wind continuously fed the flames, causing the sphere to grow larger and larger with each passing second. The Radiant Heart continued to fall until it reached Minerva, where its lifespan ended in a glorious explosion of fire and wind. A horrible heatwave spread out from the result of the explosion and Minerva let out a scream of pain while caught within its destructive wake. As much as it pained the Tigress…she ended up reaching her limit. Another reason she hated fighting people younger than her? They always had to show her up in some way. "….Damn…kids…" Minerva's last words as she fell over, her body returning to normal as she laid on the ground unconscious.

Cynthia landed near Wendy, who managed to stand up, stumbling about as her own body reverted to normal. Both girls were bruised heavily and definitely had seen better days…but they were smiling at the large feat they were able to accomplish together. "Hah…we did it…"

"We can do anything together…" Wendy offered a smile. Both then lifted their hands and gave each other a victorious high five! …Then their bodies started to fall…until two lances of ice struck them from afar, finishing the job for sure as they fell unconscious. They could only hope now that their one victory was going to be enough to help Fairy Tail obtain victory. Fairy Tail's score rose from 81 to 86, while Sabertooth's final score was still…67?! That's right. The one who battled Cynthia and Wendy to the point of falling over may have been Minerva…but Luke was the one who scored the final blow. As Emmeraude stated earlier, the one who landed the finishing blow gained the points…and in this case, it was White Eclipse. Their score rose from 76 to 79. Keeping them close to Fairy Tail.

"You're not getting away that easily." Luke said with a scoff. Since he was currently without a fight, he already decided that any non-White Eclipse victors were going to get a 'victory' present from him. Fairy Tail may have been ahead for now…but these Games weren't over yet.

.

.

"Minerva goes down, and Sabertooth is the first guild out with a score of 67! Considering the competition thus far, that is an amazing score to end at with a solid 4th place! Cynthia and Wendy fought hard and they went down as well, but not before giving their guild a huge push! But with a surprising twist, Luke has stolen their points at the last second!" Chapati's excitement was contagious and the ground was cheering.

"Everyone did so well…" Yukino had a bittersweet smile on her face. Sabertooth did fantastically this year…but they were also so close to victory.

"They did it!" Levy cheered, hugging Pantherlily…more so squeezing the life out of him, but she was so happy she couldn't help it! Although there were bitter feelings about Luke sniping their points at the last second.

"That was an incredible victory." Mavis let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad they decided to push themselves. They still need work…but they're coming along nicely. If only Luke hadn't swooped in at the last minute…"

Mii bobbed her head back and forth, arms crossed while looking at the scoreboard. "Those two did well. That's a pretty large safety net they got for us. But…it won't mean much if White Eclipse just wipes out everyone else." That was the remark nobody wanted to hear…but it was true. It was the elephant in the room. Everyone was more than well aware that it was entirely possible for White Eclipse to pull the rug out from under Fairy Tail. The fact nobody objected to this immediately said just how much they knew Mii's comment to be true.

.

"YEAH! THAT'S MY SISTER AND PARTNER!" Alex cheered loudly. She was happy that Cynthia and Wendy were capable of toppling such a tower, even if they passed out at the end of it all.

"Well well…they've certainly grown from the first time I've seen them do battle." Gaia mused with a smile. If Vanessa was here to see this, she was certain she'd be proud, too.

.

.

Gray wasn't going to allow Marshall to intimidate him. Wrath or not, Gray had a job to do: win for Fairy Tail, and this was the same asshole who took down Juvia. Two birds with one stone. "All right you bastard…I'll put you in your place!" Gray lunged forward once again, purple ice coating his knuckles as he intended to get up close and personal with the Empyrean. "Ice Make: Knuckles!" A series of rapid fire punches was unleashed, Gray aiming for every open spot on Marshall's body.

Marshall cracked an angry smile before meeting Gray halfway. The punches were to be exchanged, and Marshall's overflowing Wrath had the edge on Gray. A few punches in and the Devil Slayer was already pushed back before a hard punch to his chest sent him staggering. "Come on…I thought you were going to show me anger?"

"You asked for it!" Gray slammed his fist into his palm, a purple mist flowing from the collision. "Ice Make: Ice Bringer!" Two large, curved blades composed of Devil Slaying ice formed in Gray's hand. The ice maker took a leap into the sky and crossed his swords in an X formation to cut across Marshall's chest and leave a big mark.

Marhsall grinned once again as Gray's attempts were all but futile. With his sword in hand and his Wrath increasing his strength, Marshall's sword clashed against Gray's before slashing through them like nothing. The result was the same; however Gray expected this and swung his leg at Marshall's skull for a hard hit! Marshall grunted and staggered back, but the hit only made him angrier! "You're gonna pay for that…" The sin of Wrath then swiped his sword horizontally, sending a massive shockwave at Gray that covered a wide radius.

"Ice Make: Shield!" Arms thrown out, a shield of ice appeared before Gray to protect him against Marshall's attack. It failed. The shield shattered and Gray was thrown back with a cry of pain, tumbling along the ground before coming to a halt. He was already panting a bit as his prior injuries from the brief skirmish with Melody and Ichiya were coming into play. Meanwhile, Marshall hardly had any damage on him. "Gah…" Gray had to think of something, and fast. Marshall's stance was exploitable…he just had to find a way to…ah! That's it!

"Give up…?" Marshall asked with anger and sadism within his tone. Even if Gray did beg for mercy, there was no chance that he'd be given it.

"Not on your life." Gray responded, first stripping off his shirt since he had yet to actually do so and placed his hands on the ground, covering their area with an icy coating! "Ice Make: Floor!"

"You think that'll slip me up?" Marshall let out a grunt of annoyance at this cliché ploy.

"It's not for you…it's for me!" Gray exclaimed while skating along the ice, blades forming along his arm and opposing arm's elbow. "It's the end for you! Seven Sided Dance!"

"…!" Marshall's eyes widened as he realized the trick too late. Even so…his body just fell limp at the final second. Without much movement on his part, the Empyrean's body lazily moved to avoid the incoming slashes. While Sloth was unable to avoid everything, the overall damage dealt was mitigated! The final slash was an uppercut that lifted the Empyrean off his feet.

"And! Ice Devil Zeroth's Destruction Bow!" A bow and arrow of ice formed in Gray's hands and he took aim, the destructive arrow launching clear into Marshall's side for a direct and finishing blow! Marshall fell to the ground face first and laid there…limp. Gray exhaled heavily and fell to a knee, panting in a vain effort to catch his breath. "G-Gotcha…" …Or so it seemed. Before Gray could even get a second's rest, the loud sound of munching and chomping was heard. "Huh?"

Marshall was still moving! First he ate some of the broken ice around him and sat up, now chewing on the dirt itself! This was the same phenomenon seen before! "*Munch…chew…slurp…*"

.

"Amazing…! Even after a fierce combination like that…Marshall is still moving!?" Chapati said with a loud gasp.

To make matters even worse…the cuts and bruises on Marshall's body were fading away! He was eating away while his body recovered. Mavis' eyes widened as she witnessed the true power of Gluttony. "Another sin…! No matter what he consumes, his body just uses it as fuel to heal himself."

"Is that even legal?!" Macao exclaimed.

"That doesn't seem fair at all…!" Said a distraught Romeo.

"So as long as he can move…he can just eat anything and recover all that damage? That means you'd have to finish him in one shot!" Laki said while waving a fist around. "Just finish him while he's vulnerable! He's not moving!"

Laki made…a very good point. Marshall was chowing away, but he wasn't moving from that spot! "Yeah, Gray!" Cana yelled. "Finish him now!"

.

Even though Gray couldn't hear the others telling them to finish Marshall, he had the idea himself. "I'll freeze you solid and that'll be the end of it! Eat this: Ice Make: Geyser!" Gray placed his hands on the ground, causing a large glacier to rise up around Marshall and freeze him solid. If he couldn't move, he couldn't heat or heal. This was it.

Or…so Gray thought. The glacier of ice rumbled violently before shattering in all pieces! Marshall had a terrifying look on his face. Most of the injuries of his body faded away, but that wasn't what caught Gray's attention. It was the Devil Slaying tattoo and markings along Marshall's body. That aura of Envy was strong around Marshall… "You were having a good time with all this ice and snow around…I grew envious. So I wanted to be like you…just to see how it felt…"

"What the hell…?" Gray didn't understand…how did Marshall have those markings!?

Upon seeing the utterly shocked reaction on Gray's face, Marshall grinned widely before inhaling. "Ice Devil's…Rage!" It was an exact replica of Gray's attack down to a T. A massive blast of Devil Slaying ice shot forth at horrifying speeds. The only reaction Gray had was to bring his arms up and hold his ground! The surrounding area around, in front, and behind him was completely frozen over.

Gray breathed heavily while taking a glance around. The results were exactly the same as though he fired it! "This doesn't make any sense…"

.

"It seems our friend Marshall has quite the number of tricks up his sleeve." Emmeraude remarked. "One minute he's a glutton, and the next, he's mirroring the magic of everyone he fights."

"Do you think it could be copy magic?" Chapati questioned Siegrain and Emmeraude.

"I don't think so." Siegrain shook his head.

"Neither do I." Emmeraude agreed. "Well…maybe that's not entirely correct. It's a type of magic that allows him to copy that of others, but I can't say its copy magic specifically."

"No kidding…" Zelos said with a small laugh.

"Envy." Mavis stated. "That same aura appeared around him against Juvia and Milliana prior. It must allow him to perfectly replicate the magic of his opponent's."

.

"You're no better than Luke…" Gray said while placing his hand at his side, a purple katana forming in his hands. "Copying me? You don't know ice like I do!" Gray then pushed forward, brandishing this blade formed in one swift motion at Marshall.

And it was strange…that Marshall had the exact same idea. Both mages pushed off at the exact same time, exclaiming, "Ice Devil Zeroth's Sword!" And slashed one another at the precise same time! Marshall expected this and didn't so much mind the large gash on his chest.

Gray on the other had could not have foreseen an outcome. Marshall matched him perfectly in everything: speed, movement, power, and precision. Blood gushed from the deep wound on Gray's chest and he staggered forward, coughing a violently while staring at Marshall. It was as though he were…fighting himself. It was bizarre. "Gnk…"

"Hmph…" Marshall turned his head and spat out blood, allowing the katana formed to vanish. "Is that it? You don't have more to offer?!" The Empyrean questioned, seeming unsatisfied with what he obtained from Gray. But with his sin…he'd never be satisfied. Even though Gray's magic had power, personal and moral satisfaction played a role in Envy.

"You bastard! You think you can get off trying to be me!?" Gray brought one hand up, expelling the strongest aura of ice he could muster, and Marshall just followed suit without a care in the world.

"Ice Make: Silver!"

Both exclaimed in unison. Similar, yet opposing forces of frost spread out instantly and exploded against one another, nearly freezing the entire city square and those solid frozen. Amidst the explosion of ice, Marshall lunged forward with a deranged expression that pleaded for more. "MORE! I WANT MORE! Don't you have more to offer me!?" SMASH! Marshall's foot kicked Gray right in the face, sending the ice maker tumbling until he stopped on a knee. "I said more!" This was the sin of Lust. In exchange for doubling all of his abilities…Marshall wanted nothing more than everything his opponent offered…and then some. More. That was all he wanted.

Gray coughed a few times, feeling his limit rapidly approaching. When he looked up at Marshall, he was surprised that no follow up was made. If Marshall attacked now, it would spell his doom…but he didn't? This allowed Gray to stand as Marshall continued to look at him with that weird expression. "Damn you…" Gray had an idea, though. His fist met with his palm once more and several cannons appeared before him in an artillery line. "Ice Make: Cannons!" Immediately after forming, these cannons began blasting Marshall with large chunks of ice. Gray was aiming to gun him down right here and now!

The problem with Lust was that Marshall always wanted more. So…that's why he let Gray get up. He wanted more….and he was going to pay for it. Because of the mindset Lust put him into, Marshall never left this sin strategically, and he was going to eat it now. The cannons blasts began to pelt him mercilessly, leaving multiple bruises on his body. After a few shots, however, he was now capable of switching back to Sloth. This lazy sin ironically being the master of evasion allowed Marshall to shift his body slightly, yet suddenly at the same time. The man tried to get comfortable on the ground and as a result, the cannon blasts either nicked his body or just missed completely. "…Man…"

Gray felt his annoyance growing. But Marshall was down…so this was the time to strike! Gray thought…but before he could cast another spell, Pride was before him. "….!" And just like before, a fierce blow to Gray's chest sent him backwards and on his back! Gray sat up, one eye closed as things started to get a little hazy…

"You won't beat me…" Marshall stated while crossing his arms while standing over the downed Gray. "It's over for you, Fullbuster. You haven't satisfied any of my sins at all. You're as disappointing as they come…" The male then reached for his blade, drawing it slowly with the intent to kill. "I'll end your life here and end this farce of a battle." And with that, Marshall's blade came down on Gray…only to stop before it could reach him. "Huh…?"

Gray stopped the sword with his hand. There was hardly any time to get ice to soften the blow, so blood dripped down his palm and arm, but that didn't matter. "Don't tell me what I can and can't do." Gray spat while clenching his hand around Marshall's sword, slowly bringing himself back to his feet to Marshall's surprise.

This was the MORE that Marshall wanted! In response, he shifted back to Lust, which doubled his abilities and he began to force Gray down again. "Oh, so NOW you want to give me more!? Then I'll give more and crush you! This is your last stand, so you better give it all you got…give me everything you've got and more!" But them Marshall changed once again…it was Wrath! The anger of Gray trying to pull a last minute stunt really got to him and his rage was boiling over. "But I won't give you that chance! This is it for you!"

Gray felt his knees buckle under the intense pressure Marshall was giving off. But he couldn't yield! "I'm not…giving up. I never give up…." Gray grit his teeth and felt the blade cut into his hand, but he coiled his fingers around the sword regardless. "Because you're the bastard who beat Juvia…and you're standing in Fairy Tail's way to victory. So until I'm certain that you actually stay down…I'm not going anywhere!" At the last second, a powerful frost emitted from Gray's hand to freeze Marshall's steel blade over, and with his solid grip, the blade broken into multiple pieces.

"W-What the…!?" Marshall's eyes were wide in shock.

"A Fairy Tail mage never gives up! I don't care who you are, if you stand in our way, then you're going down!" Gray then pushed Marshall back before placing his fist into his palm, the devil markings on his body spreading even further as he pushed himself! He was just about out of magic, but as he said, he wasn't going down until he dropped! "You're nothing but a walking sin that can never be satisfied…and I don't intend to play your games anymore! So go rest in Hell! Ice Make: Devil's Chaotic Frenzy!" As Gray shouted the name of this spell, multiple weapons forged of devil's ice began to appear before him in rapid numbers, faster than anyone could keep track of. Not even Rufus would be able to keep up with his memory make! This spiral chain of weapons consumed Marshall who was absolutely unable to fight back against it.

"GAAAAAH!" Marshall cried out as the weapons cut and pierced his body with absolutely no remorse, cutting into him fiercely to leave a number of wounds along his body. Marshall fell against the ground on his stomach once again, panting heavily as the damage was too great and he was on the brink of unconsciousness. But with the power of Gluttony, he could finish this! His hand reached out for a block of ice within arm's reach…

"I don't think so!" Gray violently slammed his hands on the ground, finally figuring out a way to stop Marshall from recovering or swapping sins. "Ice Make: GUGNIR!" From the ground under Marshall, a frozen replica of the large, legendary spear shot forth. Marshall was entrapped within the spearhead as this gigantic weapon rose high into sky, nearly splitting the clouds in the process. Gray made the mistake of freezing Marshall with a weaker spell…but this time, the temperature was absolute zero. With his injuries, Marshall wasn't going to be breaking free of that. "It's Fairy Tail's win."

As Gray said that, his thumb and index finger were extended and his hand pointed to the sky in victory. Fairy Tail's score rose from 86 to 89.

.

.

Luke watched the entirety of Gray's fight with Marshall. A spectacle to be sure…but Gray was open and weak. This was the time to finish this! A hand was drawn back and a small explosive sphere appeared within his palm. Just before Luke could throw, however, a familiar whip wrapped around his wrist and tugged him back. "Huh!?"

Lucy was the one who stopped Luke from sniping Gray. She had enough sense to want to protect her guild mates, but at the same time there was still a hostile look lingering in her eyes from her fight with Sophie and the virus inside of her. She was worried about fighting Luke this entire time, yet here she was, staring him down. "…Luke."

Luke lifted a brow, but a grin stretched onto his lips regardless. "Lucy."

.

.

Next Time: In the Final.


	137. Chapter 137: In The Final

Scoreboard:

1st: Fairy Tail: 89

2: White Eclipse 79

3rd: Empyrean Dawn: 78

4th: Sabtertooth: 67

5th: Mermaid Heel: 49

6th: Blue Pegasus: 41

Member Status:

White Eclipse: Luke, Cygnus, Reve, Waiston, Kuro.

Fairy Tail: Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Gray, Gajeel.

Mermaid Heel: Kagura.

Blue Pegasus: Jenny, and Darren.

Sabertooth: Eliminated

Empyrean Dawn: Hubert, Cecelia.

Sophie Inactive.

.

.

Nightfall. The sun set and the sky was dark, only lit up by the street lights and the stares in the sky. As the Games reached the ending point, the day itself was almost over. "Things are getting down to the wire…" Diamond said while shifting about in her seat. The Games were rapidly coming to a close with only 15 people remaining, and most of them were all in high stakes fights. At this point, any shift in the tide could turn the tables for any Guild…well, those in the top 3 anyway.

"Fairy Tail has such a strong lead…I wonder if they will be able to keep it." Ace muttered. "It's a safety cushion for sure, but if they don't win these fights, it won't be pretty."

"Forget that…" Tia scoffed. "I'm more concerned about Lucy…she doesn't seem well at all."

"There's nothing we can do about it from here." Heartless said. Her tone was void of any emotion, but that didn't mean she wasn't trying to take Tia's feelings into consideration. It was just…extremely difficult for her to do so. "All we can do is hope that she makes it out of today all right…and that the thief we hired does his job well."

"He's been gone all day…" Jack scoffed. "Maybe he's dead."

"Considering his track record, I doubt it." Spade remarked. "Perhaps held up…"

"It doesn't matter. I just don't want anything bad to happen. I saw the way Emmeraude was looking at her…" Tia frowned and crossed her arms. "I don't trust that woman or her motives."

.

Kagura was still active and had no plans of giving up. Was it possible to pull a victory for Mermaid Heel even with the huge detriment? She wasn't sure, but Kagura's mentality was to battle until she could no more for the sake of Mermaid Heel. Cecelia on the other hand, was simply enjoying the festivities as the endgame approached. The Empyrean snickered quietly while staring at Kagura's disposition. "My my…you've been the only one of your guild for quite a while now, hm?" With a snap of her fingers, several condensed bullets of blood flew at Kagura with full intent to run her through. "Don't you think it's about time you join the rest of them?"

"Absolutely not." Kagura stated firmly while using her sword to slice through the bullets. She approached Cecelia and swung the blade to strike the woman's abdomen, however her cut was stopped abruptly by a thick wall of blood. "…Tch." Kagura leap back, keeping her guard up. At this point, it was just about surviving until the end, and nobody was going to keep her from that.

"Come now…how long do you intend to try and fight?" Cecelia questioned while crossing her arms. "I do apologize for my fellow guild mate's actions, but that ugly scar isn't going to be doing you any favors."

The mere mention of the scar made Kagura frown. It wasn't as though she'd ever forget that moment…but she didn't need to be reminded of it. "Enough." Kagura held her blade firmly and pushed forward once again with speed that outclassed Erza in her Flight Armor. Kagura slipped past Cecelia, aiming multiple slashes within the blink of an eye at the Z-Class woman. Kagura slid to a halt a few feet behind the woman and glanced over her shoulder.

Cecelia remained still for a moment before multiple gashes appeared on her body, spurting in all directions. The woman grimaced for a moment before turning to face Kagura with a sultry smile. "That hurt quite a bit…but it was also a mistake on your part."

"My only mistake was not being able to put you down in that one attack." Kagura stated with her cold tone.

"Now now…" Cecelia smirked before multiple tendrils of blood spewed forth from her open wounds. "That's enough mouth from you! It's time for you to go to bed!"

"What…?" Kagura's eyes widened briefly at the tendrils spewing from Cecelia's open wounds. The ace mermaid frantically attempted to cut through the incoming tendrils as best she could. Unfortunately for her, that was much easier said than done and the numbers were becoming overwhelming rapidly. The tendrils then wrapped around her wrists and legs, pushing her back against a brick wall with force. "Ugh…! Release me!"

"You'll be free soon enough…it may be a little painful, but you'll be fine." Another tendril shot forth and stabbed right into Kagura's stomach, right where her scar was. A cry of pain escaped Kagura as the old wound continued to haunt her; while that wound couldn't possibly get any worse, that didn't prevent it from being a weak spot of hers. Kagura began to squirm but to no avail. Blood spurted from her wound and she felt her eyes growing heavier. "I'll just have a little taste…I hope you don't mind."

The reason Kagura felt so lightheaded was due to Cecelia absorbing her blood! This was bad, she'd be more than unconscious at this rate. She had to think of something and fast! She still had a firm grasp on her Archenemy and she used her remaining strength to let the blade fly! She used her gravity change to send the blade shooting towards Cecelia at high speeds. The blade pierced the woman's shoulder and she cried out, releasing Kagura.

"Guh…you little…" Cecelia pried the sword from her shoulder and now held it in her hands. Kagura fell to her hands and knees, panting heavily as blood dripped from her reopened wound. "You should have just sat quietly and let me finish you off…now I'm going to have to make it hurt."

Kagura placed a hand on her stomach, one eye shut and her gaze shifted up at the bleeding Cecelia. Of course her body wasn't going to move the way she wanted to when she needed to move. "Do your worst."

"Oh…I intend to." Cecelia raised Archenemy, preparing to savor in the delicious irony of using Kagura's own weapon to finish her off. But then her eyes glanced behind her for a moment, a poison clone of Cygnus appeared behind her. "Huh…?" She swung the sword and cut through the clone…but that was a distraction!

A distraction that Kagura intended to use for her own good! With Cecelia distracted, the mermaid used her strength to take her sword back and plunge in into the woman's side. "Fall!"

As this happened, the real Cygnus appeared in his God Trigger state with his cheeks inflated and puffed out, preparing to unleash a powerful bellow upon the two close females. "How fitting…that's my line!" The demi-god then released his pent up magic in the form of a widespread golden beam that caught both Kagura and Cecelia in its wake, pushing the two of them backwards until crashing through a window of a store. Collateral damage that was going to have to be dealt with later, but in the meantime, Cygnus succeeded in taking the both of them out and gaining 10 points in the process! White Eclipse was immediately tied for 1st again with Fairy Tail with a grand total of 89 points!

.

"Cygnus swoops in for the last second for a 10 point sweep!" Chapati yelled. "With that, Mermaid Heel is eliminated!"

"He had to have acted fast on that. It looked as though one of those ladies was about to drop…and cleaning up would only get him those 5 points. Looks like the cushion Fairy Tail had is gone now." Emmeraude snickered. "I was correct to not count them out."

"The stakes are certainly high now…" Siegrain said quietly.

"That's no good…the lead we had was gone instantly…" Mavis frowned. "Every point from this moment on now matters…and every person remaining is worth a large amount of points."

"There's no need to worry. They will overcome the challenge." Makarov said with a firm nod.

Meanwhile, Daryan had comical tears flowing from his eyes as Kagura was eliminated. "AAAH! SHE FOUGHT SO HARD! That's my girl! Did you see her kick ass!?"

"Our girls did wonderful…" Shadowlore said while giving a firm nod, keeping the tears from falling. "We must congratulate them later."

"I think they can go without that. It doesn't look like Kagura can take the stress…" Gaia said with a quiet chuckle. "But you two sure do have interesting tastes in women…"

.

"You sure you wanna do this? It usually doesn't end up well for you." Luke asked while looking Lucy over. He'd seen her look worse…but there was something off about incredibly off about her. It didn't help that those black markings were still present…

"…" Lucy remained silent, but it looked like she was trying to find the right words. Her mind was muddled with her own negative thoughts which fueled her actions. "I…will beat you."

"You're always more than welcome to try…but today won't be that day either! We have a name to uphold!" Luke swung his Eclipse Sword forward, causing multiple explosions of emerald lightning to occur around Lucy. This caused her to release his hold on him and back away. "So just like the rest of your guild…you're going to have to fall!" The copycat then opened his mouth, unleashing a giant beam of black and white. "Bellow of the Black and White God!"

Lucy withdrew her whip, narrowing her eyes and placed her hand forward. A black and red sphere formed within her palm and it shot forward, colliding with Luke's bellow and exploded against it. Another one was fired directly after that, striking Luke to knock him backwards. "I will not…fall…"

Luke staggered after the direct hit, letting out a heavy exhale since that hurt a lot. "That's a new one…" With his grip on his blade reestablish, Luke pushed forward, sprinting towards Lucy while preparing to swing. The copycat slid to a halt and slashed his sword in a diagonal motion, unleashing a crescent beam of Eclipse magic towards Lucy.

Lucy narrowed her eyes and mindlessly ran forward towards the incoming slash. An arm extended and she allowed the slash to hit, consuming the magic itself. "More." This wasn't Lucy. It was definitely the Virus taking over, but nobody else knew that. Lucy reached out for Luke's sword arm, grabbing his wrist with an iron grip.

"Huh!?" Luke's eyes widened as Lucy just…consumed the magic!? That didn't make any sense; there was no way she was capable of that. When the blonde grabbed him he got a close view of her face. One eye was red and the other was still brown…but it was flashing red. What did that mean!? There was no time for Luke to think about that as he could feel whatever magic he had left being sucked out by Lucy. "Hey…what the…?" Darkness swirled around his free hand and he sent it crashing into Lucy's side, forcing her to release as an ensuring burst of darkness caused her to stagger back.

"Gnh…" Lucy let out a groan of discomfort before shaking her head. "Magic…I need more magic…"

Luke scoffed, lifting his new sword into the air. "I don't know what you're going on about…but you won't be getting any of that from me." Despite the fact Lucy took a good chunk of what he had left…now he was running on fumes and had to end this battle quickly. Multiple swords composed of Eclipse magic formed in the sky, all pointed at Lucy. "Sword Rain: Eclipse!" The swords then began to rain down on Lucy with full intentions of piercing and running her through.

Sensing the danger, Lucy spread her arms out as her Stardress changed once again, this time to Aquarius. What was supposed to be a barrier of water did appear…however its coloration and aura were vastly different; red and black as opposed to blue. "Huh…?" Even Lucy seemed surprised at this! But this barrier did hold against most of the Sword Rain: Eclipse. The magical blades struck the barrier constantly, wearing it down until it eventually shattered. This left Lucy to deal with the remaining blades that did pierce her, but her body converted the blades that hit into magic for…herself to use? She wasn't sure what was going on, she knew full well that half of the things she began doing weren't her doing.

"Tch…!" Luke quietly sucked his teeth as Lucy was still standing despite a heavy attack. But his annoyed expression faded when the area around the two began to darken considerably. Bright stars began to shine in the darkness…but these stars shone with darkness and malevolence. "What the…?"

"Fall and rejoin the stars…Purification!" Lucy recited. The black stars began to shine and grow even larger…to the point of where they were about to burst.

"Not on your life!" Luke dropped his sword and reared his arm back, a black and white spear forming within his grip. "Divine Spear!" With his best foot forward, Luke gave his best javelin toss, a deafening BOOM echoing throughout the area as the spear itself broke the sound barrier due to how fast it was. The two attacks struck their targets at the same time; the stars exploding in a flash of darkness obscured the view from everyone and they had to wait for the result.

.

"Luke and Lucy have vanished within a cloud of darkness…are they okay?!" Chapati leaned over on his seat, but Emmeraude pulled him back.

"Calm down…I'm sure they're fine." Emmeraude stated. Although she couldn't say she wasn't anxious…because she was witnessing her creation at work at long last. In a sense…Lucy was the perfect test subject for the Lambda Virus' capabilities. But if only she didn't fight it…

.

As the cloud of dust settled, Lucy stood with a magical spear embedded in her side. Luke clearly knew where he was aiming and was certainly avoiding killing her…but the magic output on Lucy's end caused those markings to fade again and her eyes returned to normal. The short episode ended with Lucy's consciousness. "….uh…." The blonde fell over and just like that, White Eclipse got 1 point for Luke's efforts, bumping them from 89 to 90.

"Only one…!?" Luke Cloud fared a little better. His armor allowed him to tank most of the blow, but was shattered as a result. He was still raring to go…! Or was he? His vision grew extremely blurry and he stumbled around. "Huh…what the….?" Luke staggered around, trying to regain his balance but to no avail. Lucy did more than just suck magic out of him…what did she do!? He almost lost consciousness, but he managed to hold on and lean against the side of a building. "Geez…."

.

"Huh!? What happened to Luke?" Zalen questioned. "It's unlike him to just collapse like that!"

"He seemed fine…" Marlene frowned. "He's taken worse…"

"When Lucy grabbed him, she must have taken more than magic." Calium surmised. "I wonder if Fairy Tail is aware of what's going on inside that girl's body. It could grow to be dangerous if left unchecked."

There was equal and more concern on Fairy Tail's behalf. …Lucy's actions did seem a little odd. "Is Lu-chan okay…?" Levy bit her lower lip.

"She certainly didn't look at her best." Mii said while leaning over the railing. "It doesn't look like it'll take much longer either…yeesh."

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it's gone now." Zelos shrugged, but nobody really went to him for a vote of confidence anyway.

Mavis cut her eyes toward Mii. Did she know something? No…that wasn't the correct question. What did she know, and what was she hiding? "…."

.

Natsu lunged towards Waiston and Kuro, leading the charge as lightning and flame blazed wildly around his forearm. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!" The Salamander violently threw his arm forward, releasing a large torrent of lightning and flame that raced towards Waiston and Kuro.

"Fire Make: Dome!" Kuro lifted his hands over his head, creating a large dome of flame that covered both him and Waiston. The dome was more than capable of withstanding the flames that Natsu unleashed, but his raw power and the lightning was the only thing that made Kuro's defenses crack. The dome did eventually break, but Kuro fended off the entirety of the attack by then. "Waiston!"

As the dome cracked, Waiston already had his sights set on the target. "Frozen Sky Dragon's…ROAR!" Waiston exhaled, unleashing a powerful blizzard that soared across the field, shooting for Natsu and Gajeel…or so they thought. The roar actually traveled beside them and to another target: Gray Fullbuster, who had just claimed victory over Marshall a few seconds ago.

"What the!? Gray, look out!" Natsu turned to shout.

Gray was feeling himself after taking down Marhsall…and to hear his name being exclaimed with worry was a red flag. The devil slayer turned eyes wide as he spotted Waiston's roar coming right at him. "Ice Make…" He attempted to cast a defensive spell, but it was too late and he was swept away by Waiston's roar, crashing into the ground unconscious as a result. White Eclipse gained 2 points from Waiston's tactic.

"You sneaky bastard!" Gajeel yelled, smashing his fist into Waiston's cheek to send him flying back.

Waiston grunted in pain before performing a flip to catch himself. A grin was plastered on the frozen dragon's lips. "He was open! We're playing to win, don't you know!?" The dragon slayer then extended his arms and quickly brought them forward an in X formation. "Frozen Sky Dragon's Wingslash!" This motion caused multiple waves of frozen wind to strike Natsu and Gajeel, each layer colder than the last! "Don't get cold feet near the end!"

Natsu growled, holding his arms up to defend against the incoming slashes of wind as the ice began to freeze him and Gajeel over. "Is that the best you got!? I've felt much colder than this!" Natsu's fiery aura blazed to life once again, combating the cold Waiston produced. The ice around him and Gajeel started to melt. "We're gonna finish you off right here and win these Games!" The fire dragon then took to the air, lightning and fire blazing around his arms. "Secret Art: Crimson Lotus: Exploding Lightning Blade!" Natsu twisted his body counterclockwise, unleashing a vicious torrent of fire and lightning towards the Eclipse duo.

"Don't count me out!" Gajeel said while inhaling, only to lurch forward and unleash a powerful Iron Shadow Dragons' roar alongside Natsu's Crimson Lotus, the dual attacks now rushing towards the Eclipse duo with the intent of finishing them off.

Kuro and Waiston weren't going down without a fight. Not to Fairy Tail mages of all people. Kuro's devil slaying markings burned bright and his hair stood up, channeling as much magic as he could into the attack. "Fire Make: Gold!" As one would expect, this was quite the opposite of Gray's Silver, but still just the same. An instantaneous wave of flame so bright it resembled gold shot out to clash against Natsu and Gajeel's attacks, and of course it wasn't alone.

"Frozen Sky Dragon's…Tundra." Waiston grinned as he added the cherry to the finishing blow. The frozen dragon kept his arms extended before pushing them forward; unleashing a chilling wind so cold it froze the very air itself. Fire and ice worked together to combat their foes. The collision of three dragon slayers and a devil slayer was something to behold…a rare power so great that it didn't even last long. The large ensuing explosion caught all four within its wake. Natsu was thrown back farther compared to the others due to his position in the air while the rest were consumed by the widespread eruption of magic.

Natsu landed on his stomach with a grunt, heavily damaged by the final blast, but still active…somehow. The salamander brought himself to his hands and knees, practically gasping for air. Even if he'd never admit that White Eclipse was truly a powerful guild, it showed in his actions that they weren't anything to take lightly. "Gajeel…?!"

A call that fell on deaf ears. Gajeel, Waiston, and Kuro were all down. For Fairy Tail, they gained 6 points since Waiston was the main ringer of White Eclipse B before the merge, and Kuro was only worth 1 point. Their score was now 95 while White Eclipse got 3 points from Gajeel, keeping them tied for 1st with 95….

.

For Reve and Erza, the scores didn't matter. What was the most important thing to them was taking the other out by any means possible. No games were being played and both mages started off with an iconic clash. Reve lifted his hands into the air, creating a multitude of guns above him, each and every single one of them pointed at Erza. "Devil's Wheel!"

Erza did the same, pointing a singular blade forward as swords formed above her person, all pointing at Reve. "Heaven's Wheel!" The two cried out at the exact same time. Bullets and swords all flew forward, colliding with one another to create a massive explosion! That clash was timeless and always ended without favoring the other magic too significantly…

But Reve could always use smoke to his advantage. Erza had nowhere to hide against his Thermal Sight. The gunslinger's eyes turned red and he detected Erza from her heat signature, immediately firing a bullet at Erza's location. "Burst Shot!" The condensed bullet flew through the smoke, colliding against Erza's stomach to carry her forward before it exploded. Reve smirked at the direct and blew the barrel of the gun. "I hope you didn't forget…but I don't miss."

Erza let out an exhale, still on her feet despite the powerful shot. She faced Reve's smirk with one of her own. "I recall the amount of times you've missed significantly more than the times you've actually hit me." A golden light wrapped around Erza's body once more as she donned her Flight Armor, throwing away the standard blades in favor of her Flame Sword and Wind God's Sword. With the increased speed, Titania sped forward and rushed towards Reve while crossing the blades in an X formation.

"And let's recall the times you've never hit me with that armor! It's too slow!" Reve exclaimed while returning to his Precision Eyes, allowing him to follow and read Erza's movements like a book. The moment Erza aimed her cross slash at him, he shifted his body to the side to cleanly evade the strike while Erza came to a halt a few feet away.

"Are you sure about that?" Erza turned her back with a sly grin. The moment she finished speaking, the true purpose of her cross slash came to light. A fiery tornado blazed to life with Reve at the eye of the storm. Titania took a page from Cynthia and Wendy's book, using fire and wind to her advantage. The wind her sword was capable of producing was incredibly strong and the flames burned bright, both feeding into each other to make a fierce blaze! "Since the people from White Eclipse are so accustomed to the cold, I'd figure I should switch things up a bit."

Reve grit his teeth as the blazing tornado quickly took its toll on him, not that he'd ever admit it to Erza. "You think you're so clever don't you!?" Reve then pointed his shotgun to the ground, releasing a beam of magic to shoot up him up into the air and out of the tornado!

"I figured you'd take that route…!" Erza then pointed her swords forward, allowing wind and fire to merge together before unleashing a beam of the two elements that shot through the air while racing towards Reve!

Reve was offended that Erza seriously tried to think so little of him. The incoming beam of magic was no issue for him and he dropped the shotgun in favor for his magnum, and fired a large bullet to collide with the beam. The two exploded and Reve was able to land on the ground safely. He already used a bullet to finish off Mira earlier, so that was two of six now. A testament to the amount of magic he had remaining. "You must really think highly of yourself to think that was going to best me…but to imply that you're better than me is quite the statement."

"It's not an implication." Erza said as her body shone once again, this time donning an armor that hadn't been seen within their bouts: The Rabbit Armor! Erza had twin checkered blades – red and black in color.

Reve lifted a brow, attempting to hold himself back from laughing. "And what exactly is this…?"

"It's a statement. Victory is just a hop, skip, and a jump away." Erza said with a sly grin. She was confident enough to crack a joke in the midst of battle.

"I'm going to enjoy gunning you down way more than I should." Reve said before pointing his magnum forward once again. He had four bullets left and now he was about to unleash another one! With a click of the trigger, the large bullet flew forward, covering a wide radius as it raced towards Erza, making dodging not an option. If Erza decided to be a rabbit…then Reve was going to be the hunter.

Erza brashly charged forward, not even blinking an eye at the massive bullet. With both red and black blades in hand, the scarlet knight swung them forward, demonstrating their power by slicing through the bullet like butter! The distance between herself and Reve was closed and she swung her blades once more. "Red-Black Twin Blades!" Both swords unleashed red and black crescent beams of magic shot forward at the gunslinger.

Reve, undeterred from Erza's showcase, merely grinned and bent his knees, taking a leap to the side to avoid the incoming beams of magic. With the pistol in hand, he fired off another piercing round at Erza's side, watching as it struck its mark. "You're making this too easy."

Erza flinched at the bullet wound, but didn't allow that to stop her. Instead she pushed off once again, this time merging the two swords she had into one! "Taste my blade!" Erza swung her blade twice without the intention of hitting Reve, the singular blade forming an X of red and black that split the ground while racing at Reve.

"Taste my bullet!" Once again, he was faced with no choice but to fire back or reap the consequences Reve fired off his magnum once again, the large bullet colliding with the X of magic to create another explosion! Did it seem like Reve was wasting bullets needlessly? That wasn't the case. Both Reve and Erza sustained a high amount of damage up until this point…and it was clear that one decisive blow was all that was needed to bring this bout between them to a close. Reve was now down to 2 bullets…both bullets containing everything he had left in his magic tank. Erza didn't have much left in her either, despite the brave face she put on.

This time, Erza used the smoke to her advantage and moved before Reve could fire another direct shot, shifting from her Rabbit Armor to her Wingblade Armor, using the thick blades that adorned the armor to deflect any incoming bullets while closing the gap. A thick blade sword was within Erza's tight grip and she hinged the entire battle on this blade! "This is where we finish things!"

"You're right." Reve's eyes changed from green to gray, putting his Foresight to good use. Now he would be able to see all of Erza's movements and react accordingly. This was it! The battle was his. All he needed to do was stay one step ahead of Erza and he could finish this! "I know all your tricks. You're getting desperate! I can see your future, and this is where you fall!"

"I will do no such thing!" Erza proclaimed while slashing at Reve furiously with her sword. Reve played defensive heavily, swaying his body from side to side to avoid the frequent strikes. He could see Erza's sword move before she swung…the only problem was that she was fast and he had to make sure he didn't mess up. One final slash was delivered and Reve found his opening! The gunslinger leapt back and pointed his magnum forward, releasing the bullet at point blank! Erza figured this was coming and used the swords around her armor to shield herself from the ensuring explosion. She was tossed back, Wingblade armor destroyed in the process, however she mitigate a potential finishing blow. Titania breathed heavily as she narrowly escaped defeat.

"Here we are again…one bullet…" Reve chuckled to himself before extending his magnum forward. "And I'll enjoy this one shot."

Erza donned her Armadura Fairy Armor once more, this time complete with the swords that went along with it. "Give me your best shot."

"My best is something you'll never be able to handle." Reve then defied Erza's expectations and let his magnum fade away. That last bullet contained all of his magic and if he let that drop, he'd lose his Foresight and win condition, and he only had a few seconds left with the ability anyway but he saw the immediate resolution of what was coming next. So instead he brought forth his ultimate weapon: The Eclipse Cannon. This weapon was bestowed upon him by Calium and was by no means his own magic…but technically borrowed magic. "I can already see it…you're going to challenge this. But will you win? Absolutely not. Eclipse Cannon: FIRE!" From the large cannon over Reve's shoulders, a powerful sphere of Eclipse Magic rocketed from the barrel and flew at Erza at breakneck speeds. As soon as he fired

As Reve predicted, Erza challenged this with no hesitation. The scarlet knight's blades charged with an overflow of magic and she lunged forward, thrusting these blades forward. "Fairy Burst!" Fairy vs Eclipse, the clash that never ended; but in this case, Erza and Reve's attacks ended in a near cataclysmic explosion. Even though Reve had distance, he was still swept away in the explosion.

"Guh…" Reve landed on his stomach. The adrenaline pumping through his veins was the only reason he didn't feel anything! But he scrambled to his feet quickly, using his Quick Draw to prepare his final magnum shot and acting accordingly to the future he saw: Erza was going to sprint forward in some strange armor and try to attack him with her fists. "I saw it…this is where you lose…"

As Reve saw, Erza flew forward, donning her Celestial Armor, one that no one had seen up until this point! But it didn't matter for Reve prepared to click the trigger… "I will defy your future!" Erza yelled and swung her bare foot at Reve's wrist, throwing off his aim and instead made him drop the magnum and it fell somewhere nearby.

"Wha…!?" Reve's eyes widened for a split second, genuinely taken off guard at Erza's sudden movements. What even was that armor!? No, it didn't matter, because Reve fired back with a punch across Erza's jaw, and she retaliated with one to his own. "Damn you! Why don't you fall?!"

"Because I refuse to abide to someone else's vision!" Erza exclaimed at the top of her lungs. "The future is mine to decide…and I decide here and now, that you lose!" Erza landed a kick against Reve's chest, but he fired back with a surprisingly powerful blow to her stomach to knock her over.

With this opening, Reve rolled and grabbed his magnum, now taking aim at Erza with a victorious smile. "That's game. You lose!"

"You're mistaken." Erza said with an exhausted, but winning smile of her own. "You've already lost." During the brief close combat exchange, a large magic seal formed under the entirety of their battlefield, seven red dots linked together by one singular red line.

"What the…!?" Reve's eyes widened in pure surprise. This spell…it couldn't be…?! Wait, it didn't matter as long as he could take her out! "You can show flashy tricks all you like, but this is where it's…" His voice trailed off…and his body didn't respond to him. What happened?!"

"I didn't realize you were so slow, Reve." Erza brought herself up to her feet. "My blade already hit you…you just didn't realize it until now." The magnum fell from Reve's hands and the magic seal he was standing within only shone brighter, illuminating the night sky. "Now…you will be judged by the seven stars! GRAND CHARIOT!" A brilliant flash of heavenly body magic occurred, resulting in a cataclysmic explosion that shook Crocus to its very core. This attack expended just about everything Erza had remaining but it was well worth it. The large crater that formed had Reve right in the middle, completely unconscious while Erza stood at the crater's edge. "I'm nothing special…I just refuse to give in no matter how dire the situation. I will always keep moving forward."

With that, Fairy Tail's score rose to 100…

.

.

Scoreboard:

1st: Fairy Tail: 100

2: White Eclipse 95

3rd: Empyrean Dawn: 78

4th: Sabtertooth: 67

5th: Mermaid Heel: 49

6th: Blue Pegasus: 41

Member Status:

White Eclipse: Luke, Cygnus.

Fairy Tail: Natsu, Erza.

Mermaid Heel: Eliminated.

Blue Pegasus: Jenny, and Darren.

Sabertooth: Eliminated

Empyrean Dawn: Hubert.

Sophie Inactive.

Next Time: The Grand Finale.


	138. Chapter 138: The Grand Finale

Scoreboard:

1st: Fairy Tail: 100

2: White Eclipse 95

3rd: Empyrean Dawn: 78

4th: Sabtertooth: 67

5th: Mermaid Heel: 49

6th: Blue Pegasus: 41

Member Status:

White Eclipse: Luke, Cygnus.

Fairy Tail: Natsu, Erza.

Mermaid Heel: Eliminated.

Blue Pegasus: Jenny, and Darren.

Sabertooth: Eliminated

Empyrean Dawn: Hubert.

Sophie Inactive.

.

.

"This is it…the final moments of the Grand Magic Games." Emmeraude remarked while taking a look at the scoreboard. "It really turned into a competition between Fairy Tail and White Eclipse once again, didn't it? After everyone tried so hard to prove they wouldn't let either guild win…"

"Perhaps they truly are the strongest." Siegrain added. "But it's not over yet. Not to say that the remaining guilds can pull a comeback…but it will be interesting to see who the last person is left standing."

"I can feel the excitement in the air!" Chapati yelled. "It's been a long, hard fought battle…but in a matter of moments we will finally have the new Grand Magic Games Champion!"

"We can still win this…!" Lisanna said while pumping her fists into the air. "They just have to beat White Eclipse…!"

"Easier said than done at this point…" Makarov said the words nobody wanted to hear. "Natsu and Erza are both exhausted…and there's something that has been bothering me this entire time. We haven't seen one competitor this entire time."

"…He's right…" Freed narrowed his eyes while looking at those remaining. "Blue Pegasus has been in for quite a long time…they've all fought…excluding that Darren character. And that was the man that Jellal was suspecting before, correct?"

"Yes…" Mavis nodded slowly. "He's been absent this entire time…and while he can't do anything to significantly improve his team's standing, it does worry me that we haven't seen him.

"Natsu and Erza will be able to handle it…!" Happy said with confidence.

"Gajeel did his best out there too…" Levy was still squeezing poor Pantherlily. Even with Gajeel out, she was still stressed for a number of reasons.

"They'll win for sure!" Cana said with a positive attitude. "Knowing Natsu and Erza, they won't let anything beat them at this point. Least of all stupid White Eclipse!"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Jaxon said from across the way. "The two idiots we have left are in much better condition than your two idiots."

"Luke and Cygnus can win easily!" Marlene shouted.

"They better win." Ramman scoffed.

"They will. Just because they still have Erza doesn't mean anything when she can barely stand on her own two feet." Heather shrugged. She wasn't one for over exaggerated cheering like everyone else, but she had faith White Eclipse would pull out a victory in the end and once again reign as Fiore's strongest guild. Even in the audience stands the rivalry was strong. A rivalry that would never end…

"Reve may have lost, but Fairy Tail's ace in the hole is weak." Sidney stated. "But to underestimate her because of that would be a fool's plan…when she's weak, she's at her best. So those two better bring her down fast or pay the price."

Cosmic Star and Dealer in the stands were also on the edges of their seats. The finale was upon them…Fairy Tail and White Eclipse were so close to victory, but the outliers could play a role as well. Ace let out a loud laugh and slapped his knee. "Now this is a competition! I always knew those two guilds were strong, but they've come a long way huh?"

"You say that like you've actually known them for long…" Diamond rolled her eyes. "But I won't lie…this is good."

"Considering the tooth and nail climb…I'm impressed." Heartless said that…but her tone betrayed her. It gave off that dull vibe, which was something she really couldn't help.

"I hope they can win." Tia muttered, referring to Fairy Tail. After all they did for her…she didn't want to see them lose when they were so close to victory.

"They can lose for all I care…! I don't want Natsu bragging for 50 years." Jack scoffed.

"Blue Pegasus already lost…so we don't care…" Strong and Spade comically pouted at the turn of events.

"Basically, same…" Daryan said. His interest in the outcome left as soon as Kagura was eliminated.

"Yeah. I don't care." Shadowlore huffed.

"Such spoilsports…" Gaia sighed at the boys' reaction. "What about you, Yakuza?"

"…I dunno." Yakuza shrugged. Always a responsive and big help he was.

"No matter…I still want White Eclipse to pull the rug out from Fairy Tail. I think it would be hilarious." Gaia snickered.

"M—Gaia!" Alex lightly struck Gaia's shoulder. "That's mean! I'm sticking with Cynthia's guild all the way! They can do it, I know they can!"

"We'll see, won't we?" Gaia rested in her seat. "The winner will soon be decided…"

.

.

Erza supported herself with a sword, feeling her body nearly go numb after defeating Reve. But it was a victory she held proudly and another one to rub in his face when the time came. But the Games weren't over yet and she was aware of it. The woman stayed on guard until she ran into Natsu who was nearby, and looked just as bad as she did. "Natsu…are you alright? Can you stand?"

"I'm fine…!" Natsu said with a forced smile. They were so close to the end that he couldn't afford to drop now. "I see you took down that Reve bastard! Nice!"

"It wasn't easy…" Erza admitted. "But it's been done…we aren't finished yet either. Stay on guard."

Just as Erza said this, Cygnus came flying through a nearby building, landing harshly on his back. "Gah! Damn female dragon!" The gravity god groaned while standing up.

Jenny was still active and out of her own control. The fact she was like this all day most likely wasn't good for her health, but here she was. The remaining three people in her sights were all targets and the gem on her chest changed to black. "Shadow Roar!" From the gem, a large torrent of shadows shot forward, aiming to finish all three of them then and there!

"Whoa…!" Natsu managed to muster the strength to dodge along with Erza, sliding back a few feet as a result. "I didn't even know she was still around!"

"She's been like this all day…" Cygnus said while rubbing the back of his neck. He couldn't even focus on trying to take out Natsu and Erza with Jenny running rampant!

"We may hurt her if we attack too hard…but we don't have a choice." Erza's body changed once again, only this time to the Clear Heart armor, and that's the first time the writer has actually mentioned it by name because they didn't know it was called that until recently. Along with this armor was her Demon Blade: Crimson Sakura. Erza didn't have that much magic power left after her bout with Reve, but it was enough to put Jenny and Cygnus down.

"Oh no, that's my kill! And then you're next!" Cygnus wasn't going to allow Erza to swipe his points. White Eclipse still needed those points more than Fairy Tail. However, before anyone could make a move, a black figure darted across the sky, taking Jenny with them. "Huh?"

"What the…?" Natsu blinked and nearly missed it.

Standing at the top of a building was Darren, now holding a gravely injured Jenny by the back of her neck. The gem on her armor completely shattered, thus rendering the Takeover Dragon useless. "Well well…what do we have here…?"

"You…!" Erza tightened her grip on her blade.

"D-Darren….?" Jenny weakly called out, looking up at the male.

"What are you doing?! Isn't that your comrade!?" Natsu yelled out.

"Comrade? Don't make me laugh…" Darren spat at those words. "We were never comrades…they were just a stupid guild that fell for an easy trick."

"Huh?" Cygnus blinked, also taken aback by Darren's words. "Weren't you the same guy making a speech the other day about how you owed them your life?"

"All liessssssss…." Darren's true nature was coming forth. When Jenny glanced at him, his eyes turned blood red. "My name isn't Darren Black…but you can call me Sssssssshade the Wizard Hunter." And here was the reveal, just as Jellal foretold!

"I knew it!" Erza said. "Jellal was right all along. What is your goal here!?"

"My goal is already completely." Shade said while giving a shrug. He was no fool and didn't revert to his normal form; he didn't need people knowing what he looked like outside of a select few that already encountered him. "I was to spy and buy ssssome time for my comrades in the castle…but I sssssupose that mission was a dud. Hiding with thessse foolssss hassss been quite troublesome."

"Hiding behind deceit and fake comradery…you're nothing but a coward!" Erza pointed her blade forward.

"Makes me want to punch him in the nose…!" Natsu growled.

"Yell at me assssss you wish, but it won't change anything." Shade then hurled Jenny violently towards the ground, releasing multiple waves of sound to crash into the woman and increase her velocity. This wouldn't have been a problem if the Wizard Hunter didn't conjure up multiple spikes composed of shadow and blood magic to impale her. Jenny's metalltic plating completely shattered and she was barely covered as she flew down.

"Jenny!" Erza moved without thinking, sprinting forward to save the model before she met an ultimately demise. With a dive, Erza caught Jenny but was still en route for the spikes…until Cygnus halted her momentum completely with gravity. "Cygnus…you helped me?"

"Oh no. I 'm not helping you." Cygnus said with a smirk and violently tossed Erza to the other side of the city square and into a building. "Did that do it!?" Nope, because once Jenny was safe, Erza stood right back up. "Damn!" Also, unfortunately, since Shade was technically a part of Blue Pegasus and took out Jenny, the points she was worth were tossed into void.

"Come down here and fight us!" Natsu demanded. He still had enough magic to unleash a lightning flame attack.

"No thank you…my work here is done." Shade took a bow before his body split apart into multiple bats, flying off into the night sky.

.

"I'm…not sure what just happened here….." Chapati was at a loss for words.

Siegrain, on the other hand, curled his lips down. "I see…so there was a Wizard Hunter here this entire time and none of us were the wiser. I'd have the Councilmen track him down, but…"

"There's no need…" Emmeraude said with a small sigh. "He's long gone. I can sense it."

.

"What a spectacle…" Hubert remarked from not too far away, adjusting his glasses after Shade left. "These final moments need a bit of a climactic finish…that's my take on things anyway."

"You!" Natsu turned, finding someone he really could punch in the nose. "You're going down next!"

"I don't think so." Hubert turned his back on his foes. "There's no chance of victory here, so I won't bother."

"You mean to say you won't fight us because you won't win?" Erza questioned.

To that, Hubert shook his head. "Absolutely not. I could finish you both in your condition…but it doesn't benefit me. Empyrean Dawn has no chance at winning at this stage in the game…and rather than get into a needless battle, I will simply withdraw from the battlefield. You won't be getting my points…so I will leave you all to battle amongst yourselves. People enjoy the Fairy Tail and White Eclipse rivalry…so I will take a backseat and depart." The Empyrean then just…walked off, withdrawing from the final battle.

"That makes things easier…" Luke finally arrived on the scene, grinning as he met up with Cygnus. "Two of them…two of us. They don't look so good either."

"Yeah…" Cygnus nodded, rotating his shoulder. "Process of elimination says they have 9 points…so even with all these inconveniences, we can still win."

"No way!" Natsu roared as fire and lightning blazed to life around his entire body. There wasn't much magic in him…but he was still going to fight. And no matter how Cygnus and Luke tried to bluff their condition, they didn't look very good either.

"We will claim victory here today." Erza said in a determined tone, a crimson aura flaring around her body.

"Then let's end this in one shot!" Luke extended his arms to the side, completely forgoing his Eclipse Sword in favor of bringing out his Chaos Unison state! The gray aura around his body flared as much as it could in his condition. If Lucy didn't sap his magic earlier he'd have much more in the tank, but he'd make do with what he had now.

"A final showdown." Emmeraude's commentary made her grin. "If White Eclipse falls, Fairy Tail wins…if Fairy Tail falls, then White Eclipse wins. Oh, I do love a good finish…"

"Ready Erza?! We gotta give this everything we got!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Naturally!" Erza said with a nod.

"Let's finish this, Cygnus!" Luke lifted his hands into the air, forming one large mirror of Eclipse magic before him. He didn't have the magic power for multiple mirrors and settled on this gigantic one. "Eclipse Mirror!" From the mirror, a large beam of Eclipse magic shot forward, decimating the ground while aiming to completely destroy Natsu and Erza!

Cygnus took blade, Rebellion, and extended it forward. With Eclipse, Poison, and Gravity magic at his disposal, he unleashed it all! This multicolored beam flew alongside Luke's own and the two rushed to eliminate the Fairy Tail mages. "This is the end for you!"

"Not on your life!" Natsu roared as his aura reached an all-time high. "Hidden Form: Crimson Lotus – Phoenix Blade!" This was it! Natsu lunged forward with a full powered headbutt, lightning and flames swirled around his body. Unlike most of his attacks, this one focused on piercing rather than explosive power.

Erza was right beside him, letting out a powerful yell as her demon blade shone red. "Scarlet Cataclsym!" Natsu and Erza charged recklessly into the incoming attacks. The distance wasn't much to begin with…but if they wanted to win, they absolutely had to take the risk. Unlike before, things didn't even end in an earth shaking explosion. The result of all these mages shooting forward with everything they had was just a brilliant flash of white light that induced no sound whatsoever!

.

"I can't see!? What happened…!" Laki asked. Even from their position in the audience the screen went bright white!

"They all clashed…but are they okay!?" Levy questioned worriedly.

"I can't see anything! What a clash!" Chapati said, shielding his eyes from such brightness.

.

As the light cleared…there was just a giant crater where everyone collided. Natsu was down…Erza was down, Luke was down, and Cygnus was down. The final collision ended in a draw…which did mean the points went to their respective teams. At the end of it all, White Eclipse had 104 points…and Fairy Tail retained the lead with 107. A three point difference spelled the end between victory and defeat.

FINAL SCORE:

Scoreboard:

1st: Fairy Tail: 107

2: White Eclipse 104

3rd: Empyrean Dawn: 78

4th: Sabtertooth: 67

5th: Mermaid Heel: 49

6th: Blue Pegasus: 41

.

"Well…there you have it." Emmeraude scoffed quietly and stood up from her seat as the scoreboard was finalized. "Even though the final battle ended in a draw, the scoreboard says so differently. This year's Grand Magic Games winner is…Fairy Tail!"

"Now THAT was WILD!" Bacchus yelled.

"FOUR!" Quatro Cerberus followed suit.

The audience roared at the end. After what seemed like months of fighting and competition…the result was finally here! Fairy Tail defeated White Eclipse to become the number one guild in Fiore once again! Fairy Tail was obviously cheering at this. "We did it!" Happy high fived Lily and Carla.

"Well well…looks like they pulled it off…just barely." Mii said while letting out a sigh. "Imagine if Lucy didn't beat that Sophie…those three points would go to White Eclipse. Then that'd be an entirely different situation...but hey, good for them."

"Now now, Mii-chan!" Zelos said while draping an arm around the woman. "This victory is a momentous occasion! No need to be so down about it!"

"You're not even a part of the guild…" Mii sighed.

"So close…yet so far…" Marlene said with a heavy sigh. "But they all did so well out there!"

"The scores were an improvement from last year." Calium saw the silver lining. "And the rookies did considering their debut. A three point difference isn't much, especially considering everything they poured into this tournament. Anything could have changed the tide."

"Does this mean we have to listen to Fairy Tail brag for a year about this?" Ramman groaned.

"Unfortunately…" Zalen said while adjusting his glasses.

"THEY DID IT!" Tia sprang up from her seat with a loud cheer. It was only a second later that she realized exactly what she did and immediately sank back down, feeling extremely embarrassed. "Nobody saw anything. I'll drown you if you say otherwise."

"I knew they could do it!" Alex cheered. "I'm so proud!"

"I'm a little disappointed…" Gaia shrugged.

"Meh!" Daryan and Shadowlore pouted. They were still upset about Mermaid Heel, understandably so.

"Man…" Jack crossed his arms and huffed. "Now Natsu's gonna brag about this for a year now…"

"It's a good thing to have a rival, Jack." Ace said while ruffling the kid's hair, only for his hand to be swatted away violently.

"They did well regardless." Heartless said with a slow nod.

.

.

Back in the Domus Flau, all the guilds that competed, excluding Empyrean Dawn gathered for the victory celebration. Everyone was bandaged up but able to attend. Emmeraude hosted the ending ceremony and applauded to everyone. "Well done…honestly, well done, all of you. This past week must have been rough on everyone, but you all performed exceptionally well. Some better than others, but it all played out in the end. Also, Blue Pegasus…worry not about the Wizard Hunter. It's very clear that you had no intention of hiding him from us."

"I feel like a fool…" Jenny sighed heavily, rubbing her injured arm.

"Men…we were deceived…" Ichiya was taking most of the blame for this.

Sting approached Natsu, giving the fire dragon a wide smile. "Congratulations, Natsu-san! Fairy Tail did well this year. But next year…Sabertooth will win!"

"You can try!" Natsu said with a wide grin.

"They got lucky!" An angry Cygnus shouted.

"Now now…" Aira patted Cygnus on the back. "We fell a little short this year…but next year, we'll win! Especially if the rookies get any stronger than they are now. It was only 3 points. It could have ended in a number of ways."

Kagura kept her eyes peeled for Empyrean Dawn. After her run ins with them she was understandably on edge…even more so that they all just vanished before the ending ceremony. "They're really not here, hm…?"

"They left…" Milliana said while rubbing the back of her head. "I don't like those people…I have a bad feeling about them.

As the guilds chattered amongst themselves, Emmeraude approached Fairy Tail with the gold trophy. "And this is for you, Fairy Tail. A testament to your victory here over these brutal last few days. You've all performed very well." The Queen's eyes then cut to Lucy, who was talking with Mira and laughing. But Emmeraude could sense the unease coming from the blonde. Now wasn't the time…but she'd have to get her priorities set before moving on with her plan.

Laxus took hold of the trophy and held it up to the others. "Well…it took a little more work than expected. But we made it to the top once again. There was never any doubt that we would make it though."

"You said it, Laxus!" Natsu then hoisted Cynthia onto his shoulders. "Everyone did great"

"Agreed." Gray did the same for Wendy. "We couldn't have done it without you all."

"I'll prepare a big feast when everyone's well rested and recovered. It will be our victory celebration." Mira clapped her hands together, smiling at everyone.

Mavis floated down, giving Fairy Tail A and B a wide smile. "I'm very proud of you all! It looked touch and go for a while, but I had faith that you'd be able to pull out a victory."

"No kidding about that touch and go part…" Lucy said with a nervous smile.

"Three cheers for Fairy Tail!" Erza lifted her hand into the air.

"The strongest guild in Fiore once again!" Gajeel added, his signature laugh following suit.

"That's a wonderful idea." Emmeraude held her hand out, talking to the audience. "Give us cheers for the winner of the X794 Grand Magic Games: Fairy Tail!"

"Fairy Tail! Fairy Tail! Fairy Tail!"

.

.

With the Grand Magic Games over, it finally seems like there's time to relax. But Emmeraude's plan begins to real its head from the shadows as we begin to move to the final arc….

Next Time: Dawn of a New Adventure.


	139. Chapter 139: Dawn of a New Adventure

The night of the Grand Magic Games ending, Dealer still had yet to receive any word from Roy about the job they requested of him. Naturally they were a little worried and Ace, Heartless, Strong, and Tia decided to walk around and look for him. Of course Crocus had seen better days, but the condition it was left in was not the worst at all. "Do you think he's dead?" Tia asked while folding her arms.

"I'm not dead!" Roy dropped down from above, his clothing and mask tattered, but he was fine nonetheless. "It took a while, but I managed to grab what you were looking for. I ran into a few complications…but you can't out thief a master thief." Roy then held up Emmeraude's journal and tossed it to Ace.

"Wow…he actually did it." Heartless blinked a few times.

"Is everything all right…?" Erza appeared with Mira and Cana. They noticed that Dealer left a little early and wanted to see if things were fine.

"Everything's fine." Ace said while flipping open Emmeraude's journal. "We're about to delve into the secret of Queen Emmeraude….oh…."

"What is it?" Spade took the journal from Ace and blinked a few times. "….oh."

"What is it?" Now Erza had to ask.

"These equations…this isn't a diary or anything of the sort. It just looks like calculations for something called the Lambda Project…" Spade explained. "It has something to do with that Sophie girl as well."

Now this was how you caught Heartless' attention. She took the book from Spade so fast she may as well have snatched it. "The replica of the Little Queen…where is she…?" The heartless demon began to flip through the pages, but to no avail because she couldn't understand anything written down. "…"

"So she can care about something?" Cana lifted a brow. The comment seemed a little rude…but it wasn't entirely wrong.

"I'm trying." Heartless said flatly. She could sense that Cana still disliked her…and she wasn't sure how to fix it. She wasn't sure if she could fix any of the damage she did during the Dealer incident.

"Don't worry too much about this." Ace said while waving his hand.

"I'm the smartest person here and I've never seen stuff like this before…it may take a while before we can get back to you on this." Spade said while scratching his head.

"Go enjoy your victory." Tia said while waving Erza and Cana off. "We'll come back later."

"Right right…we're packing up and leaving. Come on, Cana." Erza gave Cana a smile and the two females walked off.

Heartless pursued her lips as the Fairy Tail mages left. She wanted to frown, but she couldn't. Would she ever be able to mend the damage she did…? "…."

.

.

When Emmeraude returned to the castle, she found an exhausted Hisui panting heavily. The Queen lifted a brow and walked to the Princess. "My my…what happened, my dear? I thought you were just watching the Games pan out."

"I-I was…" Hisui began. "But then…the Wizard Hunters came…the two girls. They made me walk to your room to steal your journal…then Roy came…and another woman…it was a mess…"

"They took my journal, hm?" Emmeraude let out a sigh. "Worry not. It was far from your fault. I should have been more cautious…that explains the actions from earlier. But it's fine. My journal doesn't contain anything noteworthy aside from bits and pieces of my old projects. There's nothing of value that anyone could use."

"I…I see…" Hisui let out a sigh. "Still, I apologize."

"If no one is hurt, then I think you did a fantastic job." Emmeraude praised the Jade Princess. "It's been a long week. We both deserve some rest…and then I can begin putting the pieces of my plan together." Emmeraude then began to walk off, but Hisui stared as she left.

The words that Yumia and Yukia said to her still rang in her mind. Who was Emmeraude…? She may not have honestly known…and it was something she wanted to know. But not wasn't the time for that, Emmeraude seemed exhausted. "Yeah…goodnight."

.

.

Fast forward one week later. Everyone's injuries were more or less healed and it was finally time to relax! The girls of Fairy Tail were relaxing in the bath house, taking a load off after the harsh week. Erza, Cynthia, Wendy, and Carla were the only ones absent for some reason, but the others were relaxing in the water or cleaning themselves. Lisanna let out a content sigh while scrubbing herself down. "I know I didn't compete, but watching the Games was an exhausting endeavor in and of itself."

"Mmm…" Mira nodded in agreement. "But I'm glad things turned out the way they did. Now we're back to being flooded with jobs."

"So busy I don't know what to do or where to start." Cana stretched her arms out in the water. "But why work when you could be here, am I right?"

"Absolutely." Lucy laid back against the wall. Considering her attitude as of late, it was clear that the Virus was dormant after the Games. There was nothing plaguing over the last week…so was she free? Maybe. But those thoughts were far from important as she relaxed in the water.

"I almost feel enticed to do work." Mii snickered quietly, making sure to stay close to all the ladies. "But then I wouldn't get to finish my art project."

"Who told you we came here?" Cana raised a brow, almost as if they were trying to avoid Mii harassing them…even though Cana was no better at times and Mii knew it.

"Ah ah…you don't want to be the pot calling the kettle black." Mii wagged her finger. "And besides, you thought I wouldn't notice all the woman heading to the bath house? You don't know Mii very well. The real impressive part was keeping Zelos away…to which I may have knocked him out cold." She shrugged casually.

Levy had a sweat drop on her forehead. Of course she'd rather have Mii over Zelos in this instance, but Mii was still pretty bad overall. "I hope you didn't injure him too badly…" Because sometimes Mii had problems when it came to scaling her absurd physical strength.

"Nah…he'll be fine." Mii waved her hand.

Lucy then glanced over at Levy, lifting a brow. "Weren't you working today?"

Levy shook her head. "Jet and Droy said they could take care of it. They were really fired up honestly…I guess watching everyone put in so much work during the Games made them want to work harder…."

.

.

In some random forest, Jet and Droy were confidently shouting. "We can show Levy that we're good!" Jet yelled!

"We can do it if we try!" Droy followed up. But of course their situation was nowhere near as good. In reality, the pair was tied up and hung upside down, held at spear point by a few masked men.

"Please help us, Gajeel!" The two shouted comically.

Pantherlily clenched his teeth and briefly glanced at Gajeel. "…Why did you bring them with us?"

"I didn't." Gajeel said with a minor sweat drop. "They followed me."

.

.

"You know, I think Natsu and Gray are on a mission together too…" Lucy pointed out.

"Those two? Alone?" Mii lifted a brow. "They can barely function in a normal environment!"

"They've been getting along better recently." Mira pointed out before settling into the water herself. "Although they still do fight…"

" _I also think Happy is with them…"_ Lucy didn't say this aloud, but her face said it.

"Speaking of Natsu, though…" Cana slid a little closer, a grin forming on her lips. "I heard he groped you the other day, that true?"

"Wh-?!" Lucy's eyes widened and she stared at Cana. "That stupid cat…!"

"Hey, come on now! Let me have a taste!" Cana said while playfully groping Lucy's chest.

Mii had a grin on her face and started to inch closer to the fun. "Is this what we're doing now? Because I am so down with this." But she didn't get very far since Mira held her back.

"You shouldn't be involved in this." Mira said with her usual smile, but the tone held a bit of weight to it.

Levy awkwardly shifted about during this topic. "Ugh…they're talking about breasts again." And this topic was a little sensitive for the script mage. "…Speaking of, where are Wendy and Cynthia anyway?"

"They went on a job with Erza." Mira said, still managing to hold Mii back. "They were enticed by the reward of sweets."

.

.

There was a sparkle on Erza's face as she was on stage with Wendy. The sky dragon slayer was dressed as Haru Glory, while Erza donned the outfit of Elie, and Carla was of course, Plue. But it was clear that acting was not Erza's strongest suit, but she was confident regardless. "I-I am…Elie, G Tonfa's messenger…"

"Leave, you suck!"

"Don't come out!"

"Haru is too small!"

The hecklers continued, although they had a right to be upset since this performance was far from the best. Cynthia was hidden at the top of the stage, controlling one of the props with a stale expression. "This…isn't exactly what I envisioned when Erza invited us to play…"

"What's with this job…?" Wendy quietly questioned.

"Just resist for the sweets, Wendy." That was Carla's only response, because the look on her face said that she was having a very hard time keeping it together.

.

.

"Uh…" Lisanna pointed to the red headed female in the bath. "But isn't that Erza over there?"

Nope. That assumption was incorrect, as it was instead Flare, who snuck into the Fairy Tail bath house again. "No…it's me."

"How do you keep getting in here?!" Lucy asked.

"It's…inviting…" Flare said while poking her fingers together.

"Who do we have here?" Mii made a sharp turn to Flare, but surprise, Mira tugged her back as though she were the leash that Mii needed. "Come on…let Mii live…"

"I've just been…wandering around lately…" Flare admitted. "I don't have anywhere to go still and…" It sounded like she was about to say something else, but she decided to stop there.

"Should we talk to Master about her…?" Lucy looked at the others. "We already have Mii…but I'm sure another addition wouldn't hurt."

Juvia was watching the entire fiasco from behind the changing room. Her eyes were on Flare, and she immediately drew one conclusion. _"That shy look…she's just like me…!"_

"But…" Flare began, a smile forming on her face. "I don't want to join Fairy Tail."

"THEN WHY ARE YOU HERE!?"

.

.

After the bathhouse fiasco, Mii and Lucy and even Plue were traveling back to Lucy's apartment. "The bathhouse is no nice…my bath is so small." Someone in the canal did try to ask for Lucy's autograph, but she didn't hear them.

"What do you mean? It's big enough for two people." Mii said while placing her hands behind her back.

"That's not enough room to relax in." Lucy wagged her finger and pouted. As they neared her home, her eyes widened and the realization hit her. "Ah! And speaking of…I have to pay for rent! WE have to start taking some jobs."

"We?!" Mii almost sounded offended…but then she remembered that the agreement for her staying at Lucy's house was helping her pay rent. Even though Fairy Hills wasn't a bad option either…it was just lucky for Mii that Lucy didn't seem to mind that much. "Fine, fine…"

"That's what I thought." Lucy poked her tongue out at Mii before opening the door to her apartment. And surprise: Erza, Cynthia, Wendy, and Carla were already there waiting for her. Not only that, but they were fairly comfortable too.

"Welcome back!" Cynthia and Wendy chimed.

"Sorry, we got in." Erza said with a warm smile on her face.

Lucy's eyes nearly popped out of her head. She shouldn't have been surprised, but for some reason she was. "This sure feels nostalgic…"

"You really need to lock your door more often…" Mii shrugged and began walking over to an object that was covered by a sheet.

"Says the woman that PICKED my lock…" Lucy furrowed her brows.

"Sorry…we came in without asking." Wendy said with a sheepish grin. "But we wanted to share the reward we got from our job with you guys!"

"We got sweets. We weren't going to finish them all by ourselves." Carla said. "Also, this is a nice house after all."

Erza opened up the large box of sweets, gesturing for Mii to take some as well. "You too, Mii."

"Does that mean the job went well?" Lucy grinned in thanks.

"Uhm…" Cynthia and Wendy glanced at one another awkwardly.

"Perfectly." Erza would say something like that.

"Uh huh…" Mii knew a lie when she saw one. Erza said one thing, but Cynthia and Wendy's expressions said another.

"Are Natsu and Gray not back yet?" Carla asked while sipping some tea. "It's been three days…"

"They said they were on an easy job…" Erza stroked her chin. "Knowing them, it's surprising that they're late."

"Maybe we should see what's going on?" Cynthia suggested.

"Hold on!" Mii placed her hand forward, garnering all the attention. "Those two are fine I'm sure, but before we leave, there is something I wanna show you guys!" The angel then removed the covering off the object, revealing a half finished work of art on a canvas. "Ta-da!"

The females all crowded around the painting, lifting their brows at what Mii worked on. It wasn't exactly worthy of a famous artist…but she put a great deal of effort into it. It was a painting of Mii with Fairy Tail. "Is this what you've been working on this entire time…?" Lucy asked, since every time they were together in the house Mii just lazed about.

"Mhm." There was a sense of accomplishment for the red head, which was pretty rare. "I asked Reedus to give me some painting tips. I mean…this isn't gonna come to life or anything, and it's not even finished…but I wanted to show you."

Carla peered closer, taking a look at who Mii did manage to paint. "I see me…Wendy…Cynthia, Erza, Natsu, Gray, Lucy…I see a lot of people actually."

"There are way too many of you people." Mii said with an exasperated sigh. "This canvas is too small…but a bigger canvas won't fit in this tiny apartment."

"Excuse me?!" Lucy huffed. "Hey, wait I minute. I just remembered something! You said you'd tell us more about yourself if we did well in the Games. Considering we won, I think it's time you started talking."

"We don't know a lot about you…aside from what you've told us." Wendy agreed to the notion, sheepishly poking her fingers together.

"Which could have all been lies~" Mii hummed.

"Too bad for you, you know us the absolute truth. You said so yourself." Carla lifted a brow.

"…Did I?" Mii tried to think back, but she honestly couldn't remember. "….Sigh. Fine. You get one question! Make it count."

"Who are you looking for?" Erza asked perhaps the biggest one.

"…Ah…." That was a question that hit home. The angel rubbed her arm sheepishly and glanced off to the side. "Damn it. I was hoping you would have forgotten."

"If I recall correctly…you said that was your reason for joining us, right? Both the guild and for the Isle." Carla prodded the sensitive question. "That we could help you, anyway. It sounds more like you're trying to use us…but you also said you liked us."

"I also hate you." Mii snapped back, just to make things clear. "But to answer your question….I'm looking for my mentor. His name is Kogoro…and he means a lot to me. I've done some very unforgivable things in the past…I won't go into details since it doesn't concern you. But I haven't seen him for a very long time. I thought he was on the Isle, I was sure of it…but I was wrong. I just want to see him…so I can say I'm sorry. I don't know if he's heard about what I did…but I wonder if he'd think any less of me because of it." So in a way, Mii searched for this man because she wanted his opinion among other things.

"I see…he means a lot to you. You could have just stopped there." Lucy said with a teasing grin.

Mii realized this and her cheeks flared up. The woman turned around and crossed her arms, letting out a big huff. "D-Don't take this the wrong way or anything…but once I find him, I'm out of here! You'll get your thank you and Mii is leaving!"

"I don't think you can leave that easily." Erza said with a knowing smile. "You're an S class at Fairy Tail, remember? You have some big responsibilities to carry out before that time comes. There's a big ceremony that has to be held if you do want to leave, though…everyone will be there."

"So it was a trap!" Mii pointed accusingly at Erza. "It was all bait to make Mii responsible wasn't it! I knew it! You're all so mean to Miiiiiii!"

"Oh boy…" Cynthia shook her head. "Are we sure she's really S-class worthy?"

"She wouldn't be here if she didn't like us." Lucy pointed out, getting ready to head out since they were to see what the holdup was on Natsu and Gray. "I think we can trust her."

"…Ew, stop that." Mii shook her head fervently. "What have I told you about trusting Mii? Bad decision. Don't do it."

"Come on, stop being like that. You can trust us. Remember…I said we wouldn't let you die, and we meant it!" Lucy smiled, along with Carla, Erza, Cynthia, and Wendy.

"…" Mii turned her head. "Stop that, too. Aren't we supposed to be leaving? Come on already…" And Mii was the first one out the door. She was tired of having the spotlight when it made her uncomfortable.

"Think she'll ever fully come around?" Lucy asked.

"Maybe one day…the longer she stays here, I'm sure she will." Erza replied with a soft smile. "Her lies are her way of telling the truth…in a sense."

.

.

In a forest far off somewhere, the girls came across a felled monster that scaled at least a two story building. Erza blinked a few times and easily deduced that Natsu and Gray were responsible for this. "This is the monster from their request."

"Yeesh…" Mii looked the creature over before moving one hand to lift it over her head with ease. "Nope…they aren't under here."

"You're showing off aren't you?" Lucy placed her hands on her hips, raising a brow when met by Mii's innocent smile. "Put it down."

"Fineeeee…" Mii dropped the monster down and the ground shook slightly.

"Carla…" Happy weakly called out. He looked awful.

"Happy…" Carla wasn't sure how to react to the blue cat's expression. "Where are they…?"

"Over there…." Happy pointed to Natsu and Gray, who were duking it out for god knows why. Both had bruises and comical blisters on their face.

"Stop fucking around, you shitty flame!" Gray yelled while slamming his fist into Natsu's face.

"You first, you pervert nudist!" Natsu yelled and returned fire.

"YOU ALWAYS ACT WITHOUT THINKING!"

"YOU NEVER DECIDE WHAT TO DO!"

"…Three days of this?" Lucy asked with a sweat drop.

"All they do is eat, sleep, and fight…" Happy heaved.

Erza clapped her hands together, slowly approaching the arguing pair. "What a cute fight. All right…break it up you two."

"SHUT UP!"

WHAM! Both Natsu and Gray slammed their fists into Erza's face, causing the woman to lea back. All fell silent as the wrath of Erza was incurred from their idiocy.

"Oh." Playtime was over. Erza's friendly gaze shifted to one with murderous intent.

"E-Erza?!"

"What are you doing here?!"

It was too late. Erza was already mad and Natsu and Gray had to suffer for it. The last thing that was heard in the forest was their screams of agony.

.

.

"I'm never working with him again." Natsu grumbled, sitting at a table in Fairy Tail across from Gray ironically.

"Same here. Screw that." Gray scoffed.

"Don't act like kids…" Romeo sighed.

Elfman on the other hand couldn't help but let out a laugh. "You two are still the same."

Mira approached Makarov with another of request. "We've got more requests, Master. Since the Games, we've been busy again. Everyone's been getting specific quests, and this one seems to be an emergency."

"No one's responded to the modeling request I posted…" Zelos whined from afar.

"Nobody wants to take a request from you." Cana retorted.

"Hmmmm…" Makarov took the paper before lifting it into the air. "Natsu! Gray! It's another one for you!"

"Are you kidding?" Gray sighed. "I'm not working with him ever again!"

"Same here!" Natsu said while shoving Gray to the side.

"Don't touch me." Gray grunted.

Makarov read over the request, his eyes widening when he realized who it was from. "No…this…this request. You two must take it…and you cannot fail either."

"Eh…why so sweaty, Gramps?" Natsu lifted a brow.

"This request…is from….one of the Four Gods of Ishgar." Makarov explained.

"HUH!?" Just about everyone shouted out in surprise…except Mii and Zelos.

"Question." Mii lifted her hand. "What's a God of Ishgar?"

Makarov cleared his throat. "The Wizard Saints have been changed over the years due to the holes in the system. Even though people such as Jura and myself are no longer one by title, we still are in rank. In other words, the Council may call upon us as well in the event of an emergency. But there are four mages whose position remains untouched even with these changes. The four Wizard Saints prior to the change are referred to as the Four Gods and they stand above the Wizard Saints. The one who sent this request is the 4th…Warrod Sequen."

.

.

In the Palace, Emmeraude was working on something. The lack of her journal didn't bother her since she had everything figured out already. It was more of…a memento of the past. But no, right now, she had a large whiteboard and was writing out several possibilities of…something. "Let's see…it's entirely possible that the infection isn't at 100% yet. If that's the case then there may still be time to pull the virus out before it's too late. If not…then I will have to resort to some undesirable methods…but in the end it should still be mine."

This was her chance. Hisui waited around for a little while since Emmeraude seemed so hung up over something the last few days, and those mysterious people that arrived were always talking to her. But today was the day. Hisui walked into Emmeraude's room without even knocking first. "Emmeraude."

"Hm?" Emmeraude turned, offering a sweet smile at Hisui. "Hello dear. You look troubled. Is there something I can help you with?"

The words from Yumia and Yukia stuck in her mind. What was happening now vs. what she knew…they contradicted each other. "There's something important that I need to ask you. It's been troubling me lately ever since those Wizard Hunters spoke to me the other day." Every question in her mind centered around the woman who was Fiore's Queen…if she could really be called that. Hisui out her foot down while staring at Emmeraude with a suspicious glare. "…Who are you really?"

Emmeraude lifted a brow at Hisui's tone. The level of suspicion told her that that Jade Princess was beginning to doubt that things were amiss. But the Queen was not deterred, instead a smile curved slowly onto those purple painted lips of hers. "Well, since you asked…I suppose I can tell you who I am…and where I've come from."

.

.

Next Time: My Story.


	140. Chapter 140: My Story

"I don't know anything about you." Hisui stated. "And…I want to trust you. But after what I've been told…my head hurts. I don't know what to believe."

"It's only natural." Emmeraude said while gesturing for Hisui to take a seat on her bed. "You should take a seat, my dear. My tale is a long one…and I'm certain you have many questions."

Hisui did just that, taking a seat while glancing at the board Emmeraude had. It was filled with ideas upon ideas that she couldn't even begin to understand. "All of this…what is it for…? What does it have to do with Lucy? She's my friend…and I won't allow any harm to come to her."

"Now now…" Emmeraude waved her hand. "There is a lot to discuss. You recall the Protos Heis and Lambda Virus I told you about, yes? Well…during the Games, I realized that my research had come together in more ways than one."

Hisui blinked slowly. She did remember what Emmeraude told her about Sophie and the Virus, but she wasn't entirely sure how it linked to Emmeraude herself at this point. "What do you mean?"

"Your friend Lucy has been infected by the Lambda Virus. This became clear to me when Sophie had a usual need to fight Lucy." Emmeraude explained. Her words were a mix of lie and truth; she realized on sight that Lucy was the one who ruined her Lambda Virus project, but she also didn't realize the girl was afflicted until later.

"What!?" Hisui's eyes widened. "That's awful…we have to help her."

"I intend to do so." Emmeraude said. "But it's a delicate process…there are many factors to take in. But in order to fully understand the Lambda Virus…Protos Heis…and myself, I'm sure you want to know where it all started, yes?"

"…Mhm." Hisui nodded.

"Very well. It all started in the Kingdom of Pergrande. My mother was used…that is the best way I could put it. She never did talk much about the events leading up to my birth, but it always made her uncomfortable. She was a beautiful woman who was living in the slums. It was hard for her to survive on her own…least of all to take care of a child. She had thoughts of even getting rid of me. But…she didn't. She could have thrown me away easily…but she didn't. Instead, she gave me tender love and care. She was the only person I had in my life, and I devoted myself to doing whatever I could to making her live happily."

.

[Flashback]

" _The slums of Pergrande is a lonely place. Nobody trusts anyone…they're all mad at the crown…the only people who you can rely on are friends and family. The country is far too big for its own good…but even so, even though the Royal Family is fully capable of helping, for some reason, they don't. As such, that means people had to resort to doing many things in order to just survive. I was alone…I had no friends, only my mother, but I'd do anything if it meant she could live happily."_

A young Emmeraude, roughly 10 years old wore clothes her mother made for her. The girl had actually just stolen from a nearby shop and was bolting it to her usual hiding place. The girl was being chased by the angry shopkeeper. "Huff…huff…"

"Damn that girl! Come back here!" The shopkeeper exclaimed, slowly catching up to the young Emmeraude.

"You won't catch me!" Emmeraude shouted. Even as a child she was fairly confident in herself…The young girl turned a corner where a large gate separated the two sides, and getting over it was going to take too long to climb. It looked like she was cornered. "Ah…I forgot about that…"

"Haha!" The male shopkeeper finally caught up, panting a little since he wasn't as young as he used to be. "Now listen here girl. You will return what you stole, otherwise I'm going to take it by force and report you to the authorities!"

"You really don't know how things work around here, do you?" Emmeraude scoffed. "What authorities? Your own sense of self-righteousness? I'm just trying to survive with my mother, and you won't stop me. You can't even catch me." The young girl lifted her hand into the air, a chain shooting forward to carry her over the gate and to the other side. "Bleh." The cheeky child stuck her tongue out at the shopkeeper and shook the bag of jewel in her hand. "Maybe next time, though."

"D-Damn it!" The shopkeeper yelled in anger. By the time he had the chance to climb over the wall, she'd be long gone.

Once again she was in the clear. This was simply Emmeraude's life. She did know a few people around the slums, but they weren't exactly friends. Just people she often waved to and said good morning, but the relationship never really went any further than that. Upon arriving home, the girl opened the door and smiled. "Mom! I'm home!"

Emmeraude's mother, Emerald, was a tall woman. They looked alike honestly, with long emerald hair and yellow eyes. Her clothing was a little wore and ragged, but she was making do. Their house was small but had the essentials; the problem was just keeping everything together since the place was a little run down. "Oh…welcome home Em. Where were you?"

"I got us some more money!" The small girl proudly lifted up the bag of jewel she stole.

"Em…" Emerald smiled softly. "I know you mean well…but stealing is wrong."

"I know…" Emmeraude pouted. "But how else can we survive? I don't _want_ to steal from people…but I want us to survive. You do so much…cook, clean…take care of me…I want to make sure you get something nice too…!"

"Em…" Emerald smiled once again. "Sometimes I forget you're only 10…"

"Besides…." Emmeraude shifted around awkwardly. "I can't return the money even if I wanted to. That guy was really mad at me so I had to split,"

"I expected as much…" Emerald really didn't want to have her child think stealing was okay in the long run…but it was part of the reason they were able to survive. "I'm going to make dinner."

"And I'll see how much I got from this guy." Emmeraude walked over to the table and poured the contents of the bag onto the table, immediately counting what she stole. "Oooh…this was a big haul today…" So many jewel! The girl's eyes sparkled but she noticed something else within the contents. "Huh? What's this…?" Emmeraude pulled out a ticket and read the contents. "Oh! Mom! Mom! I think we hit the jackpot!"

Emerald looked over her shoulder. It wasn't often Emmeraude got so excited. "What is it, dear?"

Emmeraude held the ticket to her mother's face. "It looks like that guy had a ticket for some resort island! All-expense paid trip for two people for a few days!"

Emerald took the ticket, staring at it with wide eyes. "What? He had this on him…? I…I almost feel a little bad…"

Emmeraude was bouncing up and down excitedly. "We should use it! You work hard; you deserve a break for a few days! Come on! Come on!"

.

[End flashback]

Hisui blinked slowly, listening to Emmeraude's story attentively. "You…got a ticket to an island resort?"

"It seems highly unlikely, doesn't it?" Emmeraude chuckled softly. "Apparently that shop keeper had been planning to go with his significant other. He was going to surprise her when counting how much money he made, which explained why he was so intent on chasing me down. But in a way, Lady Luck smiled on my mother and I that day. My mother and I didn't have too much to pack aside from the essentials, and went off for a little vacation. A family from the slums getting a taste of luxury…perhaps it was a mistake? When you get a taste of something well out of your reach, you only crave it more."

"…What was the island like…?" Hisui asked.

"It was a beautiful island off the coast." The Queen stared up at the ceiling as she recalled the memory. "Unlike anything I'd ever seen before, honestly. I read a lot about such locations, but only for the fantasy of wanting more in life. The ocean was so beautiful…the natives were nice too. It was a small neutral kingdom and a popular tourist spot. My mother and I had an entire week to spend there, away from the mundanity of our everyday lives in the slums. I never wanted to leave. I'm sure she didn't either…so I tried various things to increase the length of our stay. But the all failed. The ambitious of a 10 year old girl only seemed adorable, but not enough to warrant any results…but one day I took a little bit of a risk…"

.

[Flashback]

" _It was a late at night one day. I snuck into the throne room of the neutral ruler, the king to be precise. He was a nice man, don't get me wrong. But I was unable to do a lot…I just wanted a sense of power for one minute. I was never going to have the chance to it again. But as soon as I sat on that throne…that little sip became intoxicating."_

The young Emmeraude slipped into the throne room. It was completely empty and she was proficient at sneaking around. The girl tip toed her way across the room until reaching the throne. "People of high power always sit here…I wonder what it's like…having power…" The girl then settled herself on the throne. It was at that moment everything changed. An invisible pulse of magic boomed out across the entire island. It was so strong Emmeraude fell from the seat. "Oof…!"

A few minutes passed before multiple natives began rushing in. It was at this moment that Emmeraude thought she'd be in trouble, but the opposite was true. The natives expressed concern as though she was the most important thing in their entire lives. "My lady! Are you okay!? What happened!?"

"Huh…?" Emmeraude looked up, rubbing her head with a confused look. "I'm not…royalty…?"

"Haha! That's a funny joke Mistress." A native laughed.

" _It was…so bizarre. I continued to insist that it was a harmless joke…but they all laughed at me like I was crazy. It wasn't long before I was being praised as the young queen of that island. They did everything I asked. For a while that evening I wondered if this was all just some elaborate prank. But I slowly began to realize that I…I had power. It was everything I ever wanted."_

Sometime later, Emmeraude pulled her mother into the throne room, smiling wide. "Mom! I figured out a way to solve all of our problems! We'll just stay here! I don't know what happened…but I sat on the throne and suddenly I'm the Queen! I think it was my magic…but it doesn't matter. We can live happily now!"

Emerald knew something strange was going on the island when the natives started tending to her more than the other guests. "So…this was your doing. I should have assumed as much…"

"What's wrong…? You don't look too happy…" Emmeraude pouted, trying to drive the point home. "We can stay on this island. We don't need to go back to Pergrande. I'll be Queen and you can live happily!"

"Oh…" Emerald smiled, fighting back the tears that welled up. "You're so sweet…always thinking of me. But you know we can't stay here."

Emmeraude's lips curved down into a frown. She knew this as well but didn't want to believe the possibility. "But…but I can rule here! I sat down and became Queen! They can do whatever I want them to! And…and…!"

Emerald knelt down, placing her hands on Emmeraude's shoulders. "You're such a sweet girl, Em. But we can't stay here like this. This is a tourist attraction…not only that, but even if the natives have fallen for you, the visitors are aware of the strange changes. Plus, Em…you're too young to rule a kingdom…right now."

"Right…now…?" That working was so strange. Why did she say it like that?

"You're too young. I know you're looking out for me and I appreciate it so much. But you can't rule a Kingdom right now, Em. You don't even know the first thing about ruling, do you? It's more than just looking out for your favorite person. You have to ensure that everyone under your rule is safe and well taken care of. Otherwise the people will get upset and they may try and hurt you, and the last thing I ever want is for you to be hurt. You mean too much to me…"

"Mom…" Emmeraude felt the tears roll down her cheeks. She embraced her mother tightly and cried into her. "I just want you to be happy…"

"I know." Emerald said while holding onto her daughter. "But tell me, Em…if you did want to rule? What kind of ruler would you strive to be?"

Emmeraude paused. She thought about how rough things were back home for her and her mother…and she knew there were people who had it just as bad if not worse. All doing what she would do to keep them alive. "I…I would make sure all the bad things in the world go away! I want to make a place where nobody would have a hard time like we do…I want to help everyone in trouble. Isn't that what a good ruler does?"

"You are young…but you're such a thoughtful person…" Emerald said with a proud smile.

.

[End flashback]

"After our talk…we returned the king to his throne. He never did anything bad anyway…and as soon as he sat on it, it was as though my rule never existed, though it was brief to begin with. I was an idealistic child…but I'm sure there were many who thought like I did. But I learned something important that day. I could have power…the power of any King or Queen in the world so long as I sat upon their throne. My mother and I dubbed this magic as Queenly Majesty." Emmeraude explained.

"Wha…" Hisui was completely taken aback by this.

"But that wasn't all. My mother came clean to me about who my father was. As it turns out…I am the daughter of King Ashnard of Pergrande." Emmeraude silenced Hisui before she could even scream the obvious 'WHAT'. "Now…my mother never liked talking about him or the circumstances leading up to it…but all I know is that they had an encounter when he was still a prince, competing against his brothers for the throne of Pergrande."

"D-Does he know about you!?" Hisui stood up.

"I asked that question myself…."

.

[Flashback]

With the news just broken to her, Emmeraude stared with wide eyes. Her mind was racing and she didn't even know how to react. She was shocked…excited…then angry. "That's not fair!" She screamed. "Why hasn't he tried to help us yet!? He does know, right!?"

Emerald sighed and glanced away. "…I honestly couldn't tell you. He normally doesn't keep up with the poverty. We're lucky we get enough attention just to survive."

"That's stupid!" Emmeraude shouted again, this time punching the wall in anger. It did hurt, but she couldn't help it. "I'm gonna sit on that stupid throne and kick him off! I could do much better with this country than he could!" It was her anger talking, but a part of her did end up believing it. She already knew what kind of ruler she wanted to be after all!

"Em, you can't do that." Emerald shook her head. "It makes me upset too, but that's far too dangerous."

"I won't let you keep living here like this, Mom." Emmeraude shook her head. She then recalled a flyer she saw the other day and her eyes lit up. She dug in her back and pulled out the flyer for the Pergrande Military. "I'll join the Military!"

Hearing that made Emerald's eyes widen. "N-No! I can't let you do that! That's far too dangerous! I don't know what I would do if I lost you!"

Emmeraude held a proud smile and flexed her arms. "Don't worry Mom! I'm strong. I already established dominance over the other kids my age in this town. I even beat up that one military man who tried to get rid of the town and kick us out! I don't want to join now…but in a few years…they hold the yearly tryouts. I can do it!"

"But…I…" Emerald didn't like this idea of her child thinking of fighting in the military. "It's so dangerous…if I lost you, I…I…."

"Don't worry, Mom." Emmeraude placed her hands on her mother's shoulders. "As long as you're alive and supporting me, I can do anything! 6 years…I'll work really hard and make sure I'll be the strongest woman in the army! Then I can at least make sure you get money. Everything I do from now on…it's all for you!" The smile she had was pure…a daughter who loved her mother to the ends of the earth and back.

.

[End flashback]

"You…You really love your mother, don't you?" Hisui looked down.

"More than anything on this planet. Of course, you and Sophie come close as second." Emmeraude flashed a small smile before continuing on. "For many years I trained…I worked as hard as I could to join the Pergrande Military. Even with all of my research and preparation beforehand…I barely made it in. But it was a start."

"How tough was it?" Hisui brought her head up again to look at Emmeraude.

"Pergrande does hold the strongest military in Ishgar. It was a rigorous process…but I did climb my way up the ranks. I never realized it before…but even though I despise King Ashnard, I am grateful that I inherited his strength. He uses Crash Magic and I inherited that as well. Chain magic was developed on my own…and I was simply born with the innate ability to rule. It was destiny I felt. All the money I made went right to my mother. It was a steady income and I knew I didn't have to worry about her. In the event that I did cause problems…I abandoned my last name so the military would have no connections to her. To them, I was simply Emmeraude. But that was only the first step. I had to go higher. But I also realized that ruling a Kingdom was not as easy as I thought it would be. I watched King Ashnard make some…decisions that were tough for the Kingdom itself. I won't say he rules well when it counts…but making a hard decision is also what it means to be a ruler."

"I know." Hisui immediately replied. She was still the Princess, and she'd do whatever she needed to in the interest of Fiore in a heartbeat. The people were her concern in the end.

"I rose to the rank of Commandant…one of the 13 Commandants to be exact. A swell group…all surprisingly annoying in their own way, but we got along, I suppose. Each Commandant was granted a small unit to work under time. I'll introduce you to those who have come by at a later date…but I took the role of head scientist for Pergrande."

"H-Head scientist…!?"

"Indeed." Emmeraude nodded. "I forged many projects…I stayed behind the scenes to help the Pergrande army in battle. Although…roughly 20 years ago, there was a holy war a certain individual caused. We ended up fighting angels…and while we were victorious, there were multiple casualties. The army was exhausted after such a long, hard fought battle. So I began to ponder ways to increase the strength of our army by…artificial means."

"Artificial?" This was the part where Hisui started to get lost.

"Humans are fragile creatures. We fight until we cannot anymore…but by doing so, it allows us to fight harder than before. So…I decided to do a little hunting. Was there something that could help humans fight without exhausting themselves so much? A way to surpass their limits easily? I thought about this for a while…but then one day I came across a rather strange organism. Its name was Lambda."

.

[Flashback]

" _A scientist's mind is extremely dangerous, you know. The questions of 'what if' and 'how' plague our minds….and soon we want to test these thoughts."_

A few years later, there was Emmeraude, deep within the Pergrande research lab with a white coat and a clipboard. In front of her was a large test tube in front of her, containing a black and red sphere of pure magic. The woman tapped her chin with her pen, humming as her test results continued to be inconclusive. "Hmmmm….."

"Are you still fiddling around with that thing?" Lucius asked, appearing alongside Lex, Xen, and Wes. "Come now, Emmeraude. There are far more important things to do."

"Maybe for you. But this is an important step in my work. I sent my unit out to gather more supplies." Emmeraude didn't even look at the males as they arrived. She was too focused on her specimen.

"This thing is like…so weird…" Wes observed the Lambda specimen. "What did you say this thing was again…?"

"I believe this thing said it was called Lambda." Emmeraude explained. "It was quite the specimen and a hassle to bring in, so thank you for assisting me with that. This creature is capable of donating parts of itself to heal other creatures. I was observing it for days and watched its effects on the ecosystem…so I began to think what I could do if I captured it."

"I don't recall it being so…grotesque…" Lucius glanced it over. "Wasn't it much more vibrant? And besides, it was an easy capture."

"That good for nothing red-head didn't do a thing…" Wes grumbled. "How can anyone stand being around someone that just flirts all day? I don't get it…"

"Ah…that's my doing. When stressed, it appears that Lambda responds negatively and begins to act in self-defense. It's been in this mode for a long time now…but I plan to release it once I'm done. I've taken a little of its positive energy to experiment with later. But my notes have led me to one conclusion: this is what I've been looking for. I've been looking for something that responds to stress and negative emotion…those are the same emotions that are brought out in the heat of war. A little more testing and I think I can perfect and mass produce this…"

"What is your goal at the end of this?" Xen scoffed. "A god needs not for such petty creations."

"It's not for you." Emmeraude shot back. "This is for the army. My end goal is to create a substance that can rest inside the human solider. This being will respond to the negative emotions of battle and increase their parameters tenfold without causing stress on their body. Lambda has shown signs of being able to absorb magic as well…so in theory it should come at little cost to the user. With something like this Pergrande's army will be unstoppable."

"I don't understand." Lex stated bluntly.

"If I put that in you, it will make you strong." Emmeraude spoke in simple terms to Lex. "I just need a few more test subjects. Lambda has been fighting hard and the poor soldiers end up dying quickly…"

"King Ashnard has also advised me to tell you that you should be making something that can deal with that thing in the event it does get out of control." Lucius said while running a hand through his perfect pink locks. "He's worried about causing an incident…"

"Yeah yeah…" Emmeraude scoffed. "My research is perfect…but if it will ease the King, I will oblige."

" _And so…using the positive energy from Lambda I had before it gave into its negative nature…I created Protos Heis…Sophie. It took some time and diverted most of my attention…but something came over me when designing her. I couldn't think of much…but then, two years ago, I encountered two mages belonging to that Dealer guild. Heartless and someone who resembles Sophie. I took the little girl's DNA and left, suddenly having what I needed to complete my project. And it was then I had…An urge…I thought of my mother for a moment, and I decided that I wanted to craft something that resembled a daughter."_

A few months later (2 years ago, during Darkness Rises GMG arc), Sophie's eyes opened as her system began to start up. Pink eyes flashed and Sophie looked around. "System start up complete…Protos Heis, operational."

Emmeraude grinned and knelt down to meet Sophie at eye level. "Hello, Protos Heis. My name is Emmeraude…I'm your creator. But you can also call me Mom."

"Mom…?" Sophie blinked a few times and nodded. "Okay. What is my mission…?"

Emmeraude's smile widened. Due to her position in the army she wasn't allowed to leave very often and visit her mom. She sent her letters and vice versa, but after growing up so much she decided she wanted to hear the word herself directed at her. The scientist pointed at Lambda in the tube. "That is Lambda. It's a creature that will cause havoc if left unchecked…but I need it for my research. Your mission is this: whenever Lambda goes out of control, I need you to subdue the person it has infected and come back to me with it. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Sophie nodded. "Subdue Lambda and bring it to you. That is my mission. But…what do I do if the host has been taken over completely…?"

"That's an ugly scenario I don't wish for you to see…but always focus on removing the virus." Emmeraude patted Sophie on the head. "You will be my secret weapon in evolving my research. Your magic Photon Magic, composed of Lambda's positive energy. A little test has shown me that its positive energy weakens and subdues the negative mass that it is now. So you will always have the advantage."

"Okay." Sophie nodded once more. Curiosity got the best of her and she asked a question. "So…you have a mission too…Mom? What is your mission?"

"Oh?" Emmeraude raised a brow. She smiled at Sophie before standing up, walking over to the tube containing the weakened Lambda. "My mission…? Well…everything I do here is for my own Mother…who I want you to meet one day. She means the world to me and it's because of her that I've made it so far. But my true goal? I've seen the sorry state this world is in…between Dragons attacking in Fiore…the Black Wizard, Zeref, and Angels returning to smite humans for their misdeeds…it's all too much for people to bear. My main mission is to ensure my mother can have a happy life. But after that…I want to spark a revolution. All it takes is a throne…a single throne in any country of Ishgar. I will rule with a delicate fist…"

"I see…" Sophie tilted her head. "So…can my main mission be to help you, Mom? I want to help you achieve your dream. I haven't been alive for more than a few minutes, but you've given me a purpose and I want to help you."

Emmeraude felt her heart skip a beat. This wasn't part of Sophie's programming, but she appreciated it nonetheless. "…Of course, Sophie."

.

[End Flashback.]

"That's how Sophie was made…and why you're so attached to her…" Hisui was beginning to understand. The pieces were coming together for her as Emmeraude neared the end of her story.

"That's right. I was able to freely test Lambda…and Sophie battled it constantly whenever my attempts were a failure. She was such a big help, I honestly don't know why I didn't think of this sooner." She laughed. "I was so close to perfecting the Lambda project…I just needed one more test and I decided to use King Ashnard. If he could be convinced Lambda was fully operational, I had the green light to start the production process. However…"

"What happened…?" Hisui asked.

"Just when I thought it was a success after so many years…King Ashnard almost suffered the same fate as the other test subjects. Unlike them, however…he was able to force the virus out of his body. But he was not happy with me. He believed I was trying to kill him…and honestly, a part of me might have. I couldn't say…but in the end, my research still failed…and not only that, but I was stripped of my title and sentenced to exile. Was he being paranoid? I don't think so. I put so much work and time into that project and promised nothing but results…and I failed to uphold what I promised. But I was furious. Everything I worked for…stripped away because of my own mistake…I was so close…and without a title…I lost income, and my mother was going to fall into poverty again. I was branded a traitor and exiled from Pergrande…the only thing I could do was take Lambda with me and finish my work elsewhere. It was deemed too dangerous for anyone else to work with…and I refused to allow them to destroy my work. I couldn't even take Sophie with me…it all happened so quickly and she was shipped off shortly after I left."

.

[Flashback]

"Em…!? What's wrong…?" Emerald stared at her panting daughter whom she hadn't seen in years!

"I-I'm sorry Mom…" Emmeraude had her bags and could barely explain the situation. "I-I…I don't have much time…but…I messed up. Everything I worked for…I promised you I would give you a good life, but I…I failed…I've been exiled."

Emerald's eyes widened at this news. "What…!?"

"My research failed…I'm so sorry." Even though she was apologizing, there was a look in her eyes that said she wasn't giving up yet. "But…I won't give up on my promise to you yet."

"Em…?" Emerald went to hug her daughter without a second thought. "What do you mean…?"

"I'll be back one day, Mother." Emmeraude said while returning the embrace, giving a smile. "Perhaps it was a good thing I was forced to leave…I can't stay for long. But I can continue my research with no hindrances. Everything I promised you hinges on my one project. I will become a ruler…I will spark my revolution, and I will make you live the life you've always wanted to."

"Emeraude…" Emerald was taken aback by her child's determination.

"I'll also send you money whenever I can. Hold on, okay? I promise I will make this all work." Emmeraude looked her mother in the eyes.

"I believe you…" Emerald said with a slow nod. "Just…be safe, please…"

.

[End Flashback.]

"And so I wandered the continent…I watched this sorry excuse of governed land struggle to survive. I was unable to set up a lab for a while…but when I did, I was able to continue my research. Lambda is a living organism after all…so testing it with the non-mages of this country was difficult. But then… a girl came by. She ruined my plans and destroyed my lab, thus taking my Lambda Virus with her!"

"Was that…Lucy…?" Hisui quietly wondered.

"It was. At that moment…I despaired. My life's work was gone…I thought I'd never see it again. But then I remembered something. The throne. I was going to take a risk with the Fiore Family…so I came to the castle during the Tatarus Incident. After that…it was easy to assume the role of Queen."

Now Hisui grew upset! "My father! What did you do to him!? I haven't seen him since…!"

Emmeraude smirked at the concerned Hisui. "Oh, but my dear…as far as you, and the rest of the country is concerned…he was too incompetent to rule the country…and you were too young to assume the throne. Don't you remember?" Emmeraude's will was imposed on Hisui and those false memories resurfaced once again, causing the Jade Princess to cry out as the rush of information made her head numb.

"R-Right…?" Hisui's eyes turned dull. Emmeraude was the closest person to her and the influence was extremely strong… "Of course…that's right…you're passing the throne onto me one day…you've been here for years…" Once she said that, her eyes returned to normal and she stared at Emmeraude. "But what of Lucy…she's in danger, right?"

"Yes…." Emmeraude nodded and turned to the whiteboard she was writing on. "The Lamdba Virus feeds off of negative emotions and magic…and it's been inside of that girl for a long time. I worry the bond between them may be too strong to be broken…but according to Sophie, there is still time. So I have a fast and simple approach: I will go and get her before the Virus fully takes her over. Then I can begin my revolution. Everything that is yours is mine…and mine it shall be."

"Revolution…" Hisui stood up.

"Indeed." Emmeraude turned, bringing her hand to Hisui's cheek in a motherly way. "This world is in disarray, my dear Hisui. It will collapse on itself as long as things continue the way they are. I intend to change this world for the better. But I can't do it without your help. Join my revolution…together; we will change Fiore…and then the world."

"I will help you…" Hisui nodded slowly. Emmeraude's influence on her was simply too strong. As long as the King of Fiore was imprisoned with no way out, and the Princess was under her influence…Fiore belonged to Emmeraude. And soon, that reach would extend to the far reaches of Ishgar. Emmeraude would have her revolution no matter what. The world was hers…it was only a matter of time.

.

.

Next Time: Village of the Sun.


	141. Chapter 141: Village of The Sun

A beautiful spring day; clear blue skies, a fresh breeze, and the sun was shining brightly. Team Natsu and one other guest took the trail as they made their way to the house of Warrod. "Wow…it's really nice out!" Lucy hummed while stretching out.

"The weather is perfect. And the view is nice." Mii said while walking behind Lucy, who was only wearing a tank top and short shorts.

"Why are you here." Lucy immediately felt the need to cover up with Mii's piercing gaze.

"I came for the sightseeing." The angel replied, placing her hands behind her head. "Plus I wanna meet that God guy!"

"I don't think he's actually a god…" Cynthia muttered, although it was entirely possible her assumption was off base. They didn't really get any details from Makarov outside of the man's status.

"At least it's a peaceful place…" Wendy said with a smile.

"Feels like picnic weather!" Happy said.

"Yeah…" Carla was going to agree, but then her eyes cut back to Natsu and Gray, who continued to argue. "If it weren't for that."

"YOU ATE MY MEAT DIDN'T YOU?!" Natsu yelled in Gray's face.

"I didn't touch your stupid food!" Gray shouted angrily.

"Put some clothes on you pervert!" Natsu fired back.

"Do something about your hair! It's an eyesore!" Back and forth with these two. They never stopped fighting and it was getting annoying.

"Would you two knock it off? We're about to meet someone of high rank." Erza sighed while running a hand through her hair.

"We came because we were worried…" Lucy spoke with a sweat drop. "I have no idea why anyone of such high standing would want to request these two together."

"You can be eaten by Erza for all I care!"

"You can be covered in Erza's shit!"

Erza turned, her eyebrow twitching as the two males bickered. "…Are they badmouthing me?"

"They are spouting some really kinky stuff that I don't think these pure teenagers should be hearing…" Mii leaned over to whisper in Lucy's ear.

"Mii, please…" Lucy sighed heavily. The last thing they needed was Mii making unnecessary remarks.

"Look up there!" Wendy caught everyone's attention by pointing forward. There was a quaint little house just up ahead. "That must be the place we're looking for."

"Let's go then!" Mii took the lead and that alone was enough to make everyone panic.

"No, she's awful at first impressions!" Lucy flailed about and rushed after Mii. Just before the angel could open the door, the celestial mage was able to pull her back. "Please…just leave it to us. You can't make a good first impression to save your life."

"Meh." Mii stuck her tongue out.

Lucy then opened the door, stepping inside with everyone else. "Ah…excuse us. We're from the Fairy Tail guild…" Upon entering the house, there were a number of plants inside and an old man was watering them.

"Ssssh…" The old man said. "The plants enjoy silence. If you understand that much then shut your annoying mouth." Everyone fell silent, sweating as one of the Four Gods told them to shut up.

Mii opened her mouth to say something, but Lucy covered it on instinct. Subtlety was not her strong suit and she never knew when to take a hint. "…."

"…It's a joke." Warrod turned around; laughing as all the tension faded away from the room and the flowers began to bloom all around them. "Plants and flowers alike love the sound of human voices! It's good for them, you know! Hahahaha!"

"He's a tree…?" Lucy raised a brow.

"Is he really that amazing?" Gray's tone had skepticism to it.

"Anyway! Welcome, mages of Fairy Tail." Warrod smiled at the wizards before lifting up Happy and Carla. "You two must be Natsu-kun and Gray-kun, right? My, you're smaller and more catlike than I thought." The exceeds weren't very amused.

"Hahaha! It's just another joke!" Warrod really enjoyed his own jokes.

Mii removed Lucy's hand from her mouth, snickering at Warrod's antics. "I was going to say that he seemed like a lively old man.

"That's one way to put it…" Erza laughed awkwardly.

"Pardon me…I'm a little thirsty." Warrod then took the watering can in his hands and tilted it down, beginning to guzzle the water.

"Uhmmmmmmm…" Wendy…wasn't sure how to react to this.

"Pardon me…" Erza cut right to the chase. "But are you Warrod Sequen?"

"I surely am!" The old man replied. "That is I, Warrod Sequen….but it's a joke though."

"Huh?!"

"…Saying that it's a joke." Warrod continued.

"I'm tired already…" Gray said with a deadpanned expression.

"I like this guy." Mii grinned.

Once everyone was situated outside, seated around a table, Warrod began to speak. "I've long since retired. I've been spending my time bringing back the trees in the desert."

"Retiring? Were you part of a guild once?" Erza asked.

"Haha…it was a nice guild." Warrod said with some fondness. "I'm preventing the desert from spreading by use of my green magic. It sounds like philanthropy, but it's really just a hobby of mine. Anyway, for this reason I've been traveling across deserts. Some time ago, I found a strange village…" Warrod opened a book before him, the page opened with a symbol of flame and sun on it. "According to the documents, it's called the Village of the Sun. A village that in the past used to worship an ever-burning flame as its guardian deity."

"Ever burning flame?" Natsu lifted a brow.

"Indeed." Warrod continued. "But now…that village is frozen."

"Huh?" Gray shook his head. "Frozen? How?"

"I don't know if it was a natural or man-made disaster." Warrod's tone grew serious. "But the people, flames, animals, buildings, and even rivers have all been frozen. The eternal flame that protected the village has also been frozen…"

"What?" Cynthia placed her hands on the table. "But how…? I-I mean…it must take some really powerful ice to do that, but we've basically encountered or beaten such mages before."

"She's right…" Lucy nodded. "Unless is was someone else…"

"I don't know what happened. However…the people inside are alive within the ice." Warrod explained.

"Alive, huh…?" Mii rested her elbows on the table, her face held in her hands. "That's no good. Even if they are alive, it won't be very long until they die from the cold."

"Precisely. I can't leave them like that. So my first request is for you to save the village." Warrod looked to the mages, who seemed to be mulling it over. But Natsu was the first one to jump at the opportunity.

"I'll melt those flames easily!" Natsu grinned.

"Me too!" Cynthia hopped up, pumping her fists into the air.

"…Am I needed?" Gray glanced at Cynthia and Natsu. Surely they could take care of it.

"No…you're needed as well. That ice isn't normal." Said the old man.

"Okay…hold on." Mii stood up, preparing to address the elephant in the room. "You're one of those Ishgar Gods or whatever, right? If you're so strong, why don't you take care of it yourself?"

"Mii…!" Erza cut her eyes at the angel. "I'm sorry for her attitude…she doesn't exactly do best at remaining subtle."

"No, it's quite all right." Warrod said while waving his hand. "It appears you all have some misconception about my strength. We are not some almighty force…I'm just someone who was picked by the Council…I'm not very strong. I care barely muster up the magic for an attack, and I don't think I could even take an armed youngster in combat."

"Oh…?" Mii was more than ready to test that theory.

"Whatever you're thinking, please don't." Carla pleaded.

"Hey, old people tend to be modest. I'm not calling him a liar, but…" Mii trailed off.

"Everyone has things they're good and bad at. But that is why they have their friends in the guild to rely on. That's why guilds exist." Warrod's seasoned tone struck a certain chord with all the Fairy Tail mages.

"All right! We'll take your request." Erza smiled softly and the others were in agreement. "But you said that was only the first one?"

"That's right." Warrod nodded. "The second…north of the village is a fortress along the border of Bosco and Fiore. There is a high chance that the perpetrator has been hiding out in that abandoned fortress."

"Noted." Said Lucy. "Where is this village exactly?"

"It's roughly 2000 Kilometers south...and the fortress is north of that." Warrod then gestured for everyone to line up. "But I can assist you with travel there. First, turn right." And they all did, which made the old man laugh. "That was a joke."

"Damn it…" Gray sighed heavily at Warrod's antics.

But for real, Warrod began to chant. This magic caused a small plant to bloom and grow into a large tree, one that shot off into the distance and carried Team Natsu to their destination. "WOOO!" Natsu lifted his arms into the air. "This is awesome!"

"It's like the tree is alive…" Erza was in complete awe. As they got farther away, Erza looked back with a soft grin. "He was humble…but truly something. Magic that controls nature."

"I told you old people were modest." Mii shrugged.

Petals fell as the tree bloomed. For a moment, the old man began to remiss on the past.

[Flashback]

" _Warrod Precht!"_ The voice of an excited Mavis called out.

" _Are you spacing out again?"_ Yuri Dreyar questioned. However, before he could answer, Mavis' excitement caught everyone's attention.

" _Look, it's complete!"_

" _Oh…this is…"_

" _Let's take a picture!"_ Mavis gathered along the others in front of the new guild that was Fairy Tail.

[End flashback]

"It's been 108 years…those young ones…they've inherited your spirit, Mavis."

.

.

After some time, the group arrived at the Village of the Sun! They were just outside of the village and they were all on alert in case something happened. "That was awesome!" Mii shouted.

"Urk…" Natsu felt his stomach churn after a while. For some reason his motion sickness activated but he wasn't the only one as Cynthia and Wendy felt the same way.

"Motion sickness? Really?" Lucy lifted a brow.

"Look…" Carla pointed to the frozen rock. It was pitch black ice. "It's frozen…" Her brows then furrowed as she examined the ice. She got a creepily familiar feeling the longer she stared…had she seen this before?

"The village must be up ahead. Stay on guard everyone." Erza said while leading the team into the Village of the Sun. Just as Warrod stated, it was frozen everywhere…but there was one thing he forgot to mention. The village was filled with giants!

"WHAT THE…?" Mii's jaw dropped. "Excuse MII!?"

"HUGE!" Natsu exclaimed, jaw dropped and his eyes comically popping out of his sockets as he glanced at the giants. "HUGE! HUGE!" A brief glance at Lucy's chest. "HUGE!" And then to Wendy's. "Small!" Another giant. "HUGE! IS THIS A GIANT'S VILLAGE!?"

"Uh…did you say something when you looked at me…?" Wendy meeped quietly but it seemed like Natsu was either ignoring or didn't hear her due to his shock. Everyone stared up at the towering giants in shock and awe.

" _I may have forgotten to tell you something. It's just a joke, though."_

Carla looked on with a deadpanned expression. "He's probably saying that right now."

Gray needed a moment. Seeing these large frozen giants reminded him of Ur and Ultear..and even his father, Silver. It all came rushing in at once, but Lucy grabbed his attention with a careful nudge. "Everything okay…?"

"Yeah….I'm fine. When I see big frozen things it just…yeah…" Gray awkwardly avoided finishing his sentence.

"I was unaware that such huge people existed…" Erza looked around, still taking in the sight.

Wendy pointed at the large frozen dog. "The dogs are big too…"

"Is that even a dog?" Carla titled her head.

"I want one." Cynthia bounced up and down.

"Let's get to saving them! Give me a hand, Cynthia!" Natsu said.

"Right!" With a nod, both fire dragons placed their hands on the closest giant and unleashed a fiery aura. "Haaaa!"

"Whooaaaa!" Natsu yelled. A few minutes later and they both sat down, letting out an exhausted sigh. "It's not working."

"Not at all." Cynthia exhaled. "This ice feels really familiar though…"

"No kidding…" Happy agreed.

"You two didn't even do anything…" Carla rolled her eyes.

"No dice?" Mii was filing her nails. Not a lot she could do here but watch.

"The old tree guy said this wasn't normal ice." Gray said while placing his hand on the giant's toe. His magic wasn't doing anything either, but he also recognized this ice! "What the…?"

"What's wrong Gray?" Erza stepped forward.

"This isn't right." Gray stated, taking his hand off the ice. "If this ice belongs to who I think it does, anyway…"

Lucy lifted a brow. Something about the ice was bothering her as well, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. "Hmmm…"

"So, someone's beat us here?" A voice spoke from a cliff overhead, where three shadowy figures were looming above. Three men were at the top of the cliff; a blonde one with a sniper rifle and ammunition strung about his chest. This was Drake.

"It's just women and kids…" The man in the middle, Hiroshi, spoke, a blade resting on his back.

"Dun dun." Said the biggest of the three, Hammer Lala…even though that didn't exactly mean anything to the others.

Erza's head spun around, staring at the three men. "And who are you exactly?"

The sniper spoke proudly, grinning as he addressed their name to Erza. "We're a treasure hunting guild. Sylph Labyrinth."

"Dun…" Lala added.

Silence.

"We're a guild of treasure hunters." Drake reiterated.

"Sylph Labyrinth." Hiroshi said.

"Dun."

"…No, I got it. It's okay." Erza shook her head.

"A guild of treasure hunters?" Wendy blinked.

"Sounds like a bunch of Roys…I guess that means they specialize in finding treasure." Lucy shrugged. "Any chance you'll just up and leave!"

"Not a chance!" Drake spoke with a smirk. "The treasure sleeping here is ours. Don't get in our way."

"Bah! Who cares!?" Mii threw her hands up. "We're busy here! Go away!"

"Aren't you guys here for the eternal flame?!" The sniper questioned. "Then what are you doing here!?"

Happy raised his palm with his usual grin. "We're here to melt the ice and save the giants."

Lala, Drake, and Hiroshi stared at one another for a solid minute before turning back at Fairy Tail to shout. "THAT'S GETTING IN OUR WAY!" _"Dun!"_

Mii placed her palm on her face, letting out an exasperated. "Oh good grief…"

Hiroshi cleared his throat and began speaking. "The Eternal Flame is a legendary flame that's been burning for centuries. To us treasure hunters, this an S-class treasure! We weren't able to get close because the giants were protecting it."

"But now they're all frozen for some reason, duuun."

"In other words: it's the perfect chance for us to get the flame. Then that Roy will be nothing but a has-been!" Drake smirked. "Hunting something even he wouldn't come for? Easy money."

Wendy furrowed her brows. "But that flame is like the god protecting that village. You can't steal it. It's very important to them."

"I'd also like to point out that Roy actually has a set of morals." Lucy placed her hands on her hips. "He wouldn't be stupid enough to steal something from giants. And you realize by stealing this treasure, your guild will just be branded as thieves? That's not really a good reputation."

Again, the three men looked at each other in silence. "ARE YOU SAYING TREASURE HUNTERS SHOULDN'T HUNT TREASURE?!" Drake exclaimed.

"We gotta get that flame before these wizards get in our way!" Hiroshi yelled as the trio began to move.

"Dunnn!"

"I have a headache…" Cynthia grumbled.

"Get?" Gray sighed. "Sorry to break it to you, but the flame is frozen too. Nobody's getting anything."

"Heh…" Hiroshi grinned, pulling out a small vial that had a very tiny amount of liquid inside of it. "Don't underestimate our super treasure hunting skills. With this super treasure 'moon drip' we can super melt all this ice."

"WHAAAAT!?" Natsu and Gray exclaimed at the same time.

"Moon Drip…" Happy recalled this.

"That magic Lyon used on Galuna island…" That was a long time ago…but Lucy remembered it well.

"They turned it into a liquid?" Erza was surprised.

Natsu then pointed his arm forward accusingly, as he actually had a good idea. "Hold on! With that…we can bring the village back to how it was!"

"GO GO GO!" Drake exclaimed and the trio began bolting out of there!

"GET THEM!"

"IF WE TAKE IT, IT'S OURS!"

"WIZARDS WON'T CATCH US!"

"Are we going to steal from thieves? Is that ethical?"

"Don't question it, just run!"

.

Elsewhere within the village, a giant winged monster flew overhead…but that was of no concern to Erza Knightwalker. Ever since she was betrayed by Aiden after being brought from Edolas…she was admittedly lost with no way to return home. The dark influence within her was still rather potent as well, so all she could think of was getting revenge on Erza. The knight waltzed around the frozen village, clicking her teeth in annoyance. "Wizards…treasure hunters…I care not for either of them. I just want Scarlet…"

.

Somewhere else in the village, another individual had similar sentiments; a man with a scarf over his mouth, the creature flying overhead belonging to him. This was Doriate, a member of Succubus Eye…A sub faction of the currently disbanded and defeated Tartarus guild. "The humans have had their fun…but it's time for revenge in the name of Tartarus…"

.

.

Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Wendy, Cynthia, Carla, and Happy chased down the members of Sylph's Labyrinth through the frozen village. "WAAAIT!" Natsu demanded. "We can save the giants with that!"

"Don't give us that!" Drake yelled, keeping pace with Hiroshu and Lala as they tried to outrun Fairy Tail. "Do you know how much trouble we went through to get this much Moon Drip!?"

We went to an island full of super demons and super looked for it all over the place!" Hiroshi yelled.

"And anyway, isn't it dunnn scary if the giants come back to life!?" Lala shouted.

"Uh…" Lucy took a glance at Wendy as they tried to catch up to the treasure hunters. "Where did Erza and Mii go?"

"Erza stayed in the village to look for clues." Wendy said.

"I hope she doesn't do anything to destroy them…" Happy spoke with sweat beading down his forehead. He could see it now – Erza smacking the frozen giants with her sword screaming "Why are you frozen!?"

"I hope so…" Carla huffed.

"And Mii said she couldn't be bothered to chase down petty thieves, so she stayed with Erza…!" Cynthia said.

"Sounds like something she'd say…" Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Come on, stop you thieves!" Natsu grunted. The opposing trio began to make their way into the forested area.

"Man, this is super annoying…let's just do it." Drake groaned.

"Yeah, let's super do it to em." Hiroshi agreed.

"Let's dunn do it." Lala was on board.

"Drake, get high ground!" Hiroshi commanded, sliding to a halt with Lala at his side, hand on his blade. "We're not about to let some wizards underestimate us! We'll eliminate all the obstacles!"

"Treasure hunting is a dun dangerous job!" Lala stated firmly.

Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Wendy, and Cynthia all slid to a halt now that the wizard wanted to fight! "Our job is dangerous too! If you want a fight, it'll be quick! I'm getting fired up!" And as soon as Natsu said his catch phase, Lala brought down his giant hand shaped weapon down on the Salamander with a mighty 'DUN'! Natsu's eyes widened and he barely managed to lean away from the destructive power. "WHOA!"

"A hand shaped weapon?" Lucy was more surprised than anything. "I guess he's trying to give Natsu the hands…" It was a bad pun…she really needed to stop hanging around Luke every so often, the puns were seeping into her. But her head did ache for a moment… "Not now…"

Lala held his hammer up proudly. "The power of this is stronger than dunn anything!"

Natsu was quick to go on the offensive! The fire dragon ignited his fist in flame and lunged forward, violently swinging his blazing fist at the treasure hunter. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" There was an impact…but Natsu only hit the open palm of the large weapon. His flames fizzled out, and before he had the chance to react the hammer grasped onto Natsu and hurled him away. "GAAAH!"

"Natsu-san…!" Wendy shouted worriedly.

Gray was up next, his fist met his palm and a light blue aura shone around his hands. "Ice Make: Freeze Lancer!" Arms extended, multiple lances of ice flying towards Hiroshi from all angles, leaving very little room to dodge or block.

But the treasure hunter only grinned at this. "SUPER SLASH!" The man rushed forward, nimbly evading the lances with ease! His speed and swiftness was impressive and whatever lances posed a threat were easily slashed through. "Taste my chain blade!" The male gripped the gear of his blade and pulled it back, causing the blade to whirr and point forward. "SUPER STAB!" The blade suddenly extended towards Gray, who was able to lean away just in the nick of time. Lucy, Wendy, and Cynthia were in the crossfire and the blade's raw power caused an explosion behind them that destroyed a tree.

"T-That was intense…" Cynthia said with widened eyes.

Wendy's ears perked up at the smell of gunpowder and the sound of a gunshot! Without thinking she tackled Lucy down to the icy ground. "Watch out!" And just after Wendy tackled Lucy did a bullet slam against the ground.

"What…?" Lucy grumbled. "A gun?"

"From where?" Happy looked around. "A sniper?"

"Oh ho…nice dodge…." Drake said from somewhere far off, his voice echoing to make it difficult to discern his location. "But my next shot will be on your head. My Nanayon is hungry for blood…"

"Gunpowder." Wendy and Cynthia spoke in unison, both pointing in the direction the smell was coming from. "Over there!"

"On it!" Lucy reached for her key ring. "Sagittarius!" The cosplaying spirit appeared and was ready to strike. "Strike!"

"As you wish, moshi-moshi!" Sagittarius drew the bowstring back and let the arrow fly at Drake.

"Heh…" Drake merely grinned, clicking the trigger of his sniper to shoot the arrow down with a real bullet. "Don't underestimate a master sniper! A little arrow isn't going to do anything to me!"

"Master sniper?" Lucy lifted a brow, a coy smile stretching on her lips. "Sorry to break the news to you, but I know another gunner with a rather inflated ego. But I think he'd outshoot you anyday."

"WHAT!? No one like that exists! And if they do, I'll put them down!" Drake yelled angrily.

Insults aside…things were looking a little dicey at the moment for Fairy Tail. Despite not being mages… "These guys are actually pretty good…" Natsu admitted.

.

.

Meanwhile, back in the village itself, Erza and Mii were investigating what was going on in the village. It was difficult to see anything since the ice used was pitch black in color, but the two girls were doing their best regardless. Erza was observing the giants, placing her hand under her chin with a quizzical expression. "I wonder why they're all looking in the same direction…and holding weapons. What happened to this village before it was frozen?"

Mii was sitting on a block of ice nearby, filing her nails as Erza rambled aloud. "Maybe they were having a get together?"

"Mii, please…" Erza was on a roll and she wasn't helping. She also thought back to that tiny bottle of Moon Drip that Sylph's Labyrinth possessed. "Is it even possible to restore the village with that tiny amount of Moon Drip?" Wait…a lightbulb went off in her head! "Giants…weapons…ice…they were fighting something…or perhaps they were trying to protect something…?" Slowly, the pieces came together for Titania. "The village…something important…they were protecting the Eternal Flame! And if that's the case…then the flame really was frozen…"

"That's some powerful ice to freeze something that can supposedly burn forever…" Mii glanced in Erza's direction, but she might have been ignoring her.

"If they consider the flame to be the guardian deity of the village, they must have been protecting it from external forces. In other words…the flame is in the opposite direction of were the giants are looking!" And boom! Erza started dashing off.

"Hey, wait! Don't leave Mii behind!" Mii staggered to her feet, nearly slipping on the ice before chasing after Erza.

Erza continued running until she spotted a frozen mountain. Her assumption had to be correct! "It must be on top…!" But when she arrived at the base…there was nothing. "…Nothing at all…why…?" Erza dropped to her knees, blue lines comically wavering above her person.

It was then that Mii finally caught up with her, panting softly due to the sudden sprint she had to do. "Ah…don't worry about it. If anything, I don't think you were too far off. That was a pretty educated guess you made just by looking at the state of things."

"Is that a compliment…?" Erza lifted a brow.

"It's a lie!" Mii grinned. But Erza already figured out that Mii's lies were her truths.

"Anyway…" Erza stood back up and began to walk forward, almost aimlessly. "I thought I could find the flame…and then we could bring the village back to how it was. But even if we did find it, it would still be frozen. I was too overconfident…"

Mii's eyes widened as Erza's body…started to change in a way she wasn't exactly expecting. "Uh…Erza…."

"It can't be that easy to find the village treasure…even those thieves were having a hard time with it…" Erza slumped forward.

"Erza…!" Mii shouted again.

"Huh?" The scarlet knight took a glance in the reflection in the ice. As soon as she did so, her eyes widened and she began sweating. Pieces of the armor and some of her clothing fell off due to not being her size, leaving her only in a black shirt, gauntlets, and her boots. Why was this? Because her body reverted to that of a child's! "I…became a kid…"

Mii blinked several times, unable to process the situation. "…This would be adorable if it wasn't so freaking weird…"

.

.

Next Time: Clash In The Village!


	142. Chapter 142: Clash in the Village

Even with Natsu and company out and about on their very important job, things at Fairy Tail were still busy. People still needed jobs to take care of wanted specific mages for their requests. Mira hummed happily while carrying another stack of requests to the bar. "I don't think we've ever been so busy…but I'm glad. Everyone looks like they're having a good time."

"Indeed…" Makarov took a sip from his mug. "You all have grown considerably between the previous Games and the last one, I'm proud of you all."

"Don't start tearing up now, Master!" Max said with a sly grin. "We're not done growing yet."

"What have you even done?" Laxus lifted a brow from the second floor. His inquiry caused the sand mage to pause, nervously laugh, and awkwardly back out. "…It was an honest question." He said that, but the coy grin barely on his lips told a different tale.

"I believe I made the right choice in deciding which guild to hang out at." Zelos interrupted the happy time with his insistent need to be in the spotlight. "Strong women all around…who could ask for more?"

"Just the women…?" Lisanna lifted a brow. "Actually no, don't answer th-"

"Strong and BEAUTIFUL women, Lisanna-chan!" Zelos snaked an arm around Lisanna and one could see the visible discomfort and flustered expression on the youngest Strauss sibling. "Your wild Animal Soul can be tamed by yours truly~"

"I-I don't want to know what that means…." Lisanna shuddered. "E-Elf-nii…!"

"Hey!" Elfman roared while stomping towards Zelos. "Get your hands off my sister! Touching another man's sister isn't manly!" And to drive the point home, Elfman aimed to grab Zelos with his huge arms.

"Whoa, hey!" Zelos flipped onto a table where Romeo and Macao were eating, but avoided landing on their food. "No touching! I hate when dudes touch me…the ladies are more than welcome to."

"This guy is unbelievable…" Romeo rolled his eyes.

"Hard to believe that in the end, Mii is still worse than him…" Cana was indulging herself with a barrel of beer. The day was still young and she was already drunk. What else was new?

"Zelos." Mira called out to the male.

"Yes, Mira-chan~" Another flip and Zelos landed at the bar in front of Mira, giving his winning smile. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"If you keep up this behavior, I'm going to have to put you into the attic again…" Mira spoke with her usual sweet smile. "Just because Erza's not here doesn't mean you should take me lightly."

"Juvia wishes she was with Gray-sama…" The water mage grumbled to herself.

Zelos shuddered from the mention of the attic. "So beautiful…so fierce…and so scary at the same time. How can I make you mine? I need to know…"

"Attic." Mira pointed up. She was still smiling, but anyone could see that Zelos was dancing on the fine line that was the sweet Mirajane and the cruel one from the days of their youth.

"As you wish…." Zelos hunched over and began to walk to the attic.

"It's amazing how much of a leash she has on him…" Laki snickered. But at the same time the idea of a leash had more than one meaning to her.

"Because he's a dog, right?!" Bickslow interjected, letting out a loud laugh. The dolls around him shouted in unison, echoing 'dog! dog!'

"Be nice." Mira wagged her finger. "He's still a nice person. He just needs to restrain his behavior a little bit."

"If you're too nice to him, he'll never learn." Laxus scoffed. "Maybe you should get a newspaper and a spray bottle."

"He's not a dog." Mira puffed her cheeks out and placed her hands on her hips. "…I've always wanted a real one, though…"

Before the conversation could go any farther, the doors of Fairy Tail opened up with such a commanding presence everyone turned to see who it was. None other than the Queen of Fiore herself: Emmeraude. "Pardon me for the intrusion, Fairy Tail. But I'm here for an important reason."

"Lady Emmeraude…?" Makarov set his mug down, staring at the Queen from across the guildhall. She came alone, which was odd in and of itself. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"

The tension in the guild hall rose as all eyes went to the Queen. Emmeraude slowly sauntered through the guild as though she owned it. A content hum reverberated through her throat. "I'm looking for someone. Lucy Heartfila. Is she here?"

"I'm afraid not." Mira shook her head. "She went out with Natsu and the others on a very important mission."

"One for the Four Gods, I may add." Makarov clarified.

"Hm…" Emmeraude's lips curved down. The Queen frowned and tapped her finger against a tap. Was she irritated? Only slightly, but she wasn't entirely upset. She figured with the business boom all of the guilds received after the Games she'd be away. "I see."

"Do you have some business with her?" Makarov questioned. For some reason he was incredibly uneasy around Emmeraude despite the sweet smile she displayed.

"Indeed…" Emmeraude nodded, taking a seat and crossed one leg over other. "I believe I have some explanation to her strange behavior as of late." This was information that caught everyone's attention.

"You know what's going on with Lucy?" Cana stood up and approached the Queen. "Tell us already then! She hasn't been acting weird for a while, but we're all concerned and don't know what to do about it!"

"Hmmmmm…" Emmeraude tapped her chin. "Now…I'm afraid I can't divulge that information."

"Huh? Why not?!" Cana was about to get in Emmeraude's face, but the look on Mira's face told her not to do it.

"We're all very concerned for Lucy." Mira spoke in her sweet tone. "If you know anything that may help us help her, we ask that you tell us. We want to do what we can to ensure her safety."

"Ah…so sweet, Mirajane." Emmeraude continued to hum while looking around. She sure knew how get attention. "As much as I would love to tell you…I can't simply because I haven't seen her current condition for myself yet." A lie, but it was also the easiest way of keeping Fairy Tail intrigued and annoyed at the same time. "I'm a busy woman and I must depart…but when she returns, can you let me know? I will be able to discern the ailment that has plagued her. It will be in everyone's best interests if you do." The woman then left a special type of lacrima on the table she was sitting.

"…What's that?" It didn't sit right with Levy and she just had to ask.

"It's a special type of lacrima…" Emmeraude said. "I made it myself. It will alert me when and if Lucy returns to the guild. As soon as it does, it will urge you to contact me. Please don't try and destroy it, unintentionally or no."

"…I see." Makarov nodded. "Very well…as soon as she returns, we will let you know."

"Thank you." Emmeraude departed Fairy Tail, but not before having a few thoughts. _"So…she's not here. That's unfortunate…I was hoping to retrieve her with no trouble. I suppose waiting a little longer is fine…she still has some time left. So long as nothing fatal occurs during her mission, things should still be fine…if not, I have other plans to fall back on…"_

"Is it alright to leave things like that, Master…?" Mira asked worriedly.

"I have a bad feeling about things. We're being kept in the dark about a member's condition. I don't agree with her hiding information…but we don't have a choice but to wait. When Natsu's group returns, we'll have our answers." All Makarov could hope for now is for everyone to return safe and sound.

.

.

Erza stared at her reflection in the ice, unable to believe what she was seeing! "I…turned back into a child…"

"Yeah, you did…this is really weird…" Mii said while looking Erza over.

Erza began patting herself down, sweating profusely at this sudden change. Her hands then moved to her chest….and her eyes widened! Turning away from Mii, she lifted her shirt up to examine the rest of her body…it wasn't good. "What is happening!?"

"Don't ask Mii!" Mii flailed. "This is bad…! This means I can't hit on you anymore…and it's also bad for a few other reasons of course. I'm just letting you know right now, though…I'm a terrible babysitter. I've lost kids multiple times before within minutes, so…." She then glanced away, looking around at the surroundings to see if the perpetrator was nearby.

Erza did try to remain calm, walking around carefully while slipping her gauntlets off. "Okay…let's stay calm here. Do I have any armor that fits this size? More importantly…." And before Erza could do anything else, her boot flew off and she ended up slipping on the ice…and to make things worse, she began to tumble down a frozen hill into the depths of the village. "AAAAAAAH!"

The sound of Erza's scream caused Mii to immediately turn around. "Oh crap…" Mii leaned over as Erza tumbled down the slope. "Not even 30 seconds and I ALREADY lost her…that's a new record."

Erza continued to tumble for who knows how long until she finally hit the bottom of the slop on her stomach, groaning all the while. "I…can't move how I want. My size is different from what my mind knows. I wonder if I can go back to normal…I have to find out how this happened." And suddenly the thoughts came flooding into her mind.

She could hear it now. Wendy and Cynthia standing side by side with smiles on their faces. _"It's like we're your older sisters!"_ "Just a little…"

Things got worse. Natsu and Gray preparing to square up on her with malicious smiles on their faces. _"Hey Erza, let's fight!"_

" _NOW I can win…"_

Worst of all? Jellal. _"Sorry…I'm not interested in little girls…"_ Yet for some reason she could see also Mest in the background as well, looking her over—

"I ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO GO BACK TO NORMAL!"

.

.

Things were at a standstill between Natsu's team and the Sylph's Labyrinth treasure hunters. "You're pretty good considering you can't use magic…" Natsu admitted.

"Hey hey…" Hiroshi began with a glare. "Don't super put Sylph Labyrinth on the same level as any other treasure hunting guild! We're the ones who one Fiore's Secret Treasure Games! We're the strongest treasure hunting guild!"

"So the world of treasure hunters has a similar festival…" Wendy actually seemed a little excited about the idea.

"Congratulations…?" Lucy sighed.

"This is the first time I'm hearing about any of this…" Cynthia said while scratching her cheek.

"That's AMAZING!" Natsu was completely into this.

"Don't say that seriously." Gray shook his head.

"If you get it, then go home. Some random wizards don't stand a chance against us." Drake said, still having his aim trained on the wizards.

Gray closed eyes, giving a sly grin at those words. "We're not random wizards..." And he lifted up the bottle of Moon Drip. "Tada."

"HUH!?"

"THE MOON DRIP?!

"It's called Ice Make: Thief's hand!" Gray and the magical hand of ice behing him both gave a thumbs up.

"When did you…?" Lala and Hiroshi were sweating.

"Ahhh! You're a thief! A super thief! Drake! Shoot!" Hiroshi barked.

"Sagittarius!" Lucy commanded. As soon as Drake fired, the archer fired as well, sniping the bullet down before it could even come close to them.

"Huh?!" Drake growled.

"As per what concerns me…I'm a master archer. And this isn't the first time I've dealt with marksmen." Sagittarius remarked.

Hiroshi's chain blade extended threateningly towards Gray. "Give that back, thief!"

"We need this to save the giants. Sorry…but I think we're keeping this." Gray grinned. Hearing no more of this subject, Hiroshi lunged forward and aimed to slash Gray, but the ice maker was swift and flipped over the blade, hurling the bottle of Moon Drip towards Natsu. "Natsu!"

Natsu responded, grabbing the bottle with his hand. "Yeah!" And Lala immediately came through with his giant hammer fist, attempting to smash Natsu into the icy ground. Natsu's evasion came into play and he cartwheeled to the side to avoid the hit before tossing the bottle to Lucy. "Lucy!"

Arm extended, Lucy caught the bottle. "Okay!" Fairy Tail had momentum and they had to keep going! Lucy turned on her heel and tossed the bottle to Cynthia next! "Cynthia!"

Cynthia caught the bottle, grinning as Wendy was already in position and in the air. "Wendy!

"Carla!" As soon as Wendy had her hands on the bottle, she tossed it to Carla who had her wings out and in prime positioning.

"Yes!" And Carla caught the bottle, but now had to avoid Hiroshi's chain blade as he attempted to stab her. "This is dangerous…"

"Super stop!" Hiroshi yelled.

"Happy!" The final link! Carla tossed the bottle to Happy, and they'd finally be able to get the Moon Drip away from these treasure hunters.

"Got it!" Happy had his arms lifted above his head, more than prepared to catch the bottle…as it soared over his head and landed behind him, completely shattering in the process. The contents of the bottle spilled onto the ice and melted it over. It was in that moment that everyone just had wide eyed expressions at Happy's folly.

"IT BROKE…!"

"WHAT THE HELL!? YOU GUYS ARE SUPER VILLIANS!" Hiroshi had tears flowing from his eyes.

"You steal stuff and then break it? Dun dun dunnnn!" Lala was not happy with this either.

Happy felt awful about this. The Exceed pouted and looked down shamefully. "I'm sorry…"

"Only a little ice melted…" Lucy sighed.

"That was never going to save the village from the start…" Said Gray. "I doubt it would even freeze enough ice off a giant's pinky toe…."

"Does that mean our plan was super bad?!" Hiroshi panicked.

"We thought we could dunnn melt the Eternal Flame with the Moon drip…!" Lala cried out.

"Let's dunn change our plan!" Surprisingly, it was Hiroshi that spoke.

"Let's super change it!" And yes, that was Lala.

"You're mixed up…." Wendy remarked.

Natsu on the other hand was ignoring the antics for once as he heard something call out to him. The fire dragon stared at the ice and walked forward slowly, where Happy assumed the position to accept punishment. "Natsu…hit my butt if you want…"

Natsu kept walking, getting on his hands and knees while staring at the hole in the ice. "I hear something…" His ear was then pressed against the ground, the familiar voice calling out to him. "Someone's voice…"

"A voice…?" Cynthia tilted her head.

"I can hear someone's voice from where the ice melted…like it's calling out…" Natsu then stood up, placing his hand under his chin as he tried to think about it. And without a second thought…he ran off! "Maybe it's over here!"

"Natsu, wait!" Gray started to run after him.

"What's he doing!?" Carla groaned and followed after Gray.

"I wonder what he heard…" Wendy mumbled.

"Whatever it was, it was probably important! Let's go!" Lucy said.

"WAAAIT!" Happy started to run after the others. "I'm coming too!"

And once again the treasure hunters just started at each other. "It can't end like this! After them!"

"Did you see that blonde's key!? That's super rare!"

"Treasure hunters can't go back to their guilds empty handed!"

.

Natsu ran so fast he already separated himself from the others. He was sure they'd be fine, but more importantly he had to figure out who the voice belonged to! It kept nagging him that he couldn't remember. "Who's voice is that? Shit…! I can't remember…but it's bugging the hell out of me…!" His search was going to have to be put on hold, though. Doriate appeared before Natsu and he had a number of red flags going off. "A friend of the treasure hunters…? No…you don't smell like one…."

'I'm not a thief." Doriate replied before a strange magic aura enveloped him. "Go back. Go back to the memories of your past."

Natsu's eyes widened as a strange sensation overcame his body. "W-What the…!?" And soon enough, Natsu's body reverted to that of a child's! "What the hell's going on!?"

"It'll be easier to get rid of you like this." Doriate explained, a malicious grin forming underneath his scarf.

.

Meanwhile, Erza was trying her absolute hardest to use magic. The effort and strain it took for her to muster one sword was far too much, but after a few minutes she managed. "Gah…!" Erza panted heavily while staring at the sword she summoned. "…So I can use magic. But…it takes longer…I used too much magic. My physical abilities are lower…I lost Mii…and my feet are cold." So far, this wasn't Erza's day….

"Is this a joke?" Knightwalker's voice caught Erza's attention. Both Erza's were in the same location once again, only Erza was extremely surprised by this.

"Knightwalker?!"

"That's right…" Knightwalker had her Ten Commandment's Spear at the ready. But she wasn't exactly happy either, there was a scowl engraved on her features. "I heard that Fairy Tail was coming this way…so I took a chance and look what we have here. It must be my lucky day to find you like this."

"Find me like this…?" Erza tightened the grip on the blade she summoned. She was confident she wasn't going to be able to fight in her state, but perhaps she could try talking Knightwalker down to avoid a confrontation. "You mean you don't know who's behind this?"

"No." Knightwalker shook her head. "But it doesn't matter either. Do you know how long I've been stuck in this world all because of that wretched scientist? All because he wanted to USE me to keep YOU busy during his schemes?! I don't have a way back to Edolas because of that. And it's all your fault."

"My fault?!" Erza shook her head. "I did no such thing! It was all Aiden and Hyde. You don't have to do this, Knightwalker. Remember, you are me. I promise to find you a way back home, trust me!"

Knightwalker shook her head once more. "I will find my way back home eventually…but I will do what I was brought here to do first. I'm going to kill you. That way my time in this world wouldn't have been a complete and utter waste of time. Prepare yourself, Scarlet. This is a duel to the death."

.

"What's going on!? How I am I kid?" Natsu questioned, trying to keep his clothes from falling off his person since they didn't fit him anymore. "Are you a thief that can use magic…or are you a…"

"I said I'm not a thief." Doriate repeated himself. "Oh well…I'll just get rid of you right away." The demon then aimed a punch at Natsu, who was barely able to dodge due to his current state.

"Damn! I can't move the way I want to…!" Natsu growled. But he was going to fight anyway! "Fire Dragon's…ROAR!" The fire dragon exhaled, releasing a tiny ember that immediately fizzled out the moment it came from his mouth. "…." Doriate's momentum never stopped and he aimed another punch at Natsu, who was just narrowly able to dodge. "Huh!? Even as a kid I could use better magic than this?!"

"Your appearance is just an extra effect. The Law of Regression is a magic that lowers a person's magical and physical skills. This will make it easy to eliminate the guild that caused Tartarus' demise." The demon explained.

Natsu's eyes widened as it all made sense. This man was a demon out for revenge! But even so, that didn't change the fact he was utterly pissed off about this Law of Regression! "That's not even fair you demonic bastard!" Flames ignited around Natsu's fist as he prepared to swing for the fences….and as he swung, the flame died instantly. "Fu-" BAM! A fierce uppercut sent Natsu violently tumbling backwards, coming to a halt on his stomach. "Ouch! That hurt! How are your punches so strong!?"

"Your defense is lower." Doriate shrugged.

"This isn't good…" Despite how he was, Natsu could see that this situation was not in his favor. His gaze then lifted to the sky, a horrified expression overcoming him. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?"

"Huh?!" Doriate looked up into the sky and saw…absolutely nothing. It was a bluff. And Natsu was already gone. "Shit! He got away!"

"Hahahaha! Kids have their own fighting style! Feels a little nostalgic…Gildarts fell for this all the time. Sorry though! Gonna look for this voice!" Natsu waved while running off. The demon attempting to get revenge on Fairy Tail was a problem, but there wasn't anything Natsu could do right now but follow the voice calling out to him from the ice.

Doriate stared at Natsu ran off. The male pulled his scarf off, revealing his sharp, jagged teeth. "…They'll all die soon enough."

.

"Kyah!" Wendy slipped, falling right onto the ice.

"Ah…are you okay?" Lucy turned back while glancing at Wendy.

"I'm fine…the ice is slippery…" Wendy said with a sheepish smile. Cynthia extended her hand to Wendy and helped her up. "It also feels really familiar…I just can't remember where…"

"Yeah…me too…" Cynthia said. "I also haven't really been able to use my Earth since we arrived…"

"Sigh…we lost sight of Gray too…" Lucy placed her hands on her hips and looked around. They came as a group and got separated within minutes. Happy and Carla went into the sky for the bird's eye view, leaving the girls stuck on the ground.

"What do we do? We don't know this place at all…" Wendy dusted herself off.

"Happy and Carla aren't back either…I hope they're okay…" Cynthia looked into the sky…before a sweat drop formed on the side of her face. "…Uh…."

"…Yeah, it's been bothering me for a while…" Wendy's eyes shifted around. She sky dragon nudged her head behind them, where Hiroshi and Lala were seen stalking behind them wearing cat masks. "I think they've been following us for a while."

"Oh no, we're just super cats." Hiroshi insisted.

"I'm a white cat, meowdun." Lala brought his hand up as a claw.

"…AAAAAHHH!" Lucy screamed. This was not something she needed to see today.

"How did they see through our disguises!?" Hiroshi asked his partner.

"I told you I should've been the blue one…!" Lala shot back.

"Uhm…" Wendy spoke up, raising her hand into the air. "We're really sorry about the bottle and all…but we also don't want to fight you. We're just here to save the giants and the village?"

"Yeah…" Cynthia nodded in agreement. "Fighting like this is only wasting time…"

"Giants? Who gives a shit about them?" Hiroshi asked while drawing his blade once more, staring up at the frozen giant near them. "There's only method a treasure hunter uses to judge things…" And with the most brazen move possible, Hiroshi slashed the leg of the giant, chipping off a pierce of them in the process. "And that's checking whether it's a treasure or not!"

That action caused the eyes of all three females to widen in shock and horror. The anger of the situation got to Lucy and she could just feel the sensation of hatred swelling up inside of her again. Those pent up feelings for a week nearly resurfaced and her eyes flashed crimson only for a second. "Stop that! They're still alive!"

"What do you think you're doing!?" Cynthia yelled.

"Who cares if they're alive?!" Hiroshi shrugged. "They're not a treasure, so I'm not interested."

"Please stop…" Wendy was holding herself back, but barely.

"I won't." Hiroshi's expression twisted into a sinister sneer. "I do what I want, and I take what I want! That's what treasure hunters do!"

"STOP IT!" Wendy yelled out once more, only this time she released a Sky Dragon's Roar in the process. The powerful twister released from her mouth nearly lifted both Hiroshi and Lala off their feet, but they were just narrowly able to catch themselves on the nearby trees to prevent being carried away. "I really didn't want to fight you…but I can't overlook this! You're hurting villagers who can't even fight back…so if you plan on doing this, then we will be your opponents."

"Yeah." Cynthia stood beside Wendy. "I'm not going to stand by and watch you needlessly hurt these people. Just because you're a treasure hunter doesn't give you the right to be a piece of poop!"

"These women have mouths on them…" Hiroshi still kept that twisted grin on his face. "Fine…let's get both the treasure and the women…"

"I don't need the women. Let's just kill them, dun…" Lala already made his mind up…

Suddenly, bullets began striking the ground near Lucy, Wendy, and Cynthia, causing them to dance about to avoid getting shot! Drake had his sights on them from his sniping perch, content with shooting at them just like this. "We're 3 men against 3 women…what are you gonna do? Those two little ones barely make one person in size."

Another shot was fired and Wendy lost her footing, slipping on the ice and landing on her front. "Ah…!"

Everything slowed down in that instant. Lucy and Cynthia's eyes widened as another bullet was fired. Cynthia's instincts screamed for her to move and she did immediately. Taking a bullet for Wendy was something she didn't even have to think about, but she wasn't going to make it in time…! "WENDY!"

"Got you…" Drake grinned. Wendy was in his eyes and the bullet was already aimed for the spot between her eyes.

But as luck would have it, crimson hair coiled around the bullet, stopping it dead cold before it could come close to Wendy. All eyes were on Flare as she effectively saved Wendy's life and made Cynthia fall over since her momentum was pointless now. "F-Flare-san…?!" Wendy was never more surprised and relieved in all of her life…especially since it flashed before her eyes.

"Now it's four on three…red, blue, blondie, and black~" Flare snickered as the bullet fell to the ground.

.

As for the Exceeds, where were they while the others were in trouble? They were having some difficulties of their own. Carla and Happy were cowering behind a tree as a giant demon bird soared in the skies overhead. "W-What is that thing!?" Happy's question had panic behind it.

"I-I don't know…" Carla took a glance in the air. The bird had its one eye on something else in the sky, unleashing a gigantic beam at whatever it saw. There was an annoyed shout in the process but it was gone shortly after.

"How are we supposed fly with that thing in the sky!?" Happy comically shook.

"It also just shot something down…" Carla took note of the moment just prior. "There's no way we can fly so long as that thing controls the airspace…"

"I hope the others are having better luck than we are…" Happy sighed.

.

Erza cried out in pain as Knightwalker's Explosion spear caused multiple explosions around her! Due to her status as a child from the Law of Regression, she was taking much more damage than she normally would. Knightwalker held a bored, yet sadistic expression at Erza's struggle. "Come now…I find you after all this time and you can barely put up a fight? This doesn't give the hunt any excitement! You're Erza, so you should always be able to put up a fight no matter what, right?!"

"Gah…!" Erza still had a sword…but her body was in so much pain. Being a child left her too vulnerable, but she wasn't going to roll over and die like this. "This…doesn't change anything…!" A bluff, but she was going through with it. The tiny Erza lunged forward with her sword and aimed to slash Knightwalker's side. "Hah!"

A failed attempt. Erza's lower speed allowed Knightwalker to easy evade the slash, smashing her boot into Scarlet's side. The impact made Erza tumble backwards and drop her sword. "It's like I'm fighting a child. There's almost no enjoyment in this, but it is a little fun watching you struggle for life!" Knightwalker's spear changed once more to her Mel Force spear. The weapon was extended, releasing a powerful vacuum wave that consumed Erza and sent her flying back with a scream of pain.

Erza's eyes were wide with pain as she was blown backwards, her consciousness beginning to fade in and out; the blood and bruises racking up on her body quickly. _"It's no use…I can't fight her like this…do we have to defeat the user of this magic to reverse its effects? But…I don't even know where they are…and she won't give me the chance to breathe…"_

.

Doriate wandered through the frozen village, wondering when he would come across his next victim. His attention was caught by Gray going 'Hey, you'. "Huh? How annoying…why do you all have to show up one at a time?"

"What the…?" Gray lifted a brow. The vibes he got from Doriate were all too familiar and his guard was up. "I guess it would be a stretch to say you're a friend of the thieves…and that mouth…?"

Doriate grinned. Oh, he heard stories of the man before him…this seemed too perfect. All the pieces were here, he just needed to take advantage and put them into place! "It's like this because I'm gonna eat you!"

"Wh…!? You wanna bet you…!" Gray was already prepared to attack…but his body began shrinking! "Huh!?" And soon enough, just like Natsu and Erza, he was a child too and with barely any time to register what was happening. "What the hell?!"

"I'm gonna get you!" Doriate began climbing his way up the ice while giving a hysterical laugh.

"I'm…a kid…?" Gray began to shake with cold sweat. Everything was happening so fast he couldn't understand it. Even though he had been through so much concerning his past over the years…childhood trauma was something that, when hit, still hit hard. All this ice…giant creatures…the demon lunging at him…Ur…Silver…the only thing Gray could do on instinct was just scream and shake.

Doriate stopped in his tracks, staring at Gray as the poor kid just trembled before him. "Huh. Well…sometimes that happens. Childhood trauma is never the easiest thing to get rid of…so reliving some memories is only to be expected. Poor thing…" His lips then curled up in a malicious fashion. "Too bad I don't give a FUCK about any of that!" Doriate then latched onto Gray's face with his hand, squeezing tight to crush and suffocate the boy. "I'm gonna gobble you up real good…the Devil Slayer of Fairy Tail…how ironic…you'll be first, then the rest of them will be next!"

"….!" Gray's eyes widened in fear as he struggled in Doriate grip. He had Devil Slaying…but for some reason he couldn't use it how he wanted to. Would he even be able to muster up the strength for an attack? He wasn't sure, everything was just moving too fast for him and he wasn't ready for it.

"It's no use talking to a kid….prepare to die…" Doriate was going to savor killing Gray. But he was caught off guard by several spears of black ice striking his back, causing him to stumble forward. "Guh!?"

When Doriate turned around, he was met with a surprising sight! A young Yakuza of Cosmic Star panted heavily after unleashing an attack that while normally didn't take any effort, nearly exhausted him in the process. "Finally caught up to you, you demon fuck…"

Gray's thoughts had time to clear with Yakuza's interruption. He placed his hands on Doriate's arm and briefly froze it over to the point where the demon released him and he fell to the ground. "Geez…ice, demons…I'm a damn kid…too many nostalgic things around. I've moved on from this…so it was pathetic of me to lose my cool just because I'm a kid."

Yakuza rushed over to Gray's side, looking him over for a minute. "You too, huh…?"

Gray nodded to Yakuza, but kept his eyes on Doriate. "I already know you aren't the one who froze the village. But you threatened my family…and that alone is more than enough of a reason for me to send you back to hell."

.

.

Next Time: Eternal Fire.


	143. Chapter 143: Eternal Fire

Flare's timely appearance had everyone in shock. Cynthia felt her heart sink only to flutter up as Wendy was saved from the bullet. "T-Thank you very much…" Wendy exhaled, accepting Cynthia's hand to stand back up.

"Who's this chick…?" Hiroshi snarled.

"A friend of theirs…?" Lala suggested.

"What are you doing in a place like this?" Lucy stared at Flare.

"I was talking you, Blondie." Flare snickered. And suddenly there were several thoughts of Flare following Lucy and Mii around town in Magnolia…and even in her own home! "I'm kidding."

"You…" Lucy groaned.

"In truth…I wasn't sure where to go. So…I went back…" Flare said with a melancholy expression.

"You…went back?" Wendy tilted her head.

"Yes…to my home." Flare moved the strap to her dress aside, showing the crest of the Sun Village on her right breast. "This crest is the crest of the Sun Village."

"She's from the village…!?" Cynthia's eyes widened. "How…?"

"I was raised by the giants at a very young age…" Flare began, but as her gaze turned to the treasure hunters, her voice started to distort. The rage built up from her people being frozen, from the treasure hunters blatantly defiling her home and even bringing harm to those who raised her. A hateful stare appeared on the woman's face as she stared at the treasure hunters. "When I arrived…I found all of them…the village people, my people… _ **I won't forgive you."**_

"We super aren't the ones that froze those guys!" Hiroshi explained.

"We just dunn came for the Eternal Flame!" Said Lala.

"That's not any better!" Flare yelled. The usually timid and creepy woman was angry. Lucy stared in shock as Flare's voice rose. "The Eternal Flame is the important protect of the village! _**And I won't let anyone SULLY IT!"**_ Flare's fiery hair shot forward as she proclaimed her rage.

"She grew hair!?" Lala tugged at his own hair and panicked.

"I super got this!" Hiroshi lunged forward, easily cutting through Flare's hair with his blade.

"…!" Flare's eyes widened in shock at how easily her attack was dealt with…but Lucy had her back.

"Gate of the Crab, open! Cancer!" Lucy swung her golden key down and called forth Cancer.

"Leave anything regarding hair to me, ebi" The crab snipped his scissors before moving onto Flare's hair, working on it with precision. "Hair Growth, Scalp Care!" Flare was getting the full treatment of hair care.

"Ah…that feels good…" Flare hummed content, but then glanced over at Lucy, Wendy, and Cynthia. "Blondie…."

"I owe you one." Lucy said with a confident smile. "So trust me when I say we'll save the giants."

"We'll do it together!" Wendy chimed in.

"We promise!" Cynthia added.

Flare's expression softened…she knew she could rely on these three. And once her hair was back to normal, she lunged forward and smacked Hiroshi away with her hair. "I'm back~!"

"DUNN!" Lala leapt into the air with his Stronger lifted above his head, preparing to smash someone into the ground.

Wendy and Cynthia sprinted forward in unison. Wendy was up first, wind swirling around her leg as she prepared a powerful blow. "Sky Dragon's Claw!" Just as Lala brought his Stronger down, Wendy lifted her leg up, stopping the weapon in its tracks.

"Wh…!?" Lala didn't expect Wendy to have so much strength.

"Keep your eyes on the prize!" Cynthia flew forward from Lala's left, her fiery leg swiftly slamming into the male's cheek to knock him away.

"Sagittarius, keep an eye on that sniper!" Lucy issued her command before a lightbulb went off in her head. "Virgo! I have an idea!"

"You rang, Princess?" The maid appeared upon being summoned.

"Tunnel through the ice and sneak up on the sniper! He won't be able to shoot you from there!" Lucy's plan was good, and she had faith Virgo could execute it.

"That's a wonderful plan. If you'll excuse me." Virgo took a leap and prepared to dive through the ice and into the ground…but the plan stopped halfway as her body hit the ice and she just remained in the air with her lower half sticking up. "…Princess…I can't get through."

"Huh!?" Lucy gasped.

"The ice…something about it is preventing me from piercing through it. _This means punishment, right…?"_

"Guh…!" A bullet struck Sagittarius, felling him instantly. The gate closed and the archer was forced to return to the Spirit World.

"It's my win…" Drake chuckled. "Underestimating modern technology will be your downfall. You'll never be able to match my rate of fire."

"Ugh…" Lucy sucked her teeth in annoyance. But she did have a plan B…

Flare continued the attack on Hiroshi. Her hair flew forward once again, this time taking the appearance of a pouncing lion, " _ **Kamishigure Rouga**_!"

Hiroshi laughed and with a single swing, slashed through Flare's hair once again. This caused large strands of her hair to fall around him. "It doesn't matter how many times you try it! Hair will never be able to stand up to a sword!"

"This hair is my pride and something I received from the Eternal Flame…Kamishigure Hotatubi!" The strands of hair around Hiroshi began exploding in bursts of flame! The amount was far too many for him to withstand and he was blown backwards.

"Hiroshi!" Lala took his eyes off combat and too his fallen comrade. But it was then Wendy followed up from Cynthia's attack to kick her right leg at his face to send him stumbling back. "Ah! You're just little girls!" The hand of his Stronger opened up and clasped around Wendy with an airtight grip, squeezing the life out of her in the process.

"Wendy…!" Cynthia lunged forward, but Lala lifted up the large fist and slammed it onto Cynthia's back, thus crushing her into the ice and keeping her pinned there. To make things worse, he was just applying pressure on the both of them to break them in half.

"You'll never muster the strength to escape the might of this Stronger of mine…" Lala said confidently.

"Wendy! Cynthia!" Lucy turned, and a bullet impacted the ground beside her. The only reason she was able to dodge was due to moving out of the way in time. But another one grazed her leg shortly after that and she hissed in pain.

" _ **Tch…"**_ Flare turned her head…only to stop abruptly. When she looked back, a snickering Hiroshi tied her hair to a nearby tree. "My hair!?"

"Hahahahaha! Treasure Hunter Super-Secret Skill: KNOT TYING!" The Chain Blade wielder began laughing manically at the position the ladies were in.

"We've got them…" Drake chuckled, taking aim once more. It didn't look good for the women at this point…

"It's ten years too early for you mages like you to pick a fight with us. Women like you should just know your place…and that's shaking your asses for men like us!" Hiroshi's final remark actually gave him an idea. "Hey, yeah…why don't you shake it a bit for us now?"

"UAHAHA! Nice! Do it! Do it!" Lala laughed in excitement.

Lucy had a small sweat drop on her face. "What…are you idiots…?"

" _If you're fine with just me, then I'll do it."_ Virgo said in the background, leaning over, placing her hands on her knees, and wiggled her ass around. But she was ironically being ignored.

A smirk formed on the celestial mages lips, displaying nothing but confident as the others regained their composure. This fight for the treasure hunters…was only a warm up for mages like them. "Well then, its a hundred years too early for you to be picking a fight with mages like us." And on that cue…

"ARMS!" Wendy's strength enhancing spell came into play. The aura exploded around herself and Cynthia, instantly shattering the Stronger, much to Lala's surprise.

Flare's hair continued to grow, wrapping around the cocky Hiroshi. "Even if my hair is tied up, I can just make it longer."

"Why you…!" With his comrades in danger, Drake had to take aim. Although his plans with awry when he felt a presence looming over him.

Loke crouched down, grinning at Drake who now had a cold sweat on his forehead. "Found ya."

"He made it…" Lucy grinned, her plan B working just as well she thought it would.

Loke grabbed Drake by the back of his collar before hurling the sniper down towards Lucy and Virgo. "He's all yours!"

Now it was time for the coup de grace. Wendy and Cynthia swing their arms forward, unleashing an unrelenting torrent of flames and wind that consumed Lala. "Blistering Heatwave!"

Flare's hair began to spin about wildly, closing in on a now panicking Hiroshi with a twisted smile of her own. _**"Kamishigure Chidori!"**_

And to top it all off, Lucy and Virgo reared their legs back for a signature combination. "LUCY KICK!"

"And Virgo Kick!" Poor Drake, but not really. The combination of all three attacks was more than enough to send the treasure hunters sky high! Out of sight, and out of mind. Call it a victory for the ladies! Lucy glanced back a Flare, giving a thumbs up. "It's out win."

"…Yeah." Flare nodded, a soft smile spreading on her lisp.

.

"You brats…" Doriate spat at the pair of Gray and Yakuza. "You think you can put up a fight like this? The Law of Regression is a magic that lowers all of your abilities…you're nothing more than rabbits waiting to be caught."

"You're telling me…" Yakuza said while looking at himself. "I got tired with a few minute sprint…"

"Is that so?" Gray lifted a brow. Doriate happened to be right where he wanted him. The cliff he stood happened to crack before shattering. "You stepped back, right? I made you a step, but I don't need it anymore."

"Wha…!?" The ice shattered, and Doriate began to fall down the cliff.

"I also gave you something to land on…" Yazuka said with a bored tone. What happened to that small aggression from earlier? That was pretty much gone. But waiting at the bottom for the demon were several small spikes of black ice that matched the hue of that which froze the village. Doriate's rear landed on the spikes and he yelped out comically.

"Ouch! What the…?" Doriate then glanced up at the two ice mages above him.

"Not _all_ of my abilities were lowered." Gray spoke with a smug grin, pointing two fingers right to his head. "My brain feels even better than usual. Molding magic makes use of a person's imaginative power and turns that into a weapon. Thanks to you I've got a number of creative ideas flowing in here."

"Kids tend to have pretty overactive imaginations…" Yakuza shrugged.

"That's…stupid! Turning your imagination into actual objects at this level!?" Doriate growled and began to scale the cliff he fell from. But when he arrived…neither Gray nor Yakuza were standing at the top. "Where did you two go!?"

"What an idiot…" Yakuza's voice came from underneath him.

"He fell for it again…" Gray chuckled. "That's just a transparent layer we made."

"Wha…?" Doirate glanced around…and then the ice under him gave way. The ice shattered and he slammed his face against the black ice. "Oof! You….!"

"Ice Make…." Gray entered the maker stance, forming a tiny mallet above Doirate. He was having a little too much and didn't realize how weak his attacks actually were. "Hammer? Actually no…I can turn it into something else. Snow Cone." The ice then shattered, slush falling onto Doriate's head harmlessly.

"Cold…." Doriate's teeth chattered and Gray just laughed.

"You don't look yummy…" Gray then smirked.

"I wouldn't eat him…" Yakuza's expression said he was bored, but on the inside he was having a good laugh too.

"You're not really that strong…that's why you have to make your opponents weaker just to fight them. You're below average." Gray stated. The reality of their situation wasn't any less dangerous even though they were kidding around. In truth, Gray was stalling to figure out how to make use of his Devil Slaying in this state…with his abilities lowered, anything he mustered wouldn't be that strong, as proven with his Ice Make: Hammer…

To make matters worse, the demon's patience was quickly running thin… "You brats…."

.

The girls were sitting down after their encounter with the treasure hunters. Flare began to explain her backstory to the others. "When I was little, I lived here in this village. But…I didn't like being the only one who was different, so I left. Until then, I never saw anyone who was the same size as me, it was frightening…and why I became like this…"

"So…that's why you were with Raven back then…?" Lucy asked. It was a question that was on her mind for a while. Flare never seemed like a bad person…she was just with the wrong crowd.

"Yes." Flare nodded. "I didn't know how to make money…and I thought hating Fairy Tail was normal at the time. After they disbanded…I just wandered around. I wasn't sure if I was able to come home or not…but then I heard that it had been frozen…." The tears started to well up in Flare's eyes.

"Don't cry…!" Cynthia stood up. "The villagers are all still alive! And we said we were going to help them!"

"Yes…that's right." The words of encouragement prevented Flare from crying. "Perhaps the flame can melt the ice…I'll come show you where it is."

"Ah, wait…!" Wendy interjected. "Lucy-san…you're hurt."

"I am…?" Lucy glanced around at her body before noticing the mark from where Drake's bullet grazed her. Some blood dripped from the wound. "Oh…I was wondering why my leg felt a little sore."

"Here, let me take care of it…" Wendy knelt down, a soft seafoam light emitting from her palms. She began to heal Lucy…but something was strange about it. Red sparks emitted from Lucy's body and the blonde let out a hiss of pain, and Wendy was forced backwards. "H-Huh…!?"

"Are you two okay…?" Flare tilted her head curiously.

"I-I'm fine…" Wendy said while looking at Lucy. "Lucy-san…?"

Lucy felt…a little lightheaded after that strange interaction. But her wound was gone at the very least. "I-I'm okay…that was weird. But we have to focus on the village, so don't worry about me."

"…." Cynthia furrowed her brows at what happened. She wasn't sure how to describe it…but no one ever reacted to Wendy's healing in that way. She was certain Wendy thought the same thing…

.

Erza was down. She absolutely couldn't put up a fight against Knightwalker in her condition as a child. Knightwalker stood over Erza, pointing her spear in Scarlet's face. "Is that really all you were able to muster? How pathetic. I expected more from you since you are me."

"And it's because you're me…that I have to say…don't do this…" Erza panted while staring up at her counterpart. "You're better than this, Erza."

Knightwalker felt her body tremble at those words. The words did nothing but anger her. "You…you don't understand. Being lost in a world that's not your own…all because some foul man wanted to use you for one purpose…then throw you away at the end. Because of that, I have no pride. All I can do now…is do what I was brought here to do. That would put my mind at ease."

"Your pride still remains." Erza stated. "The task that was bestowed upon you…you don't have to do it. If you still follow that man's words even now, then your pride really will be gone. You still have it in you to make the right choice."

Knightwalker's lips curled into a sneer. "DON'T YOU LECTURE ME!"

This was it. Knightwalker was just about to bring her spear to impale Erza…but at that moment, Erza's body started to return to normal! Her eyes widened and she took this opening, moving to avoid Knightwalker's stab and kick her counterpart in the chest. _"My body's back to normal!?"_ Not that she was complaining. After regaining her footing, she followed up with a swift kick to Knightwalker's face, thus sending her backwards.

"Guh…" Knightwalker groaned before shaking off the impact. "I shouldn't have expected it to be that easy…it is you after all. But are you going to do something about your clothes?" She gestured to the shirt, the only piece of clothing Erza now wore since it didn't cover her body.

With a bit of a coy grin, Erza held up the piece of cloth that was attached to Knightwalker's belt, thus revealing her undergarments as well. "You too."

"When did you…!?" Knightwalker grit her teeth.

"I didn't mean to…I just…kinda grabbed onto it when I dodged…" Erza didn't want to laugh…but it was pretty humorous.

"I'm going to enjoy this more than I thought…" Knightwalker's scowl turned into a smile once more.

"AAAAaaaaaah!" CRASH! Mii slammed into the ice from above, immediately hopping up since she didn't feel pain. "For the love of…!" She glanced at Erza and pointed at the sky. "Did you know there's a giant demon bird in the sky!? It shot Mii down! How rude…!" She then pointed to her wing, which had a gaping hole in it. "I can't believe this-…Wait, why are there two of you?"

Erza cringed from Mii's impact. "Mii?!"

Knightwalker lifted a brow at Mii's arrival. "And who…is this….?"

Mii glanced between Erza and Knightwalker, grinning at the…circumstances around them. "Wow…this is…more than I could have asked for today."

"Are you going to stand there, or are you going to assist me…?" Erza questioned while summoning another sword.

"I'm going to stand here like the bystander I am and enjoy the view." Mii said with a wave. "But the thought of turning this into a three way…"

"I shouldn't have expected anything else…" Erza sighed, returning her gaze to Knightwalker. "We're done talking about this."

"Hold on…!" Mii started to walk forward to Knightwalker to introduce herself. "Allow Mii to introduce myself to this lovely lady. My name is Mii Koryuji, your new guardian angel…" Before Mii could finish, Knightwalker's Explosion spear went off right in her face. As the dust settled, Mii was shown to be harmed but unbothered by it. "Oh, that was rude."

"Huh!?" Knightwalker's eyes widened at Mii being unfazed by her explosion. "What the hell!?"

"If you'll let Mii finish…" Mii dusted her dress off. "Now, I know what you're thinking. Did it hurt when I fell from heaven? No, it didn't. Because I don't feel pain."

"Get out of my face!" Boom! Boom! BOOM! Multiple explosions occurred in Mii's face, but she didn't budge!

"Look, there's a time and place to scream in my face…this isn't the place…" Mii said with a small grin. The explosions did push her back a little bit, but as far as damage dealt…she didn't feel anything.

"Mii…" Erza was worried that Mii was taking this situation a little too lightly.

.

"Ouch!" Natsu fell on the ground, his body having reverted back to normal. "I'm back to normal…?"

.

Gray and Yakuza both returned to normal as well, examining themselves. "What a relief…" The ice god slayer exhaled. "I thought I'd be stuck like that forever…"

"He got mad and his magic vanished?" Gray scoffed. "He's not as threatening as he looks when I can fight on my own terms…" The devil slaying tattoos began to form along Gray's body now that he had full control of his abilities once again. "Ice Devil's…!" It all happened so fast…Doriate lunged a Gray and Yakuza before they could even attack, his enlarged demon form briefly overwhelming the two to send them flying back. "Gah…!?"

"He got faster…" Yakuza tumbled along the icy ground before sliding to a halt. "But he's not a threat if we take him down fast…Ice God's Bellow!" Exhaling, the male released a powerful blast of black ice from his mouth, consuming the enraged Doriate. It didn't do much all things considered and the mad demon plowed through the Bellow, swinging his arm at Yakuza to send him flying back once again. "Okay…that didn't work…"

"He's out of control…" Gray tried once more. "I don't care what this demon is trying to do, I'll stop him here!" Another wild punch was aimed at Gray, but this time he managed to avoid it and returned fire with a kick infused with Devil Slaying. That had an effect on Doriate and he staggered backwards from the effective magic. "Now!" As soon as Doriate regained balance, he let out a loud cry. This was him using the Law of Regression on an even greater scale! The devil slaying markings faded away from Gray's body as both he and Yakuza were turned into kids again. "Shit…!"

.

Lucy, Flare, Cynthia, and Wendy were within the range of the Law of Regression. The girls had to scramble to keep their clothes from falling off their bodies. "Wh-huh? What is this?!" Lucy squealed.

"I…I think this is someone's magic…?" Wendy said, but she wasn't sure.

"You look cute, blondie." Flare snickered with a soft flush on her cheeks.

"You too…" Lucy said with a smile of her own.

Cynthia had a sweat drop on her forehead. "I…can't believe they're seriously talking like this…"

.

Mii, Erza, and Knightwalker were affected by this as well. All of them were turned into children and had to cover themselves with something. "Again!?" Erza groaned.

"What is this…me too?!" Knightwalker had to cover up due to her already provocative attire, barely managing to hold onto her Ten Commandments spear with one hand.

"Oh…." Mii looked at herself as she turned back into a kid. "Well…there goes my one idea. This is just great…I can't play with her like this…"

Knightwalker kept her scowl, managing to point her spear at Mii once again. "You filthy angel…get the hell out of my face!" It was understandable that Knightwalker was so irritated; she came to kill Erza and all of this was happening instead. Another explosion was aimed at Mii…but the reaction was much different than before.

"A-ah…Filthy…angel…?" Mii's entire body froze and her eyes widened. This fearful expression was nothing like anyone had seen before. She didn't even react as Knightwalker fired on her. The explosion consumed Mii and this time there was a scream of pain that followed. The half-breed was thrown backwards, slamming into a tree with enough force to snap it in half. "A-Ah…"

"Mii!" Erza hurried over to Mii's side. She wasn't writhing around in pain…but she did curl into a ball and rocked back and forth as her own childhood trauma set in from Knightwalker's words and an explosion that reminded her of just one of many. "Mii! Mii are you okay?!"

"Filthy angel…" She muttered over and over. She could see it now: herself as a child, curled in a corner, crying from the words other angels spoke. It was all her fault what happened 20 years ago, no matter how lightly she tried to play it off.

" _You filthy angel! You did this to us! You betrayed us!"_

" _We should have known better than to trust you!"_

" _Out of all the things you choose to do with your time, it was this?!"_

" _Get the hell out of here, you're not welcome!"_

" _You bastard angel! This is why you were abandoned!"_

" _It's all your fault!"_

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I didn't mean it…but I had to…" Mii's weak voice trembled as she repeated those words over and over.

"This woman is your comrade? How pathetic…" Knightwalker attempted to hold her spear with both hands…but struggled to do so.

"Don't you dare talk down to her like that…" Erza turned back to Knightwalker with a glare. She didn't know what was wrong with Mii, but she was intent on protecting her too.

.

"I think we've got a problem…" Yakuza took a few steps back while staring at Doirate. They were back to being kids…and not only that, but it seemed like Doirate was getting stronger and stronger with each second!

"Waaaah!" Both Happy and Carla fell to the ground, both of them also kids.

"Happy, Carla…!" Gray was happy to see them.

"Gray!? And…that guy…!" Happy didn't remember Yakuza's name. "What's going on and….WHAT IS THAT THING!?" He shouted when lying eyes on Doriate.

"A problem! If I can't stop it here…everyone will be in danger!" Gray attempted to make use of his Devil Slaying in this state, but it was extremely difficult. All he could manage were a few tiny icicles of devil slaying that only left Doriate more pissed off than hurt. "It didn't work…!"

"Freeze his feet…!" Yakuza brought one hand down to the side. As if it was second nature, he made use of the black ice to cut Doriate's mobility and freeze one foot, while Gray did the same with the other. No dice. Doriate easily broke through the ice, lifting up both legs to kick Gray and Yakuza back. "Okay, we're running out of options…" The ice god slayer groaned. "My magic isn't fit to take out a demon, especially in this state…."

"It's no good…" Gray coughed up some blood. He just needed time…time that Doriate wasn't going to give them! The Law of Regression was a real problem and the demon was about to finish the two of them off. "I won't be able to dodge in time…!"

"Haaaah!" Happy and Carla grabbed Gray, who grabbed Yakuza. The Exceeds were able to just barely moved the pair of ice mages away as Doriate's fist crushed the ice on impact.

"We can't fly very far like this…" Carla exhaled and they all hit the ground.

"Damn it…" Gray stood up, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "We can't do anything like this. If only I could use my Devil Slaying. I think if I had a minute at most…I could charge something to finish him off." All eyes were on Yakuza…the only other person who could fight in this scenario.

"Let me get this straight…" Yakuza was not a fan of how things were looking. "You want me to fight that thing…like this…for a minute?" Once again, everyone just stared at him. They knew it was an asinine request, but it was their only chance at victory. 'Fine…guess I'll die."

"You're a livesaver!" Happy exclaimed.

"Okay…let's do this…" Yakuza stared up at the demon Doriate and cracked his knuckles. "This ice is nearly the same as my own…so I should be able to use it to slow him down…" The child then slammed his hands on the ground, using the ice as a vessel to channel through him. "Come on, ice…! Work with me here for a few seconds!" Using the ice was much easier than trying to fight. The ice and Yakuza were one, and he used this to create several large spires of ice that interrupted Doriate's charge. The demon had to break down the ice which slowed him down, buying the time that was needed. "Come on…" Yakuza was then smacked backwards and hit a tree harshly, a grunt of pain escaping him. "Guh…!"

"Gray!" Happy and Carla yelled.

It wasn't much time…but he managed to get the devil slaying markings along his arm. That was good enough! Everything he could muster was in this one blow and he couldn't waste it. "This is all I need! Ice Devil Zeroth's Impact!" Gray leapt forward as purple ice wrapped around the length of his arm, and he slammed it right into Doriate's chest. It was just what was needed to send Doriate flying backwards, kicking him out of his demon form.

"Nice…." Yakuza exhaled heavily.

With Doriate's defeat, everyone was able to return to their normal selves again! "Geez…that was a hassle…are you guys all right?"

"We're alive…" Carla confirmed.

"I think I'm breathing." Yakuza exhaled while staring at his hands. "This ice…it feels so much like my own, but it's different too. It's been bugging me the entire time…"

"Why are you here anyway…?" Gray asked, offering a hand to help the male up.

"I was on a mission…I don't know if I can melt this ice on my own, but with your help we might be able to do something about this village." Yakuza stood up, but the conversation was halted when Doriate coughed.

"Damn…you humans. You opened up the gates of hell on multiple occasions…and with no repercussions?" Doriate spat venom which each words. "You go about…unaware of who the true threat to this country even is."

"The true threat…?" Gray narrowed his eyes. "Who are you talking about!?"

"Wouldn't you like to know…" Doriate grinned. However…before he could say another word, the giant demon bird swooped down and chomped Doriate's upper half within its mouth, catching everyone present off guard.

"…That's not a bird." Yakuza gulped.

.

"Making us big and then small…" Natsu grumbled at the annoying magic that reverted him from a child to an adult. "We should have just beaten them up when we had the chance…" But hindsight was always 20/20, so it was a moot point now.

"Natsu!" Lucy called out to the salamander and caught his attention. "What's the big idea!? Running off like that…"

"It took us forever to find you…" Cynthia huffed.

"Oi…" Natsu pointed at Flare, who was hiding behind Lucy. She was the last person he expected to see in a place like this. "What's she doing here?"

"She was raised here." Lucy explained.

"This place…is my home…" Flare said quietly.

"I see…" Natsu tugged at his scarf. "So…this must be hard on you then. Don't worry; we'll definitely save this village. Fairy Tail's reputation is at stake too."

"If we could find the flame…I'm sure we could save the village." Wendy said. "Flare-san is guiding us to it."

"I see…" Natsu scratched his head. "I thought I heard a voice coming over that frozen mountain…"

"That's not a mountain." Flare clarified. "That's the village guardian…the Eternal Flame…"

"What!?" Cynthia stared at the huge frozen flame with her jaw dropped. "I-I thought this was a frozen rock the entire time…?"

"Tell me how that ISN'T a mountain!?" Natsu shouted.

"This big flame was frozen solid by the black ice…" Lucy brought her hand to her mouth in shock. "No wonder it looked like a mountain. So the flame really is frozen…we were hoping we could use it to return the village to normal. But…I don't know what we can do if the flame is like this…"

"GUYS, WATCH OUT!" Gray shouted. Everyone turned and they saw him, Yakuza, Happy, and Carla fleeing for their lives from the demon bird.

"GRAY!?"

"Happy, Carla…!"

"Is that Yakuza….?" Cynthia blinked before her attention turned to the large bird, and everyone started screaming.

"W-What the hell is that thing!?" Lucy cried out.

"I don't know…but it wants to eat us…and it already ate someone else!" Happy flailed his arms around.

"Shoo! Go away…!" Carla huffed.

"Gray! Take it out or something!?" Natsu's voice rose the closer they got.

"I can't do that…! But…Yakuza and I can do something about this ice!" Those were the words everyone wanted to hear!

"You guys can melt this crap!?" Natsu started bolting towards Gray on instinct.

"It's on a much bigger scale than I'm used to…but I think with his help we can do this…!" Yakuza exclaimed.

"All right then! I'll take care of the bird, you two get to work!" Natsu grinned.

"Take care of your business, Natsu!" Rivals at times, but they were always comrades first. As soon as Natsu and Gray passed one another, the baton was passed in the form of a high five.

"I got this!" Natsu grinned and lunged forward, swinging a blazing kick at the demon bird's face. The battle was on and another blazing kick knocked the bird backwards. The bird recovered and flew forward at amazing speeds, pinning Natsu to the ground with its talons. "…!" The bird then flung Natsu sky high before pursing him with full intent to make him a meal!

"Natsu…!" Lucy worriedly exclaimed.

"I'm good!" Natsu flipped around in the air, fire blazing around his fists. "The Eternal Flame has to be restored!" A fiery hammer fist was slammed into the bird's eye, taking it and Natsu down to the ground with it.

Gray and Yakuza rushed forward towards the frozen flame, both of them putting their hands on it. "This ice…we couldn't do anything because we didn't have the firepower." Gray explained.

"This ice is identical to what I've been dealing with the last week or so…" Yakuza continued, his magic aura flowing out of him into the ice. "It was on a much smaller scale than this, though. Even I wouldn't be able to do something about all this ice alone…so I need Gray's help. I'm going to channel it through my body first, then give it to him."

"He's going to turn the ice into something I can use with his own, and then I'm going to use Ice Make to make it suitable for myself!" Gray's aura formed as well as the two ice mages went to work.

"T-They can do that…?" Wendy was in awe while holding a rather grumpy Carla.

"That's…amazing…." Flare spoke slowly. Deep in her heart, she really hoped this could work…

"This is a long shot…but we have to try…" Gray was determined to do this! The surrounding the flame began to shine and slowly melt away with the combined effort of the Devil and God slayer working together! Everything was all smiles until the ice finally dispersed and…nothing remained. The Flame was gone.

"W-What…it's…gone…?" Lucy started to sweat.

Flare dropped to her knees, a feeling of despair washing over her. "No…that can't be…" Without the flame…there was nothing that could save the village or the giants.

"You…gotta be shitting me…" Gray grit his teeth at their failed effort.

"Was I…wrong…?" Yakuza looked with a rare, wide eyed expression.

"Did we fail…?" Cynthia's voice was quiet.

Wendy…she was sweating for an entirely different reason. She could feel a presence looming nearby. _"This presence…this power…what is it…?"_

.

.

Next Time: From the Past.


	144. Chapter 144: From The Past

With Doriate defeated, Erza and Knightwalker were able to duke it out freely once again as adults. Now that Erza actually had armor on, she could put up a fight unlike before. The two Erzas fought hard just as before, and it seemed like words were far from them. Both women had cuts and bruises on their bodies from their fighting. Mii on the other hand…she was sitting up, her hair creating an unreadable line over her eyes. She was forced to recall things she really tried to put lightly and it left a sour taste in her usually positive attitude. "….OI!" She screamed, catching both Erzas off guard.

"She's done moping?" Knightwalker had her Fire and Ice spears within her hands, glaring at both Erza and Mii.

"Are you okay…?" Erza had concern in her voice.

"A-OK!" Mii flashed a smile and gave a thumbs up. "I'm really sorry you had to see Mii like that…it was pretty shameful, really. But I'm back!" Purple Pot was drawn and a large bullet was fired at Knightwalker.

"Hmph…I'll just cut you down as well!" Knightwalker's lance changed to Rune Save, which had the ablitiy to cut through magic like butter. The large bullet was dealt with, but Knightwalker was unprepared for Mii to come in herself! The angel fired off a powerful kick aimed at Knightwalker's head, which she was barely able to dodge with widened eyes. "That strength…!" And a follow up was aimed at her stomach, and that one sent her flying back.

"That's for causing an explosion in my face. That kinda hurt, you know?" Mii dusted herself off.

"Bastard…" Knightwalker snarled and stood up, pointing her spear at the pair of red heads before her. "I'll kill you both where you stand!"

"Go ahead. I was supposed to be dead a while ago." Mii shrugged. She was definitely feeling better now that her nonchalant attitude was back.

"You're a handful…" Erza sighed, but she was happy that Mii was back to her usual self.

.

"The flame…vanished….?" Lucy couldn't believe it. Everyone stared as the Eternal Flame was nonexistent.

"No way…" Gray started to shake. "This…this can't be happening."

"The flame…was probably gone while it was frozen…" Carla said.

"…It's my fault. I thought the plan would work…" Yakuza clenched his hand into a fist.

"No…this can't be…" Flare's voice was shaking. The fire that burned for centuries went out like that…is the village doomed…?"

"It's not gone!" Wendy's loud voice caught everyone's attention. "There's still some residual thought left! That's proof that the flame is alive!"

"Alive…?" Carla repeated. "What is…!"

"Look, up there!" Lucy pointed to an alter not too far off.

"That's the fire's altar..." Flare explained…and on the altar was a small ember burning.

"It's just a little…" Happy muttered.

"Natsu…I know Natsu can restore that flame!" Wendy shouted before looking at Cynthia. "Cynthia…we need you too! Keep the flame alive!"

"I'm on it…!" Cynthia nodded and rushed over to the flame's altar, keeping herself at a fair distance before pointing her hands forward to release a continuous wave of crimson flame. The Eternal Flame was weak, but Cynthia's efforts were keeping it alive! There was a flicker of hope left…and Fairy Tail always took that flicker and turned it into a victorious blaze!

Lucy looked into the sky where Natsu was still going battle with the demon bird. "NATSU!"

Natsu heard everything. A wide grin spread on his lips and the task now fell to him. "HELL YEAH! I GOT IT!" His confidence was heard by the bird, who took an immediate dislike to what Fairy Tail was planning! The bird swung its tail at Natsu, but he managed to catch it and hurl it back down towards the ground. The bird snarled before releasing a beam from its eye! This beam sliced through the ground, causing everyone to duck for cover.

"It's going to hit the Giants…!" Wendy yelled.

"Tch…!" Natsu had to act fast, opening his mouth to unleash a blast of fire to strike the beam before it could connect with the frozen giant. It was a close call, but no giants would be harmed. The fire dragon then flipped onto the head of the giant and pressed his feet firmly against the frozen head, preparing to lunge forward. "Sorry, I need to borrow your head for a bit! Cynthia, clear out! I got it!" Natsu pushed off the head of the giant and flames blazed around his entire body. The Fire Dragon's Sword Horn crashed into the bird and forced it backwards…but Natsu was only just beginning! "Fire Dragon's…BRILLIANT FLAME!" With fire blazing around his wrists, he slammed them down and a giant fireball roasted the bird while sending it slamming down onto the alter. Good thing that Cynthia already cleared out by then.

"A little more warning next time please…!" Because even though Cynthia did make it out of the way in time, it was far too close!

"HAAA!" Natsu began unleashing fireball after fireball onto the altar, multiple fiery explosions occurring as he began to fry the bird, but at this point it wasn't even about the demon bird. It was about restoring the Eternal Flame! "I'M NOT DONE YET!"

.

Even from their location in the village, Erza, Mii, and Knightwalker could feel and hear the echoes of Natsu's attacks off in the distance. Knightwalker glanced back with a baffled expression. "What the hell is all that noise….?"

"That's Natsu…" Erza had a nostalgic grin on her lips.

"That's him…? Good grief…" Mii ran a hand through her hair. "What a loud mouth."

.

"Aren't you going a little overboard?!" Lucy shrieked but her voice was drowned out by the sound of the explosions.

Natsu just kept going. The demon bird was just roasted at this point, not that it wasn't deserved. Flames then swirled around Natsu's arms in a vicious, uncontrollable wildfire. "Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: Crimon Lotus – Exploding Flame Blade!" Twisting his arms in a counterclockwise rotating, a fierce spiral of flames crashed onto the alter in a grand explosion.

Everyone stared with widened eyes as the Etenrnal Flame was ablaze once again. "The flame…the guardian spirit…" Flare's eyes started to water. "It's alight…"

Wendy then got down on her knees, placed her hands together in a prayer pose and closed her eyes, focusing intently on something. "I see…so that's it…"

Everyone was more surprised at the follow through. Happy caught Natsu and kept him in the air as the Eternal Flame came to life. "So…that's the voice I heard. It was you…" Natsu had a bit of a smile on his face.

The Eternal Flame of village was none other than Atlas Flame, a fire dragon from long ago. "It's been 400 years…Son of Igneel."

"…What is that…?" Yakuza blinked several times while pointing at the dragon who was essentially just fire incarnate.

"That's one of the dragons that came out of the Eclipse Gate…" Lucy had the same shocked expression as everyone else.

"So why he here?" Carla placed her hands on her hips. "He should have gone back 400 years then."

Atlas was a little slow. As the others spoke, it jogged his memory a little bit. Yes…400 years. I've been burning strong for this long…"

"So, you're still alive Uncle…" Natsu had a tiny grin on his lips.

"Alive…?" Atlas paused at the word. "No…that's not entirely…correct…"

"What you all see now is a form I brought about from my Milky Way spell…" Wendy explained, but still kept her focus on the spell. This was the first time Cynthia saw the spell in action, so she was entirely captivated by it.

Atlas was still…confused. One could see the visible bewilderment on the dragon's face. "I am…no longer alive….but that is something of the distant past."

"I don't think this guy is firing on all cylinders right now…" Gray remarked.

"My awareness…er, or rather, memory…it's all been jumbled…" Atlas clarified his confusion, but it didn't help him in the end. "Hmmmmm…this…I…I do remember Igneel's son…."

"What's wrong with him? Zirconis' memory was much more lucid…unfortunately." Carla placed a paw on her hip.

"It might be from the ice." Wendy said. She was still focusing hard so speaking was difficult, but she was the only one who could explain the situation. "At its core, residual thought may be based on strong will, but it's still very fragile. I don't know how long this village has been frozen…but it's possible that the ice has damaged his memory."

"Ice….? Yes…Ice…" Atlas muttered the word over and over. His memory was slowly coming back to him. "This world was covered in pitch black ice…."

"He must mean the village…" Yakuza rested against a rock, staring at the dragon of flame intently.

"That man…yes…a show of power…." Atlas felt it all coming back to him!

"What happened? Please..tell us…" Flare pleaded.

"Who was this person?" Lucy stared up at the dragon. Everyone waited for the answer.

"It was a single man…a human, perhaps? He changed this world to ice." Atlas said. But as everyone deduced by now…it was an ice mage. "That man…he claimed the title of Ice God…and donned white clothing. He froze the village…simply as a display of power."

"I-Ice God…?" Flare was taken aback by this news. Natsu, Happy, and Yakuza were all surprised to hear this. But for Gray, Wendy, Cynthia, and Carla…they recalled it extremely well.

"I knew it…" Gray sucked his teeth. "The moment I placed my hand on that ice, I knew it had to be that man…" Because just like last time…Gray was unable to do much about the ice due to its higher plane properties.

"That man….?" Yakuza turned to the ones in shock.

"His name was Xen from the Pergrande army…" Lucy explained. "We encountered him on the Isle. He was after me for some reason…and just before we could begin the final assault, he managed to corner us."

The memories came rushing back to the two girls. Wendy and Cynthia were the ones that recalled it so vividly. "I don't remember much of the Isle because I was fighting off that infection…but I remember that battle like yesterday."

"It's because of him that Chelia can't use magic anymore…" Wendy felt the emotion bubbling up. She still cursed herself for not being strong enough to deal with Xen on her own like she wanted…but that was the kind of opponent only Chelia could face off against in the first place. "I knew this ice was familiar…but….it still doesn't make sense."

Everyone remembered it well. Xen was murdered by Brax after being branded a traitor to their cause. Yakuza only caught a glimpse before it happened, but that moment was one he couldn't forget for the life of him. "Ice God, huh…? I wonder…"

"…" Lucy had a strange sensation building up inside of her. She wasn't sure what the cause of it was, but she didn't like it.

"Hmm…it's still foggy. I am….what was I…?" Atlas trailed off once more.

But then Flare spoke up, pleading with everything she could muster. "You are the guardian of this village! The flame of the giants! Somehow, I beg of you! Shine your light upon this village once more! Please save this village! Please…."

"….."

Atlas was silent. Flare bowed down on her hands and knees before the flame dragom, keeping her head down as her voice weakened. "Please…somehow…"

Atlas thought it over once more. Flare's words did strike something on the head…and it all came back to him. "I am…yes…my name is Atlas Flame. I created this village. YES! It's all coming back to me! My village's misfortune is m pain….my villages sorrows are my tears…I…hold the lingering scent of my final spirit along with the fire of Igneel's sun. I shall set this village free." Atlas' flames began to burn intently, spreading throughout the village. " _ **I am the fire Dragon…Atlas Flame! The guardian Dragon of this village!"**_

"Hot! Hot!" Lucy flailed about. "Gray, cool me down!" The ice mage did just that, placing his hand on Lucy's head to keep her cool. The flames of Atlas expanded throughout the entire village, instantly melting away the black ice placed upon village, thawing even the giants out of their frozen state.

"Wow…" Flare's eyes lit up.

"His spirit is fading…" Wendy stated.

"Igneel…Dragon King…Acnologia…Zeref…." The words were slowly coming together, although they weren't coming together to form a cohesive thought. "I remember…everything. 400 years ago….Igneel was unable to destroy E.N.D…."

Natsu's eyes were wide. He remembered what Igneel and Zeref told him back on the Isle…he believed it all. But at the same time…some things didn't make sense to him. What did he have to with 400 years ago? There were still some unanswered questions, and it didn't look like those answers were coming as Atlas Flame finally vanished, but not before completely ridding the village of ice.

.

Steam billowed around everywhere. Erza, Knightwalker, and Mii glanced around as the ice melted. "The ice…it's melting…" Knightwalker sucked her teeth. The ice didn't have any effect on her to begin with, but this only met her time was up.

"They did it…" Erza said with a soft smile.

"It's pretty warm here…" Mii snickered.

A nearby giant leaned down, staring at the three females. Compared to the giants, the women present were the size of ants. "Hm? Now this is truly a rare sight…humans running about in this village."

"WHOA!" Mii took a step back as the giant crouched down to examine them. "That's a big boy!"

Knightwalker elected to retreat for now, running off in one direction. "We'll end this here. We'll settle this once and for all one day…then I can prove once and for all that we're not equals."

Erza turned to her counterpart as she departed from the scene. "Don't let that darkness corrupt you, Knightwalker! I know you're much better than that! Remember, you are me!" Knightwalker didn't respond. Instead, she simply departed with Erza's words settling in her head.

"She's a real piece of work…" Mii placed her hands on her hips. "So…was that your secret twin or something?"

.

"Atlas Flame's residual memories have vanished completely…" Wendy exhaled as her Milky Way spell finally faded away.

"To think he'd be able to muster up so much power with what little he had left." Lucy smiled softly. "I'm glad he was on our side back then."

"E.N.D, huh…?" Natsu's voice trailed off. The others remained silent, and Flare had tears of happiness flowing down her cheeks. Her village was restored.

.

.

Meanwhile, at the border fortress of Fiore and Bosco, Xen and another familiar Commandant were working over their next move. The unnamed Commandant snapped his fingers, causing Xen's form to vanish for the time being. "It seems the Remembrance of Time has been coming along nicely. Xen has worked as a fascinating test subject…freezing that village was an excellent feat. Things are coming along rather nicely."

.

.

Natsu sat upon a giant's head, letting out a hearty "WAHAHA!" along with the rest of them. The giants were laughing and everyone was having a grand old time.

"We were saved by small people." A giant spoke while looking down at Gray, Wendy, Carla, and Cynthia.

"Glad you guys are back to normal." Gray said with a wave.

"Small people…" Wendy muttered.

"Wendy is especially kind of small." Carla teased.

"You're one to talk." Cynthia fired back with a smirk. But at the same time she had no room to talk; everyone noticed this and just laughed.

"So…what exactly happened here?" Erza asked the others.

"It was frozen by…an ice god. His name was Xen." Lucy told Erza. "You weren't around for this during the Isle, but he was one of the few who constantly assaulted me…and he's also the reason that Chelia is unable to use magic anymore."

"Yeah…" A giant said.

"We went to grab our weapons, but after that, everything just goes hazy."

"Atlas said that he did it as a show of strength." Lucy continued.

"So this was caused because someone wanted to show off….?" Erza muttered.

"Not only that…" Yakuza interjected. "But this isn't the first instance of black ice appearing."

"Right…what are you doing here anyway?" Cynthia tilted her head. "Why aren't the others with you either? I was hoping to see Alex…"

"They're busy trying to settle that slave trade business back in Bosco." Yakuza shrugged. "But more importantly…it started in Bosco as well. We got reports of black ice spreading out in small areas over the country, so I was sent to deal with it. The scale was nothing as grand as this village though, which is why I had some trouble. But this ice…it's just like my own. It's been bothering me for a while…"

"But that still doesn't make sense." Gray crossed his arms. "That guy was killed by his own comrade right before our eyes…and he didn't seem like the type to mess around with an execution."

"So he's dead, huh…" Yakuza glanced away. "I see…anyway, I came to this village to see if I could track down the culprit. It was then that I ran into that demon…when I got turned into a kid, I panicked a bit and had to retreat. I wasn't able to do much in my state."

"What a mess this turned into…" Erza frowned. "A lot of coincidences which turned into problems. That magic…Knightwalker…the treasure hunters…" She then took a glance at Mii, who seemed to be sulking by a tree.

"Are…are you okay…?" Lucy approached Mii cautiously.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, totally fine." The angel waved her hand, putting up a big smile. "I was just forced to recall some things I was trying to forget. Pretty embarrassing, really. I wish Erza didn't have to see Mii like that…but hey, what can you do?"

"She's been like this since we encountered Knightwalker…" Erza remarked.

"I forgot she was still around…" Lucy frowned. "And from what you told us, it doesn't seem like she wants to be on friendly terms either."

"Well…our job is done either way." Natsu lifted a hand into the air. "So we can report to the old tree guy later!"

"We're not done yet." Erza glanced up at Natsu. "We were to also investigate the strange activity near the border of Fiore and Bosco."

"Oh, that place?" Yakuza lifted a brow. "I've been looking at that place for a while myself. I set up a lacrima feed…there are some strange solider roaming about, but they're not doing anything. They don't hail from Fiore or Bosco. I suspect they might be related to the culprit behind this incident."

"That would make them from Pergrande…but they don't have any business at our border…." Erza stroked her chin in thought.

"Ah, who cares about that!" Mii sprang from her seat and grinned. "Let's enjoy the day and report to the old tree!"

"Speaking of enjoying things…where's Flare…?" Lucy looked around for the woman, only to see her sulking behind a tree. "Ah…! What are you doing behind there?" Flare gave no response. "Flare?"

Lucy's speaking caught the giants attention. A few of them started to move forward, causing Natsu and Happy to lose their seat on his head. "Are you there?!" Still nothing.

Lucy tugged Flare's arm to pull her out of hiding. "Come on…it's been a while after all."

"I…abandoned this village. I left…without a word…" Flare finally spoke, somewhat resisting Lucy's pull.

"Don't worry. There's no way they're angry." The blonde then stared at the giant's scowl. Eyes widened and she proceeded to sweat drop. "….maybe…"

"Flare, is that you?"

"It's been a long time…"

"You sure grew up…though you're still smaller than us."

"How was the outside world?"

Flare poked her fingers together sheepishly, averting her gaze from the giant who asked. "I-It was fun…but…also hard…"

The woman's words caused the giants to smile. The one speaking leaned, down to get a closer look at her. "That's the same wherever you go…as long as you're alive. No matter if you leave or stay this is your home. You can do as you please. But…we just want to tell you one thing, though. Welcome back, Daughter."

Those words made the woman's body tremble…and finally, at long last, the tears came streaming down her cheeks and she gave a bright smile. "Yes…I-I'm home…." The moment was so touching, everyone present smiled. Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Erza, Wendy, Cynthia, Happy, Carla, and Yakuza had wide grins on their faces. Even Mii couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips as Flare returned to a place she could belong to. For the remainder of the day, all of their worries were forgotten as the group partied with the giants.

.

.

After parting from the Village of the Sun, the Fairy Tail group left the ordeal of the border fortress to Yakuza. He insisted they return to report to Warrod and get their reward, and he'd keep an eye on the area until they arrived. Warrod let out a hearty grin as Team Natsu returned. "I knew sending you guys was the right decision! Excellent, excellent"

"It was pretty easy." Natsu said with a smug grin.

"I'm just glad we were able to complete the request without further incident…" Erza's thoughts still wandered to Knightwalker. She truly wanted to do everything in her power to at least get her counterpart back home.

"You know, what ever happened to those thieves anyway…?" Gray turned to Lucy.

"We sent them flying with a special kick~" The blonde winked.

"But…from what we've heard, Pergrande may be involved…that's what our friend told us." Wendy said.

"Hmm…" Warrod offered a smile. "Well, if Bosco is on the case as well, then perhaps we can work something out with their senate at a later date. More importantly…" The old man began walking towards his garden. "It's time for your payment."

"This is what we've been waiting for!" Happy jumped into the air.

"It's only natural to get paid after a job." Carla said with a calm tone to balance out Happy's excited attitude.

"Here." Warrod held out a small object.

"…What is that?" Cynthia was afraid to ask, but someone had to.

"It's a potato from my garden." Dead silence. "I'm just joking."

"Yeah…a joke…" Gray laughed dryly.

Warrod brought his hand to his mouth, snickering as he continued. "I actually bought it from the neighboring town over."

"WE DON'T CARE WHERE IT'S FROM WE WANT CASH!" Natsu yelled.

Mii on the other hand was having a riot, laughing at Warrod's jokes like they were the best ones she heard in years. "Hahahahahaha! I like this guy!"

.

In reality, the reward was a secret hot springs! But it seemed to e only for the ladies. Erza was the only one who didn't don a towel and happened to be covered by the steam from the water. Mii, Lucy, Wendy, and Cynthia were covered and stared at the hot springs in awe. "This is quite the view…" Erza said while crouching down, feeling the water with her hand. "I'm not surprised Warrod knew of such a secret place."

Carla pointed to the sign that described the sign. "Look Wendy, Cynthia! It says this place is not only good for your health, but it also works wonders for physical beauty as well!"

"Wow…" Wendy's face lit up at the words the sign displayed.

"Awesome." Mii threw off her towel and hopped into the water, a content sigh escaping her. "Oh man…this feels absolutely awful…"

"Still having problems with the truth are we…?" Lucy shook her head, but was too relaxed to even try bothering. "There's nothing like taking a dip after an assignment…" Eyes closed, she completely felt like melting away.

"It helps rejuvenate the tired body and soul…allowing us to face our future trials refreshed." Erza hummed.

"That's so lame…" Mii rolled her eyes.

"But it feels so good…" Cynthia cooed while leaning against Wendy.

"I almost feel bad for Natsu and Gray…they won't get to experience this." Wendy leaned against Cynthia contently.

"They'll be fine. They probably hate this sort of thing anyway." Carla shrugged.

"Shows how much you know." Natsu said from the other side of the springs.

"Yeah, we can enjoy stuff like this from time to time." Gray shrugged.

"Aye." Happy said.

All was silent. The girls looked at the boys across the way. Wendy and Cynthia shrieked, covering themselves while hiding behind Lucy in embarrassment. "WHY ARE YOU IN HERE?!" Lucy screamed while throwing a bucket at Natsu, which he easily dodged and calmly at that.

"We were here first." Natsu said with a dull expression.

"You came in after us!" Gray glanced away after shouting.

"Oh?" Now Warrod was the one entering the water. "I did tell you it was a unisex hotspring, didn't I?"

"YOU CAN'T JUST CASUALLY STROLL IN!" Lucy panicked and gained more distance. She soon found herself hiding both Cynthia and Wendy as the two girls were extremely embarrassed at the situation. "Look, guys…can you leave for a bit…?"

"Yeah…this is embarrassing…!" Wendy whimped.

"We've already seen your naked bodies a bunch of times though." Natsu stated innocently, hence why he didn't see the big deal.

"The novelty is kinda gone…" Gray followed up, but their words only made things worse!

"Are you trying to rub salt in the wound…!?" Lucy growled.

"They've already seen you a bunch of times huh?" Mii smirked and started to stand up. "Then let Mii give them something to marvel at-!"

"You sit down!" Lucy tugged Mii back down into the water. "Have some dignity!"

"I don't know what that word means…" The frightening part was that Mii actually had a clueless look on her face.

"Oh my goodness…" Lucy groaned. "I shouldn't be surprised." But her eyes did wander to the large stab wound on Mii's chest. "….."

"What, you wanna touch?" Mii tilted her head curiously. "Go ahead, I won't stop you."

"…And all feelings of empathy are suddenly thrown out the window…" Cue the heaviest sigh ever from the blonde.

"Come now, this is nothing to lose your composure over. We're all comrades here. A little skinship is normal." Erza was too calm about this.

"NO IT ISN'T!" Wendy cried out.

"Totally is." Mii lifted a finger. She didn't expect Erza to say such a thing, but she wasn't complaining.

"I used to bath with Natsu and Gray all the time." Erza stood up, but her words only made the men in questions groan.

"Yeah…that's not normal…" Lucy sighed.

"It's been a while; let me wash your back for you." Erza approached Natsu from behind and he immediately attempted to squirm away from her grasp.

"No…! I'm…good!" Natsu stammered.

"We aren't kids anymore!" Gray was getting the hell out of there.

"What!?" Mii shook her head. "I can't believe you two…she's offering to wash your back! But when I do this, I'm the bad guy?"

"Unlike you, Erza doesn't have any ulterior motives…." Lucy grumbled. "She's just…Erza. And if you haven't noticed…IT'S STILL WEIRD!"

Warrod was just having a good old laugh. "Aren't comrades the best?"

"This doesn't concern you!" Lucy moved away from the laughing old man, but her reaction only made him laugh more.

"Doesn't it? Now that you mention it, I haven't told you all yet…" So Warrod lifted his arm from the water, revealing the Fairy Tail insignia on it. "Just like Mavis…I'm one of the founding fathers of Fairy Tail. That makes me a grand senior of yours." Cue the shock on everyone's face…except Mii since she was still relatively new to the guild.

"I…never would have seen that coming…" Cynthia gasped. "So…when you said you were in a guild…"

The dots connected for Lucy. "So…that's why…" That's why Makarov was so shaken upon receiving the request.

"Just…"

"Is this another joke!?" Gray was already on high alert for Warrod's jokes.

"No, it's all real." Warrod grinned and Gray just fell over.

"So, is that why you requested Gray and Natsu?" Erza asked while proceeding to scrub Natsu's back. Judging by the expression on his face he was unable to get away from Erza's pushiness.

"Pretty much." Warrod confirmed. "When you entered my home, I caught a nostalgic whiff of the guild's wooden smell…just kidding!"

"I'm so tired…" Wendy looked down into the water.

"To have met you Fairies…it really made my old heart skip a beat. The peace that Mavis sings about…Fairy Tail, a guild with bonds between the souls of mages which are thicker than blood. That spirit carries on even now, and you all have succeeded in that. That very spirit will become the key to you successes and triumphs. I felt that in the moment I met you all." There was a brief paused as he examined the faces of all the mages present. Mii had a strange, uncomfortable look on her face since this speech did include her as well…and it made her feel strange. Warrod noticed this and smiled before continuing with the words Mavis left behind.

" _Please, feel free to lean on me, and I, too, will lean on you. There will be painful times…sad times…I'll be with you through thick and thin_. _You are never alone. The hopes we carry are matched by the number of twinkling stars in the night sky. The rustling wind on our bodies are premonitions of what's to come tomorrow. Now, let us take a stroll…to the melody from the song of Fairies."_

Everyone had a soft smile on their face from those words. The words that their home was founded on…except Mii. She turned her head away as Warrod continued to speak, biting her lower lips as her hair created a shade over her eyes. She was acting stranger than usual and it wasn't hard to notice. "…." The more she stayed…the more she liked Fairy Tail. But the more she liked Fairy Tail, the more one thought plagued her mind. _"I don't belong here…"_

Erza finished with Natsu's back, turning around to hand him the cloth. "I'm done. Now, do me." Mii's ears perked up at those words, but once again, Lucy had to hold her back.

"Ah…okay…" Natsu didn't really have a choice in the matter.

"The words that founded Fairy Tail…hearing them really brings a tear to your eye…" Lucy said with a soft smile.

"Wait…" Natsu had a thought as he scrubbed Erza's back. "That means you're even older than gramps!"

"That's rude, Natsu." Erza sighed.

"It means he might know something about what's going on!" Natsu shouted. "Pergrande's been sticking their noses in places it doesn't belong! And if the guy who froze the village is really that same guy…then they have a lot to answer for!"

"He's not wrong…surprisingly." Carla quipped.

"Pergrande, hm?" Warrod stroked his chin in thought. "I've been thinking about what you've said earlier…and I don't think the King of Pergrande would make such a brazen move. He may be an irritating individual, but he's not stupid."

"Hahaha, you can say that again…" Mii said with a dry laugh. "I doubt he'd do something so petty as to freeze some random village in the middle of nowhere in a country that doesn't even belong to him. Pergrande is too big for him to focus on anything else."

"Even so…" Gray crossed his arms. "One of their own is responsible for freezing the village. He should be dead, though…which brings up the question of how he did it…" There was also the issue of the 'true threat' looming nearby…unless Doriate was lying to him.

"We'll find out when we catch up with Yakuza, right?" Cynthia stared at the others and they all nodded.

"DAMN IT!" Natsu shouted angrily. "So you don't know jack shit either then!" The fire dragon then began to violently punch at what was in front of him. "I thought you'd know something and help make our job easier! But now we're back at square one! Whatever, when I find them, I'll make them all spit it out! Then they'll get some of this, and that!" Everyone just stared in horror at what Natsu had done.

"O-Oi….Natsu…" Gray slowly pointed down.

"What?" Natsu blinked before staring down at Erza…who was in a rather compromising position, bent over in front of Natsu. Unfortunately that wasn't even the worst of it. There were several comical bumps on the woman's head from the beating he unintentionally gave her.

Mii brought her hand to her mouth, snickering quietly at the situation and Erza's position.. "Oh? Is this what we're doing now? I am SO down with this~"

"Hoh….." Erza's hands crushed the ground she held onto, a death gaze directed at a now fearful Natsu. He didn't even have time to scream, Erza swung right at his groin before he knew what hit him. The last thing anyone heard for the night was Natsu's squeak of pain.

.

.

Next Time: The Border Fortress.


	145. Chapter 145: The Border Fortress

Knightwalker walked aimlessly after her encounter with Erza in the Village of the Sun. Where was she to go? No idea…she didn't know this world very well and just wanted to go home. Strangely enough, that was when she was approached by one of Emmeraude's men; the blonde male who wielded cards. Knightwalker lifted a brow at the sudden appearance and kept her spear at the ready. "Who are you?"

"You can call me Drayden…" The man said while shuffling his cards around. "You're Erza Knightwalker, correct?"

"…How do you know me?" Knightwalker was prepared to attack. This male rose too many red flags for her just by standing.

"I have someone who would like to speak to you." Drayden held a card out, causing an image of Emmeraude to appear, who was sitting comfortably on the throne.

"Hello, Knightwalker." Emmeraude said with a soft smile.

"Who are you?" Knightwalker being approached by all these strangers put her on edge.

"My name is Emmeraude, current Queen of Fiore. I understand you've been walking around this world because of that cruel scientist, yes?" Emmeraude crossed one leg over the other while reading the brash knight's expression. "As I thought…what if I made you a proposal? I have a way to send you back to where you belong…"

This caught Knightwalker's interest…but she didn't trust Emmeraude and had no reason to. "Why should I listen to you?"

"Because I can build you a portal back to Edolas. During my time with that man, I happened to steal his research before his tower crumbled…" Emmeraude said with a sultry smile. "Come now…meet me in the palace in Crocus City. We can discuss more details then…"

Drayden then ended the communication and tossed a card at Knightwalker. "If you choose to talk with the lady, use this card."

"….Get out of my sight." The woman barked, and Drayden left. Knightwalker was now left staring at this card in her possession. Striking a deal with Emmeraude to return home…? At this point, she was internally desperate to return to Edolas after being stuck in Earthland for so long. Maybe…just maybe she'd take the offer.

.

.

The border of Fiore and Bosco; the fortress was used as a means for people to pass through the border after security checks. Of course not everyone adhered to this check when they had means of simply flying over the border one way or another. Yakuza waited for Team Natsu to arrive and eventually they did after reporting back to Warrod. "About time you guys showed up…what took you so long…?"

"We had a pretty long conversation with the man we were reporting to." Erza moved a hand through her hair.

"We also had to wait for Natsu to be able to walk again after the pounding Erza gave him." Mii made it sound suggestive on purpose, and it seemed to work as Yakuza blinked a few times while staring at Erza and Natsu.

"It wasn't like that." Erza rolled her eyes. "Natsu got carried away in the hot springs…so I had to teach him a lesson."

"…That doesn't sound any better." Yakuza blinked.

"Yeah, that blow was pretty intense. He fell right over." Mii kept a straight face, but on the inside she was laughing.

"We're dropping this subject right now; we have two growing young women here." Lucy glared at Mii, who only shrugged in response.

"Has there been any change?" Gray decided to get things on track. The group stood at a cliff from the northern side of the fortress. They could see the activity as the soldiers moved about through the building. "It looks like they're busy with something."

"It's been like this for a while. They all move but I don't know what they're doing." Yakuza said.

"They don't look like they're from Fiore or Bosco, that's for sure…" Carla crossed her arms while examining the soldiers. "I feel like I've seen those outfits before…"

"Yup…" Mii stroked her chin while staring at the soldiers. "Those are definitely Pergrande soldiers, which is weird."

"How do you know that…?" Yakuza lifted a brow while staring at Mii.

"Meh." Mii shrugged. "Either way, they're pretty tough. What's the plan exactly…?"

"If that man named Xen really is here…then we're going to get him to talk." Erza explained. "We need to figure out why he froze the village and if he's working under orders of King Ashnard. The answer could determine an incident that we need to avoid or prepare for…"

"How are we going to get in?" Cynthia asked. "There are way too many people…and I don't feel like dealing with a frontal assault." All eyes cut to Natsu, who was digging in his ear while everyone talked.

"I have that concern as well. There are so many people…" Wendy tilted her head while staring at the others.

"Pergrande formation is usually like this when occupying buildings. They keep all entrances and exits secure…and they usually have some lookouts too…but it looks like they're slacking in that regard." Mii's extensive knowledge about Pergrande military just raised some eyebrows…but it was helpful. "Considering the higher floors seem to lack lookouts, that means that this was a rush operation…Pergrande doesn't do rush jobs. Maybe they're here for something else off the books? That would explain the sloppy formation…" She was really analyzing the situation.

"She knows a lot about this, doesn't she…?" Happy looked at the others and no one could really say much.

"I wonder why…" Yakuza had his suspicions.

Mii snapped her fingers and pointed down at the fortress. "Okay, I got it. We should split up."

"That doesn't sound like a good idea…" Gray lifted a brow. There was still the natural reaction of flinching away from any of Mii's ideas because…it was her.

"No, listen to Mii…" Mii pointed to the west wing of the fortress. "See that? That's where the most soldiers have gathered up; that means it's where they congregate and chat, so their guard is down right now." The angel then pointed to the east wing. "There…see how there are no soldiers? That means the big guys are likely in there."

"So…what's your plan…?" Lucy glanced at Mii, since she was making good deductions…at least, as far as everyone else knew.

"Ladies! You feel like beating up some soldiers?" Mii turned to Erza, Lucy, Wendy, and Cynthia. "We can run through their forces pretty quickly. As for the boys…you guys can take care of the persons in charge. If we strike hard and fast, we can pincer them before they have the chance to strike. Pretty cool, eh?"

"That's not actually a bad plan…but considering who suggested it…" Carla trailed off.

"We get to beat up the guy in charge? That's a great plan." Natsu grinned.

"It's like all you hear is the word fight…" Lucy spoke with an exaggerated sigh. "I guess we'll go with Mii's plan."

"Very well." Erza nodded. "I see you've taken the reigns as an S class. The operation is now in your hands, Mii. We're trusting you."

"Ew…stop. Don't do that." The red head shook her head frantically. "Just go. They're vulnerable and this the best chance we have to catch them off guard. By the way, icy guy." She meant Yakuza. "By the way…has your hair always been pitch black, or…."

"It was a shade of blonde before…but I don't…" Yakuza trailed off as Mii examined him.

"Mmm…I see the resemblance then…" She muttered before shrugging. "Anyway, we have a plan!"

Natsu grinned, pounding one fist into his palm as flames sparked from his hands. "Heh. No need to tell me twice. I'm all fired up!"

.

The guys were up first. Natsu, Gray, Happy, and Yakuza had the task of bringing down the one in charge. According to Mii, this sloppy operation did have someone leading it, and if they could catch them, then they'd finally have answers. "Heh…you guys ready?"

"Aye!" Happy grinned.

"Sure." Yakuza shrugged.

"Go ahead and make it count, Flamebrain." Gray had a grin as he waited for Natsu to get to work.

"Say less!" Natsu dove down with flames erupting from his body. "Let's DO THISSSSS!"

"Is he always this loud…?" Yakuza glanced at Gray.

"Yeah." Gray simply responded.

Natsu landed in front of a group of unsuspecting soldiers, his cheeks already inflated and filled with magic. "Fire Dragon's ROAR!" The male then lurched forward, unleashing a gigantic funnel of flame that took out every soldier in his way, blowing through the solid walls with its destructive power.

"What the hell is going on!?" A soldier exclaimed. "Quick, contact those on the west side! We're under attack-!" Not another word was spoken. Purple ice rose up to encase the panicking soldier and freeze him solid.

"Sorry, but you won't be doing anything of the sort." Gray said with a quiet chuckle. "We're just here for the man in charge. So he better come out quickly before things get dicey."

Yakuza dropped down, landing between a group of panicking soldiers. The Ice God Slayer extended his arms, not allowing them to get much farther away. "Winter's Embrace." A chilling black wind ran through the area, instantly freezing those within its radius.

"Not bad…" Gray smirked only slightly.

"I haven't even started." Yakuza shrugged once more.

All the racket didn't last long. It was just enough to bring out the commandant in charge. He held a book in his hands while staring at the group of men before him, curiously raising a brow. "Now now…what do we have here? I didn't think anyone would come out all this way to cause a ruckus."

"That was surprisingly fast." Gray kept his guard up. The white robes the man wore signified that he was indeed with Pergrande.

"HEY YOU!" Natsu pointed accusingly at the man. "You're with Pergrande aren't you!? Spit it out, we already know!"

The man chuckled softly and opened his book, beginning to drag his finger across the pages. "I see. You were on the Isle, so it's only natural that you recognize these robes."

"You're not the one we're after though." Gray said. "Where's Xen?"

The male lifted his brow. "Hm? You were on the Isle, so you know he's already dead. He was executed for attempted treason. You witnessed the execution yourself, didn't you?"

"Cut the bullshit." Gray snapped. "That was his ice back in the Village."

"And it felt extremely similar to my own." Yakuza added. "No one else other than an Ice God would be capable of producing that kind of output."

"Hm…" The man didn't answer them. But he did lift a brow at Yakuza. "I see…I did receive a report that the Village of the Sun was freed from its icy prison. I didn't think a group so small was capable of such a feat. But I suppose I must congratulate you regardless. That can only be expected of the offspring of the Ice God himself…" Those words made Yakuza stare at him curiously.

"I thought we said to cut the shit." Gray slid into his Ice Maker's stance. "Where's Xen, who are you and what's Pergrande doing here?"

"Hm…I can answer two of those questions. Who I am is unimportant." The man said calmly. "First of all…you seem to have the wrong idea about my being here. I don't have to explain myself to you, but all you need to know is that someone within Fiore requested me to do such a thing. Strange it may be, but it is how the cookie crumbles. As for the man you're looking for…" The man then snapped his fingers and in a puff of smoke, Xen appeared…but within his God Arc transformation. As soon as he appeared the temperature in the area dropped considerably. "He's right here."

"What the…?" Natsu brought his arm up to shield his eyes from the gust of cold wind that suddenly blew through. "How did…"

"The Remembrance of Time allows me to pull anyone from the depths of time from any precise moment…" The Commandant explained with a proud smile. "I can call back my own comrades and have them fight for me. They may not be aware of the time, though…but that's something I'm working out. This is Xen at his prime within his God Arc…and from what I was told; nobody was capable of beating him without some sort of divine intervention…"

"Once we beat him, you're next!" Natsu growled.

"Haha…you have more things to worry about than I." The man then turned and began to walk off. "Now…if you'll excuse me, there are some more pest on the other side of the fortress that I must deal with…"

.

While the boys were dealing with the large distraction and men in charge, the ladies charged the soldiers from the east side. Mii left the honors to Erza and the others, deciding to watch them get to work first. "Ladies first, I insist. And before you ask, no, I don't consider myself a proper lady."

"I don't think anyone else does either…" Lucy said with a small sweat drop. "Erza?" When Lucy looked over, there was only a dotted outline of Titania where she once stood. "…Oh no."

"She's already gone…." Carla said with a heavy sigh.

Erza was already in the air in her Heaven's Wheel armor, multiple blades circling around her form. "Dance, my blades!" With that command, the blades began to rain down on the unsuspecting military men!

"From above…!" A solider exclaimed. Several barriers were put up as a weak defense against the onslaught of swords, but it wasn't enough to help with Erza's might. Titania already flew down and began dispatching the soldiers herself!

"Well…there she goes." Mii said while watching Erza get to work. Mii's wings then spread, now fully healed since the incident at the Village of the Sun. "I think I'll join her. You three don't want to miss out, do you?" Those were Mii's parting words as she took to the sky to join Erza's aerial assault.

"Come on Wendy, let's get some action in!" Cynthia grabbed Wendy by the wrist and the two began to slide down the slope, although Wendy was a little against the method of travel and Carla had no choice but to follow.

"…." Lucy was oddly silent. She furrowed her brows before placing a hand on her chest…a foreboding feeling was still growing within her. She just didn't know how to place it.

"We're coming through…!" Cynthia shouted while beginning to inhale, Wendy mirroring her actions. "Roar of the Omega Fire Dragon!"

"Roar of the Sky Dragon!" Wendy and Cynthia both exhaled at the same time. Their roars merged into one, flying across the gravel road before barreling through a number of soldiers. The heat and wind combination always worked well in taking out large numbers, allowing a clear path for Lucy and Mii to act.

Mii landed on the ground just in front of the large gates that led to the interior of the eastern side, pointing Dragon Hadlar forward with a wide grin. "Excuse Mii, but this is urgent." A click of the trigger and an explosive bullet launched from the barrel, utterly decimating the ground it traveled across before annihilating the two gates. Any soldier caught within its wake was easily blown away by the raw power.

Lucy was up next! She landed beside Mii in her Sagittarius Stardress, already having the bowstring drawn back and an arrow of light at the ready. "Seven Stars!" Lucy released the arrow and allowed it to split apart into seven arrows, all flying directly into the opening that Mii presented. The seven arrows exploded inside the building, flashes of light occurring with each explosion. A satisfied grin was on the blonde's face at her shot. "Not bad, right?"

"Not at all…" Mii nodded and the girls quickly made their way inside. There were solders who did manage to avoid and survive the initial onslaught; they were armed and dangerous all thigns considered, but the ladies had a far better advantage. "Wow…there are a lot of dudes in here…."

"Perfect." Erza stepped forward and changed into her Purgatory Armor, slamming the gigantic mace down into the floor as her eyes burned a fierce crimson. "So…we can do this the easy way or the hard way."

The soldiers could sense the intimidating aura coming off of Erza alone…but they were told to fight no matter the situation. So the one with the biggest guts present lifted his sword and yelled; "CHARGE!"

Erza's lips curled into smirk as the soldiers rallied to fight them. "Ah…the easy way."

Wendy proceeded to sweat drop while staring at Carla, who was in just as much shock as she was. "W-What was the hard way…?"

.

"You mortals dare challenge a god?" Xen's distorted voice echoed to the trio. "The audacity of humans knows no bounds. I shall freeze you like I did that village…"

"Like hell you will!" As Natsu shouted, he unleashed a Fire Dragon's Roar straight towards Xen. The flames fizzled out before they could even reach Xen, leaving Natsu with wide eyes. "Huh!?"

"He froze it…!?" Happy said with his jaw dropped.

"These flames are weak." Xen stated coldly.

"Oh yeah?" Natsu glared at the Ice God before sprinting forward, flames now covering his feet. "Talons!" A single kick was aimed at Xen's side, but the ice god blocked it with ease. Natsu grinned and quickly snapped his free leg forward to land a strike against Xen's temple, knocking him back slightly. "Got you!"

Xen staggered from the hit, but it didn't look like any damage was dealt to his person. "Pathetic." The Ice God swiped his arm forward, unleashing a powerful solid beam of ice towards Natsu with full intentions of freezing him solid.

"Ice Devil Zeroth's Sword!" Gray's Devil Slaying markings formed along his body and a purple blade of ice was quickly drawn cleaving through the beam of ice to prevent it from striking Natsu. "Now!"

"Right…!" Yakuza then leapt forward, clasping his hands together to take control of the black ice, merging it with his own to take the form of large icicles. "Ice God's Icicle Crash!" These icicles then began to shoot towards Xen.

"Foolish being!" Xen raised his arm, a shield of ice forming to protect him from the incoming icicles. Due to their God Slaying properties, the shield shattered quickly and the God was damaged as a result. "Ice God Slaying…?"

"Keep your eyes on us!" Gray spoke from afar, releasing the arrow form his Ice Devil Zeroth's Destruction Bow. The purple arrow shone brightly before shooting towards Xen at sonic speeds, flying through the air with the goal to pierce through the God.

Xen held his hand out, stopping the arrow with the tip of his finger before crushing it within his palm. "Devil Slaying? Such a thing has no effect on a God, you fool. Ice Hammer." A large block of ice formed in the sky above Gray, violently dropping down on the Devil Slayer. Gray easily took care of this by unleashing another arrow to destroy the ice before it could reach him…but then Xen used Ice Manipulation to take the broken shards of ice and have them surround Gray before exploding violently. Gray let out a grunt of pain from the force of the explosion.

"Gray!" Natsu was worried about his friend, but there were more pressing issues to deal with. Now that he was fighting Xen for himself, he could see how such a mage pushed Chelia to the extremes considering the conditions, so holding back at all was not an option. Lightning sparked around his body, merging with the flames that blazed over his entire being. The Lightning Flame Dragon sprinted towards Xen with his arm reared back, the duo of elements surging around his fist. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!"

"I don't think so!" Xen lifted his arm up, crafting a large wall of Eternal Ice in front of him. Ice that was frozen within time, the same that he used on the Isle…but this wasn't the same Xen. Merely a timeless memory. "You won't be able to shatter this Ice!"

"Then I guess it's up to me…" Yakuza dropped down from the sky above, his mouth wide open as black icy fangs formed along his mouth. "Ice God's Fang!" These fangs of ice easily ripped through the Eternal Ice, punching a hole large enough for Natsu to attack.

"TAKE THIS!" Natsu swung his arm forward, unleashing a powerful blast of fire and lightning that was easily going to destroy more than half the fortress. Xen took this hit directly, pushed back by Natsu's pure strength. But it didn't last very long as the surge of fire and lightning froze over within seconds and shattered. "What the…!?"

"Perish…!" Xen yelled, now using the frozen attack to strike both Natsu and Yakuza. The shards of ice pierced through the fire dragon and ice god slayer, causing them to fly backwards.

"Are you guys okay…?" Happy couldn't do much but watch from the sidelines, but he was concerned for the wellbeing of everyone else.

"D-Damn…this guy is tough…" Natsu grit his teeth before standing back up. "Cynthia and Wendy said he was strong…and it took Chelia that one spell to wrap it up."

"Yeah…" Gray spat some blood off to the side. He remembered watching that fight himself…but it seemed like Xen was even stronger now than he was back then!

Yakuza sat up, hissing quietly in pain. "I think I can one shot him…if I get close enough. My magic was made to slay gods, after all." But at the same time, he had a thought racing through his mind… _"This man…I didn't think it was possible…"_

"Leave it to us." Gray said with a grin. "Ice Make…Floor!" Gray placed his hands on the ground, causing a sheet of ice to spread out and cover a large distance. "Go!"

"HERE WE COME!" Natsu roared and began to sprint across the ice. He was well aware of how to use Gray's ice to his own advantage from all their constant spars, so his speed increased, fire and lightning erupting to life around his body once again. "Sword Horn!" With his boost in speed, Natsu's momentum was unparalleled and he slammed his skull into Xen's gut, causing the Ice God to double over. This didn't last long as Xen covered his fists in black ice and slammed them into Natsu's back, crushing him into the ground! There was so much force behind the swing Natsu was left in a crater after impact.

"Glacies!" Yakuza appeared from Xen's right with black surging around his palm. He brought his palm right to Xen's face, unleashing a potent blast of god slaying ice at point blank! The burst damage was powerful and completely froze everything behind Xen as a result. "Did that do it!?"

Nope. Xen grabbed Yakuza's arm and violently tossed him into Gray. "Inverno!" A spire of ice rose and exploded, causing the two ice users to fly backwards from the damage. Xen did show signs of damage from Yakuza's attack…it just had to be bigger if they wanted to win. "You foolish humans…you don't know the powers you're messing with.

"Guh…" Natsu stood up, shaking off the impact with a scowl. "Stubborn bastard…"

"Natsu!" Gray exclaimed while sliding into the maker stance once more. "Think you can get him into the air?"

"Say less." Natsu responded with a grin to his rival and best friend. The salamander took a high leap into the air, forming to spheres of fire and lightning within his hands. "Dazzling Blaze…of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" Natsu then merged these spheres together over his head, forming a gigantic fireball imbued with lightning and hurled it down. A massive, widespread explosion occurred, but by then, Xen was already high in the sky of his own accord.

"Now! Ice Make: Gugnir!" Gray slammed his hands on the ground once more, crafting a gigantic spear of ice that rose into the sky and could pierce the heavens…but unfortunately for Gray, Xen stopped this with his hand before it could pierce through him.

"You foolish mortal…did you think I wouldn't see such a ruse coming?" Xen mocked Gray and Natsu for trying…but he then realized that there was one person missing this entire time.

"Oh…that's easy." Gray said with a soft chuckle. "Hitting you was never the intention to begin with. We just had to get our ace in the hole close enough."

"What?!" Xen took another look at the spearhead of ice.

It shattered, revealing Yakuza with dark blue markings coating his body. This was his ascended state: God Force! It was time for a full power strike with more than 100% power! "God Slayer Secret Art: Zeta Ice Beam!" With his hand in front of Xen's face, a powerful beam of black ice shot out, causing an explosion in the sky! This beam of ice was so cold that anything caught within its blast radius was to be frozen for eternity, as shown when the sky itself became frigid. Both Xen and Yakuza then fell from the sky, but only one of them had a smooth landing. Yakuza landed on the ground on his hands and knees, panting heavily from the magic he used. As for Xen…the frozen god crashed into the ground, a shocked expression painted on his face. "Got him…"

"Geez…" Gray let out a heavy sigh and his devil slaying markings faded away. "That was tougher than I would have liked."

"But we got him!" Natsu spoke with a smug grin. "Some god, eh?"

"Hm…" Yakuza examined Xen. "Yeah…that probably won't hold him for very long. He was supposed to shatter when hitting the ground, but I'm still not strong enough to make that technique, or God Force work."

"WHAT!?" Natsu, Happy, and Gray exclaimed. "You told us you could one shot him!"

"I did…technically…" The gloomy male rubbed the back of his head. Luckily, no one had to worry about Xen making any moves. The Remembrance of Time wore off…and soon the timeless memory of Xen faded away into nothing. "Ah…that's right…he was only a timeless memory after all."

Gray lifted a brow. Yakuza's attitude was noticeably different from before. "You okay…? You seem…gloomier than usual."

"When I saw him, I already knew." Yakuza placed his hands in his pockets. "That man was my father."

"What?" Gray approached Yakuza. "How did you know? Are you sure?"

"Yeah." The male nodded. "When he hit me…I felt it for certain. I was too young to remember his face…but I remember him teaching me everything I knew. But then one day…I was just left with that old man Karma. I don't know why either…" Yakuza shrugged, placing his hands in his pockets. "I only caught a glimpse of him back at the Isle, but I felt it then. When I went around unfreezing those places he froze…his magic was so similar to my own.'

"Are you okay?" Gray understood the pain of fighting one's own father.

"I'm fine." Yakuza shrugged once again. "It was just a memory. It doesn't matter now anyway…" His tone was sullen…distant…cold. It wasn't a proper reunion after all, so it didn't bother him. Before anything else could be said, a large explosion occurred on the other side of the fortress. "Huh…?"

"That's where the girls are…" Happy tilted his head.

"…I have a bad feeling about this…" Natsu's words left an ominous feeling in the air. Without thinking, he hurried inside to cut across to the other side of the fortress.

.

The ladies wiped out the soldiers with ease. No wonder Erza called it the easy way…but it still left the question of what the hard way was. "Simple enough…" Erza dusted her hands off.

"Yeah, now we just have to wait until one of them wakes up so they can explain what's going on." Carla glanced at the unconscious soldiers. "I know you all were going easy, but this was much more painful to watch than I thought it would be."

"These guys must be new recruits or something…" Mii furrowed her brows. "Or maybe they're just people in Pergrande uniform. The Pergrande I know would at least put up a fight…"

"You know a lot about Pergrande…" Lucy lifted a brow curiously.

"I was born there after all. Didn't I mention that?" With all the lies she told, Mii couldn't remember if she said so or not.

Something caught the attention of Cynthia and Wendy's enhanced hearing. "Did you hear that…?" Cynthia glanced around while looking at Wendy.

"Mmm…I think someone moved…?" Wendy was unsure. With all the downed soldiers, it was hard to discern where the noise came from.

"Someone's still conscious? Stay together and be careful." Erza's voice carried caution. The last thing they needed was for someone to be wounded.

All was silent…the girls glanced around the area slowly. In the corner, a wounded soldier slowly rose with a sword in hand. It was now or never…and there was one person who had their back turned. "AAAAH!" With a battle cry, the soldier charged forward with a blade extended, stabbing Lucy right through the back and all the way through her. Everything occurred in slow motion from that point on. The girls stared in complete shock and horror as the blood flew from Lucy's mouth; the blonde collapsed on the ground onto her stomach, eyes growing dull, blood starting to pool around her body.

"LUCY!"

Mii acted on a dime, grabbing the soldier by his neck and harshly slammed him against the wall. Her magic aura started to show and it was black in color, not one that anyone was expecting. "Now now…do you want to explain what the purpose of that was?" Her voice was threatening and her green eyes glared daggers into the soul of the soldier who made the worst mistake of his life.

"W-We have to find something to stop the bleeding…!" Carla shouted at the top of her lungs. The Exceed grabbed some nearby cloth from the towel to wrap around Lucy, but they were quickly losing time.

"T-There's so much blood…" Cynthia bit her lip, feeling nauseous and lightheaded.

Wendy crouched down, placing her hands over Lucy's wound and did her best to try and heal it. "L-Lucy-san..! H-Hold on…! I'll heal you, I promise!" The tears were welling up, but she refused to let any fall. She was determined to save Lucy! Erza watched both situations calmly, helping Carla and Cynthia press the towel against Lucy's wound to prevent more blood loss…and it was already pretty bad. She even shifted into the Robe of Yuen to use its elastic properties to wrap around the wound.

Mii's grip on the soldier's throat tightened considerably, nearly choking him out, but kept enough airflow to where he could answer her questions. "You've made quite the mistake…"

"…!" The soldier's eyes widened when they fully recognized Mii. "Y-You're…!"

"Oh, so you know me?" Mii lifted a brow. "Then you should know how much I despise such cowardly tactics. "Feigning an injury just to attack someone from behind? Where did you get an idea like that from? Or was it the cowardice in your brain that decided it was a good idea? You tell me?"

"W-We...I…" The soldier struggled to speak. "A job…off the books…we were…"

"Uh huh…" Mii then tossed the man on the ground, making sure to leave an impact with her high strength. "See how easy that was? You could have just surrendered peacefully, but now I'm going to have to take some drastic measure."

"Mii, don't." Erza shook her head. "I'm as mad as you are right now, but we have to do something about Lucy first!"

"Tch…" Mii scoffed and kept her eyes on the soldier. "He's not going anywhere…"

It was all silent as Wendy attempted to heal Lucy. Things weren't looking good because her wound was pretty bad…the sword luckily served as a plug to prevent too much blood from seeping out, but that didn't stop the severity of the wound. Lucy remained lifeless on the ground for what seemed like an eternity…until those dull eyes of hers flashed red. The black/red aura returned much to everyone's surprise, along with the black markings along her arm and neck.

As soon as the aura returned around Lucy, Wendy was thrown backwards from her own magic! "Waaah!"

Lucy slowly stood back up, staring at the blade that ran through her chest. She grabbed the blade and pushed it out of her body, allowing the stained steel to fall to the ground. The wound slowly started to repair itself, but Lucy didn't look very amused. "…"

"W-what the…?" Carla took a step back from shock. Lucy got up like that stab wound was nothing!

"….Lucy…?" Erza spoke softly, her own shock catching her voice in her throat.

Red eyes glared at the now frightened soldier, who attempted to crawl away backwards. "So…is that how you want to play…?" Lucy's voice was far more threatening than usual. The blonde shifted to her Stardress: Taurus and lunged at the soldier, pinning him down with her massive strength before beginning to pound him relentlessly with punches. "YOU BASTARD! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" Each punch caused the ground to quake and tremble, and it didn't look like Lucy was going to stop anytime soon. The malevolence was pouring out of her and she had to let loose on something, anything

"L-LUCY STOP!" Erza suddenly found herself moving forward, switching to her Giant's Armor to grab Lucy and restrain her. "If you keep that up, you'll kill him!" Erza spoke as though she was just in time…when in reality; the soldier was just unresponsive at this point.

"GOOD!" Lucy growled as her attitude only continued to worsen. "Erza! Let me go right now!"

"W-what's gotten into you!?" Erza was struggling to keep Lucy still. She could understand Lucy being upset from being stabbed and nearly killed but this reaction…this was something far worse than she ever could have imagined! Not to mention…Lucy had a surprising amount of strength for someone who was just stabbed.

Mii watched the scene curiously as her black aura steadily faded away. One look at Lucy's eyes told it all to Mii: 100% infection. "…Lucy..."

The red aura around Lucy's body only flared up as being held by Erza continued to stress her. While nothing destructive happened as a result…everyone present could feel lightheaded. Although it was invisible to the naked eye, Lucy was slowly but surely draining their magic away. Whatever magic the unconscious soldiers had was also being drained. "Release me, now!"

"W-What the…?" Erza blinked a few times and her hold on Lucy loosened. This allowed Lucy to kick away from Erza with surprisingly high strength. "Gah!"

"Erza…!" Wendy and Cynthia rushed over to Erza.

"Lucy, you need to calm down!" Carla was transformed now. She didn't want to put her hands on Lucy, but this situation was growing dire. It was hard to stand straight when it felt like her magic was being sapped from her body.

"…." Mii didn't move a muscle. She stared at Lucy, who stared at everyone else.

" _I can't…control…myself…I…have to…get out of here…before I hurt them…"_ Lucy's thoughts raced through her head. Internally, she was panicking, but externally, she looked pissed. Lucy's hand was raised, a red and black sphere formed within the palm of her hand and she shot it forward. There was no target, but the sphere happened to explode and covered a surprisingly large radius. The entire border fortress was nearly leveled as a result from this explosion.

"OH GODS!" The Commandant in charge screamed out in panic. Luckily for him his voice was drowned out by the sound of exploding magic and the rumbling of the collapsing building. "This can't be…!" And yet when he stared at Lucy, he could see her red eyes… "Oh no…I have to report this…!" With that, he vanished quickly, not wanting to be pulled into the scene.

"T-The building is falling apart from that one blast!?" Cynthia panicked as the building started to fall apart on them. "W-We have to get out of here…!"

Such bad timing, as Natsu, Gray, Happy, and Yakuza rushed in at the same time. "What's going on?!" Gray exclaimed.

"Lucy's lost it." Mii said calmly while pointing at Lucy, who had her hands on her ears.

" _Death. Kill. Destruction! Die! Die! Die!"_

The voice in Lucy's head finally returned, spouting all these words she couldn't bear to hear. "G-GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Lucy screamed at last, practically tearing up from the overwhelming feeling of despair.

Natsu didn't think twice about it. He started to rush over to Lucy with his hand extended; he didn't know what was wrong with her, but he didn't intend for her to suffer like she was alone when he was right there! "Lucy, come on! We have to get out of here!"

"No, stay away!" Lucy shrieked. The way she shouted was a tone Natsu never heard before and it stunned him. The aura around Lucy only grew stronger and stronger…

"I don't like the way her magic is building up…" Yakuza remarked. "I…I think her aura is about to explode…!"

"Huh!?" All eyes turned to Yakuza.

"If that aura explodes, it'll do more than just take out the building…!" Erza stared at Lucy with wide eyes. She knew full well this wasn't Lucy's own doing, but nobody could even get close to her!

"Okay, but we have to do something; otherwise this building is going to fall on us…" As Mii spoke, the roof started to collapse and fall onto them. "So are we leaving or dying? I'm fine either way."

"Shut up and get out of here!" Gray yelled. There wasn't much of a choice but to leave. Wendy, Cynthia, and the Exceeds were first out of the fortress. Mii and Erza followed suit, but Natsu stayed behind for a moment. "Oi, Natsu…!"

Natsu stared at Lucy as her aura grew to unsettling levels…or rather, it wasn't her aura. But within the aura, he could see the faint outline of…a person? A creature? And Lucy's despair was written all over her face. He was about to charge in there once again when a shockwave boomed out from the blonde, forcing him out of the building. "Guh! Wait…! Lucy!" It was far too late for anything else to happen, for a powerful explosion completely destroyed the fortress while pushing everyone backwards a great distance.

.

.

Hours later…it was nightfall. The border of Fiore and Bosco was laid bare, decimated by Lucy's outburst. Everyone was still in shock over the events that transpired. Lucy was nowhere in sight either. "She's gone…" Carla and Happy scouted the nearby area, but they had no luck.

"I can't believe Lucy really did all that…" Cynthia frowned.

"Her wound…" Wendy's small mumble caught everyone's attention. "Lucy had a wound in her chest…but it healed instantly…and there was so much blood…I thought I was going to be able to help save her but…I don't think I was able to."

"But your healing kept her alive, surely…" Carla said.

"I…It didn't feel like I was helping her…" Wendy stared down at her own hands. "For a moment…it felt like I was hurting her. I don't know how to explain it, but I had the same feeling back in the Village of the Sun…"

"Yeesh…what a pickle this has turned out to be…" Mii let out a sigh while sitting cross legged on the ground. "We didn't learn anything at all."

"It's getting late…" Erza let out a heavy sigh. "We should return to the guild and inform everyone of what happened. We'll have a better chance finding Lucy if we all group together."

"…Yeah." Natsu nodded. The image he saw of Lucy burned into his eyes. She was suffering…and Natsu had to save her. He planned on saving her any way he could.

.

.

Lucy goes into a rampage and disappears! Has the Lambda Virus within her fully awakened? How will Emmeraude act in response to this, and what will be Fiore's fate after? Will Lucy be saved? The answers to all these questions will be answered as we finally move into the final arc of this season!

Next Time: Enemy of the State.


	146. Chapter 146: Enemy of the State

Lucy slowly wandered around an unknown area. The red/black aura was constant around her being and her body was out of her control. As she walked, the grass started to wither and die. She The aura around her body was draining the Erthano out of everything present; the air, living things, just leaving it a dry, barren landscape. The markings continued to extend along her body and she whimpered in pain. All of her thoughts were muddled with despair and other negative emotions. Occasionally thoughts of Natsu and the others popped into her mind, but they were drowned out within the growing darkness. _"What's happening…? I can't see anything…everything hurts….my body isn't listening to me…I feel faint…"_ Where was she going? She didn't have any idea. _"The voice in my head…who…are you…?"_

There was a long pause. If anyone else was around they would assume she was crazy. Slowly, her lips opened and she whispered one word. "Lambda…"

.

.

Darkened clouds rolled in over the Fiore skies. A storm was approaching, both metaphorically and literally. The ambiance over Magnolia was grim for some reason and nobody could put their finger on it. Team Natsu finally returned from their mission, but they were minus Lucy. Upon arriving back to the guild, Ace, Heartless and Tia were also waiting for them to return. "Welcome back." Mirajane greeted everyone with a smile…but she tilted her head curiously at their somber expressions. "Is something wrong..?"

"We've been waiting for you to come back." Tia crossed her arms. "Wait…where's Lucy?"

"…She disappeared." Erza sighed. Although her explanation didn't exactly help anyone comprehend the situation.

"She…disappeared…?" Mira tilted her head curiously. "Did…something happen?"

"Yes." Erza took the time to explain to everyone the situation at the border fortress. It was a tale that had most everyone surprised…everyone excluding the members of Dealer who dropped by.

"How troublesome…" Makarov crossed his arms. "It was the right thing for you to come back. We can split up and search for her."

"Well, before you do that…" Ace interjected. "We didn't come all this way to stand around. We may be able to shed some light on this matter concerning Lucy."

"Really?" Natsu's interest was high. If there was any way they could save Lucy, he wanted to know what it was.

"I don't care much for the dude, but they sure do have some fine girls, don't they?" Zelos spoke aloud. Everyone was trying to ignore him, but Heartless and Tia couldn't let his remarks slide.

"I'm with 'the dude'," Tia stated smugly, even though she didn't mean for it to come off that way.

"And I don't have a heart…but if I did, I wouldn't lend it to you." Heartless said with a monotonous tone, but the sting was still there.

"Wow, I can actually agree with her there." Cana said while slurping down some wine. Funnily enough she only started drinking when she heard the story concerning Lucy.

Heartless held up Emmeraude's journal. "It took some time…but we were finally able to decipher Emmeraude's journal, and we have reason to believe that she is the key behind this incident."

"It all comes back to her…" Evergreen fanned herself. "I'll be honest; I never liked her much to begin with – even more so when we were told to be wary of her."

"What did you find out?" Mii casually waltzed through the guild hall and took a seat. For some reason Tia still couldn't stand the redhead, but right now there was no time for such animosity.

"Ahem…" Tia took the journal and began to read through their findings. "It took Spade forever to get through this…that woman is much smarter than he is, and that's saying something. But it appears as though she was behind something called the Lambda Project. It was a project that involved taking an organism from its habitat and converting into something much more…grotesque."

"What did this creature look like?" Levy asked. She was taking notes on the information being given.

"Unfortunately she didn't go into much detail about that." Tia sighed. "All she said was that it resembled a humanoid creature, but when it was detained, it turned into a sphere of bright yellow magic. This creature is apparently capable of supplying and withdrawing erthano from the environment to keep it stable. But…when Emmeraude captured the creature, she experimented on it in ways that only allowed it to absorb erthano and life energy."

"What the…? What kind of creation was that supposed to be? That doesn't sound Manly at all!" Elfman spoke with a gruff tone. Even though all of this talk was mostly going over his end, he understood that it was bad.

"Supposedly it was a key part in her super soldier protect." Tia flipped through the pages, furrowing her brows. "This is where it gets a little…rough to read. Supposedly…that Sophie girl was made from the positive energy from Lambda before she stressed it to the point of no return. Lambda's magical aura is surprisingly effective against itself, which is why Lucy probably felt a lot of pain whenever Sophie attacked her. She's programmed to contain Lambda in the event it ever goes out of control."

"I see…" Levy continued to write things down. "If I'm to assume correctly, Lu-chan's behavior at times was also affected by this Lambda?"

"That's right." Heartless nodded. "Supposedly…the effects of the Lambda Virus include belligerent attitude, violence, among many other negative effects. It was dubbed a virus for this reason, according to her notes."

"So…how do we get rid of it…?" Wendy asked.

"That's the million dollar question, isn't it?" Emmeraude's voice caught everyone off guard. The special lacrima she implanted was more than what she made it out to be; the lacrima teleported both Emmeraude and Hisui into Fairy Tail.

"How…did you get here so quickly…?" Lisanna questioned.

"The lacrima I asked you all not to touch…" Emmeraude patted the lacrima gently. "I must thank you for keeping your hands off of it. It makes my job much easier. It acted as surveillance feed so I could watch and see when darling Lucy returned. But unfortunately, it seems she's not here…" Her eyes then moved to Mii, who gave a friendly wave.

Natsu glared at Emmeraude. All he knew right now was that she was responsible for what happened to Lucy, and she was going to pay for it. "You're going to answer for what you did to Lucy."

"Oh?" Emmeraude took a seat, one leg crossed over the other as all eyes were on her. "For what _I_ did to Lucy? You're sorely mistaken if you think I had any control over what happened."

"What did happen then?" Laxus eyed the Queen and the Princess. Something about Hisui was off and he wasn't the only one who noticed. Mavis was watching from the second floor as well.

"She walked in and stole my research." Emmeraude shrugged. "She didn't need to get herself involved in my affairs, but she broke into my lab and stole my life's work. None of you could ever understand how I felt when that happened. I was lost astray for so long…everything I worked for was taken from me."

"What are you trying to say….?" Erza lifted a brow. "What is your goal exactly…?"

"Oh, I'm so glad you asked!" Emmeraude's lips curved into a smile at Erza's smile. "You're the best group to tell, since you're directly involved with my plans. I only wish for nothing more than to give my mother back home in Pergrande a happy life. After all she's done for me; it's the least I can do. I also intend to cause a revolution across the continent and take what's rightfully mine: this entire world." She laid her plans bare and shocked everyone. "I'm sure you're already aware of it by now because of the lovely crowd you have here today….but I ascended to the throne of my own accord."

"Yeah, that was obvious the minute we saw you." Ace narrowed his eyes. "I don't know what kind of magic you have to ascend to the throne the way you did…but it's clear it only works on people within the country. Anyone who happens to visit will know that something is wrong."

"Indeed…" Emmeraude conceded. "My mother said the same thing. It's quite troublesome actually…but I'm not greedy. I'll take what I can get."

"And just how long do you intend to keep up this ruse?" Heartless questioned. "You won't fool anyone outside of Fiore. Queen Vena of Seven will see through this immediately. Telling us your plans outright...you must be confident."

"Is that so, Clarissa Heart?" Emmeraude lifted a brow as she exposed Heartless' real name. Not even Ace and Tia knew, so Heartless was taken aback slightly by this. "You destroyed the Magic Council of Seven simply to retain your ruse as an agent of Dealer, but has the Queen forgiven you for that transgression yet? It doesn't matter if they are suspicious about me or not…there is nothing they can do about internal affairs concerning countries that aren't their own. Besides, I've already overlooked you stealing my journal, which can be an entirely separate issue on its own. So as far as the continent of Ishgar is concerned…I'm the Queen of Fiore, and the people here will do what I say. Isn't that right, Hisui?"

"Mhm…" Hisui nodded slowly. "Emmeraude is a good queen. I think you should all give her a chance. She's doing her best for the good of Fiore."

"She's completely taken with her…" Carla grumbled.

"I'm sure we can work something out." Erza suggested. "Lucy is important to us…and this Lambda is important to you. If you tell us how to separate them…"

"Oh no, you seem to be mistaken about something here." Emmeraude interrupted Erza while waving her hand. "I'm the Queen, you do what I say. And I'm telling you to find your precious Lucy and bring her to me." The tone she had was completely demanding. She had power and she was making sure Fairy Tail was aware of this. "I have far too many things to take care of in the meantime."

"…I'm not enjoying this attitude…" Gajeel grunted.

"But I will arm you with knowledge. That journal is old and incomplete…" Emmeraude stretched, completely making herself at home as though she owned the building. "The Lambda Virus was never completed. Your dear Lucy stole it from me while I was in the midst of completing it. The Lambda Virus feeds off of negative emotion and despair…thus amplifying those feelings tenfold to make itself even stronger."

"And that used to be a living creature? You're horrible." Mira frowned.

"It still is alive." Emmeraude clarified. "But it's nothing like it used to be. But anything for the sake of my mother and my goal. But as I was saying…there aren't very many ways to remove it. If you all caught onto this sooner, then perhaps you'd have a chance. But since they've been bonded for so long now, the chances of being able to pry the Virus from her safely are very slim."

"And how do we get rid of it?" Gray narrowed his eyes.

"Hm…" Emmeraude glanced around before setting her eyes on Wendy. "The little one here has healing magic, yes? I suppose that would work since it clashes with Lambda's current negative output. But that method garners the more…violent results."

"Is that why she reacted so violently to my healing…?" Wendy muttered and Emmeraude nodded.

"Protos Heis is another method, but I won't allow you to use her. I need her for my own goals…so she'll be hunting your friend independently once I inform her of the situation." Emmeraude explained. "It would be in your best interest to bring your friend to me before it's too late. They've been bonded for so long, I don't think she'll make it to the end of the day. So it would be wise for you to allow me to take care of the process myself. I am the one who made it, after all."

"And if we try our own methods?" Natsu glared at Emmeraude. She was expecting such a response and laughed.

"This is a lovely home." Emmeraude changed topics while looking around the guild hall. "I can truly feel the bonds you share with one another here. I would hate for something to happen to it." Her foot tapped on the ground and a small wave of Crash magic was sent through the building, causing it to rumble.

"What do you think you're doing?" Tia stepped forward.

"Now now…you shouldn't be involved in this." Emmeraude wagged her finger at Tia. "I could easily turn this into an incident if Seven's strongest force got involved into affairs that didn't concern them. I don't think your Queen Vena would enjoy dealing with that, now would she? Seven is still weak from what you've done anyway, so do you really wish to trouble your precious Queen that much more?" That remark was enough for Tia to back down, because Emmeraude was correct.

Hearing all this made Hisui clench her hands into fists; she had an exceptionally strong will when it came to her friends and her people. Even though Emmeraude did have influence over her, that strong will did slowly begin to break through the more this conversation went on. "…"

"I'm Fiore's Queen. It doesn't matter what you do, but in the end, you will answer to me on this ordeal." Emmeraude then stood up, staring at Makarov and Erza.

"There are other ways." Makarov was calm in this situation. Even though Emmeraude threatened the guild, he wasn't going to allow her to get a rise out of him. "You're doing this for your mother, correct? There's no need to go to such lengths. Taking what is not yours to begin with isn't how you show gratitude. We could work something out."

Emmeraude's brow twitched in annoyance as Makarov challenged her ideals. "You don't know me." The woman spat. "You don't know how hard I've worked…how far I've come for this. If I abided by your methods and morals, I would have gotten nowhere. And there's one thing you fail to understand. Everything that is yours is mine…and mine it shall be."

"Who the hell do you think you are!?" Natsu finally blurted out. His outburst caught everyone's attention. Zelos was hiding behind a support beam out of Emmeraude's line of sight, and Mii just stared, blinking a few times. "Using us to fulfill your own agenda? That pisses me off!" As he spoke, he got in Emmeraude's face. "We're not doing anything for you. We're going to save Lucy our own way…and then we're gonna kick your ass and get Fiore back."

Emmeraude stared at Natsu. She could see the rage in his eyes and it made her snicker. "Such a fiery spirit. But you'd do well to listen to listen to me. After all…you're her closest friend, aren't you? In a way…you could have prevented all of this if you weren't so daft. You've missed out on your chance to save her…so if you WANT to save her, you have absolutely no choice but to listen to me. Any other method will surely result in her death. If you weren't so…weak…you could have saved her much earlier. Her body is absorbing so much magic she likely can't contain it all. She's probably crawling on the ground in pain as we speak. Now...I'm your Queen, and you will listen to me."

All of those words got under Natsu's skin to the point where he could barely contain himself. Lightning and flame erupted around his body and he drew his arm back. "I don't care who you are!"

"NATSU NO!" Erza immediately sprang forward to stop Natsu, but it was too late. A powerful haymaker was thrown at Emmeraude's jaw and a shockwave boomed out across the guild, shaking the building's very foundation….as Emmeraude caught Natsu's punch, causing the fire and lightning to fizzle out. All eyes were wide and the tension rose.

Emmeraude smirked as she got the reaction she wanted out of Natsu. How easy he was to provoke…but it seemed like the rest of the guild was pretty peeved too. "Now now…do you know what you've just done?" Natsu didn't respond, he just grit his teeth angrily at Emmeraude. "You've just assaulted the Queen of Fiore. That's a crime punishable by death, don't you think?" Emmeraude then tossed Natsu into a wall. It was at this moment everyone wanted to jump, but they didn't because Hisui was going to be caught in the crossfire.

"W-What are you doing?!" Hisui turned to Emmeraude. "I thought we came here to work out something with them? I don't wish to see them hurt. This is getting out of hand." She spoke with her authority as Princess, but to Emmeraude, that unfortunately didn't mean anything.

"We did, my dear…" Emmeraude sighed. "But they're so rambunctious…they won't listen to reason."

"You're intentionally provoking them." Ace called Emmeraude out, but it was too late for the deed was done.

"Listen to me!" Hisui was trying to defuse the situation before it was too late, but it was rapidly spiraling out of control. She turned around to try and regain control. "I know this isn't going as planned…but I really want for Lucy to be okay. We can work together on this and…" Hisui could speak another word. An ethereal blade ran through her chest, causing her eyes to go wide. Everyone gasped at the one who did the deed…Emmeraude. "…H-Huh…?" Hisui's eyes closed and she fell forward onto the guild floor.

Emmeraude closed her eyes and let out an extremely heavy sigh, feeling her own heart rip in half after doing such a deed. "…Sleep, my sweet princess. I cannot allow you to get involved in what's to come…I'll come back for you soon."

"D-Did she just…" Romeo could barely speak. Was the Princess killed right in front of their eyes!?"

"Okay, that's it…" Now Tia was mad. Hisui was the one who pardoned Dealer for their crimes in Fiore…she was an earnest soul and to literally be back stabbed like that angered Queen Tia. "I'll kill her myself…"

Wendy immediately rushed over to Hisui, doing her best to try and keep the Princess alive by healing her. "H-Hold on…!"

A magic seal formed in the center of the guild hall, radiating with Crash magic. No one dared approach due to the intensity of the seal. "I won't ask you again. You will find Lucy and bring her to me…she will die if you don't, and I know you don't want that. And to make sure you do as I say…I'll be taking these two with me." With a snap of her fingers, she made use of the control she had over Fiore's citizens on Elfman and Lisanna. Their eyes became dull immediately and they walked towards Emmeraude.

"W-Wait!" Mira pleaded as her siblings were taken hostage.

Makarov was now on edge, watching as Emmeraude took his own children hostage and there was nothing he could do about it. "….Very well. Just release them."

"I can't do that now." Emmeraude shook her head, now picking up the lacrima she left at the guild. "My plans have been ruined one after another as of late…and I will not allow Lambda to escape my grasp once again. I have various methods of obtaining Lucy…and only one of them is a good outcome for you. If you find Lucy and bring her to me, I will return these two and pardon your crimes…but if you can't, then I will have Fairy Tail wiped from annals of history. This is a request from the Queen herself, and it would do you well to accept it. And you should be careful…there's a traitor in your very own home who has very similar intentions." The Queen's eyes cut to Mii, who still kept that grin on her face.

They could all jump her at once. Fairy Tail was aware of this…but at the same time, the aura Emmeraude exuded had them all hesitant. Zelos peered his head from around the support beam and let out a sigh. _"She's always been like this…letting her power get to her head, and using it to show everyone she means business. Unfortunately for Fairy Tail, they don't have much a choice in the matter. Now…how will this turn out, I wonder…?"_

"Could you be so kind to step on that seal?" She commanded Elfman, and he did just that, stepping on the seal which caused the foundation of the Fairy Tail building to rumble. I'll be waiting on the throne." With that, Emmeraude vanished with Elfman and Lisanna, and no one could stop her. Before anything else could be said, the seal erupted in crash magic, instantly bringing the building down to nothing but rubble….

.

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Emmeraude returned to the Palace throne room, seating herself on the throne with a heavy sigh. Drayden and the other two members of her unit noticed the somber expression on her face. "…Was it hard for you, Lady Emmeraude?" Drayden asked.

"It was." Emmeraude nodded. "I didn't want to do that to my sweet Hisui…but she has such a strong will for being a princess. I cannot keep her near the conflict and safe at the same time…so I had to ensure she would be out of the way until it's over. But I did capture quite the scene with this lacrima I built."

Emmeraude then flicked on the Public Service announcement, broadcasting to all of Fiore. "Attention all of Fiore, this is your Queen with two very important announcements. Everyone be wary of the individual from Fairy Tail known as Lucy Heartfilia. She is considered to be a very dangerous person as of this moment. I cannot go into details, but if you see her, alert the Council or myself as to her whereabouts. It is imperative that we capture this woman within the next 24 hours so she can be dealt with properly. Also…Fairy Tail has committed a grave crime…" The image of Hisui lying in a pool of her own blood in the Fairy Tail guild hall was put up; the image that was taken only a few moments ago. "They have gravely injured…and perhaps even killed Hisui E. Fiore, the lovely princess and someone whom I thought of as my daughter. As of this moment…Fairy Tail…winner of the Grand Magic Games and Fiore's strongest guild are now officially considered criminals. They are public enemy number one and enemy of the state. If you see any member of this guild, please be careful…and alert the Council. They are a dangerous group that attempted treason; attacking myself and the Princess…I only survived because Hisui was brave enough to protect me, when it should have been the other way around."

The Queen twisted the truth to fit her needs. As far as Fiore was now concerned…Fairy Tail was the enemy of the state. Her plan was set in motion. The hunt for Lucy was going to begin one way or another, whether it be by Fairy Tail or someone else's hands. Fiore was completely under her control and it was only a matter of time until she obtained her research once more. Hisui out of the picture meant there was no need to worry about anyone trying to retake the throne from her and ruin her plans. Emmeraude's revolution…was about to begin.

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Next Time: The Revolution Begins.


	147. Chapter 147: The Revolution Begins

24 hours on the clock. Emmeraude's announcement reached all over Fiore and likely shocked just about every citizen in the country. Fiore's strongest guild going rogue? No doubt that was headline worthy…but there was only one day for everything to work, and Emmeraude was fairly confident it would. She still had a few…loose ends to tie up, but nothing that would hinder her plan. "Phase one: complete. Fairy Tail is now public enemy number one. Try as they might, they will be unable to move about freely and will have no choice but to do as I say. With Lucy's life on the line, they can't afford to take their time. But I have the Council and the rest of the country on the case as well. Things really could not be going any better. So the Queen decrees, my word is law."

"You are utterly amazing, Lady Emmeraude." Drayden said with a soft chuckle. "You played those Fairy Tail folk like fiddles. It was quite entertaining to watch."

"You are truly amazing, Lady Emmeraude." The pink haired female spoke.

"Manipulation is my strongest suit, Marisa." Emmeraude said with a soft laugh. "It was surprisingly easy. Fairy Tail is a place that is bound by their bonds…and I can relate to that. They claim they'll do anything to save a member of their guild…and I would do anything for my mother. But unlike them…I will honestly do everything in my power to achieve my goal. They will only do what's convenient for them, hence why they do things their own way despite me giving them a way out. They forced my hand, but I was prepared to face them."

"Even stabbing the budding Princess?" The last of Emmeraude's unit spoke. The man who kept his hood over his head: Ross. "We know how much you adored her, so I can't imagine that have been easy for you."

Emmeraude sighed, staring up at the ceiling. "That was perhaps the hardest thing I had to do. I truly did not want to bring any harm to her…but in order for my plan to succeed, I need her to be absent. I would never inflict a fatal wound on her."

"Maternal as always. That's just one reason we adore you." Marisa said with a grin. "Is that why you also took the siblings of that demon woman?"

"They're insurance." Emmeraude said. "Now Fairy Tail has even more reason to do as I've told them. I can sense some familiarity with Mirajane…she's the type who would do anything for her family. I've made sure to put them in safe keeping…but even if they are found, it won't change anything. At worst, they'll have only wasted a few hours looking for them. Those two siblings of hers are likely all she has left when it comes to blood relatives…just as my mother is the only person I care about. So…I expect her to do as I've asked, otherwise I would have to be forced to harm her blood family…"

"This is why you're the best." Marisa laughed. There was then a knock at the throne room doors. "Oh…it seems we have a visitor…come in~"

The doors opened. Erza Knightwalker stepped forward and into the throne room, stopping just before Emmeraude and her unit. "…You're the woman who contacted me, yes? I've…come to hear more details about this deal you were trying to make me."

"Ah! Knightwalker." Emmeraude clasped her hands together. "I'm so glad you could make it. This makes my plan go by even faster."

"I haven't agreed to anything yet." Knightwalker scoffed. "I said I came to hear more details. You were affiliated with that scientist, were you? How do you know about me, then?"

"It's simple." Emmeraude stood up and made her way towards Knightwalker, taking a stride with each step. "I'm sure you're aware of the little Dragon Slayer incident a few months ago last year? I was the one who helped assisted our friendly mad scientist with the construction. For offering my assist, he told me about his prior schemes. Truly, he was a gifted mind…however; he was nowhere near my level. I stole his leftover research plans and…" Emmeraude held up a small lacrima. "I have what you're looking for: a one way portal back to Edolas. I don't have the means of creating a full portal…but this should suffice, yes?"

"…Is this truly a way back to Edolas?" Knightwalker was both skeptical, but hopeful. "I will not be fooled a second time." The Ten Commandments spear was pointed forward menacingly. "If you are lying to me, I will kill you on the spot."

While Emmeraude's unit was prepared to strike, Emmeraude herself waved her hand to tell them to stand down. "A brilliant mind I may be…but I simply could not focus my efforts on making a full portal for your leisure. I simply ask that you trust me. I know how it feels…being removed from your home forcibly with no place to go. But you have ambition…just like I do. I too want to return to my home and give my mother the best possible life. Everything is merely a stepping stone. I don't intend to use you…I simply intend to walk side by side with you until our paths diverge." Emmeraude then extended her hand out with a friendly smile. "Become my partner for this short time, and I promise I will get you where you need to go."

That was a compelling speech. Even Knightwalker needed a moment to try a find anything wrong with Emmeraude's words…but they were exactly what she needed and wanted to hear in this moment. "…Very well." Knightwalker finally conceded and shook Emmeraude's hand. "I will work with you for a time. What are your goals exactly…and what will you have me do?"

.

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Siegrain rounded up the Council forces after Emmeraude's announcement. "You all have your orders." The Council Chairman said with a firm nod. "We are to apprehend Lucy Heartfilia by any means necessary and return her to Emmeraude. If you encounter Fairy Tail, arrest them without question." Siegrain then turned to his forces: Correll, Layanna, Fullbright, Odin, and the stronghold warden, Ryusei, among others as well. "They have been charged with extreme charges from the Queen herself. As such, show absolutely no mercy to them. I've already had Juliette go and investigate Lucy's last known location, and with some luck we may find her without much trouble."

"Yes, sir!" Fullbright saluted.

"Finally…" Correll cracked his knuckles, grinning maliciously. "I've been looking for an excuse to get rid of that guild. That traitor Doranbolt doesn't work with us anymore, so he doesn't have a say in this. Oh, when I get my hands on him, it'll be great." There were still some hard feelings over Mest stopping the arrest of Cynthia and Wendy back in the day. Correll never forgot.

"He's affailted with Fairy Tail…so do what you will." Siegrain said, giving Correll the go ahead to use his authority however he saw fit. "Are there any questions?"

"No, sir." Layanna shook her head. The serious visage of the woman never wavered. "Our primary mission is the capture of Fairy Tail's Lucy Heartfilia alive. Any Fairy Tail members we encounter are second in priority."

"Very good. Now…move out, all of you." Siegrain turned his back and the Council captains grabbed their units and moved out! Fiore's enemy was Fairy Tail. "If any member of Fairy Tail is captured alive…we will make an example out of them, just as we did with that assassin some time ago." A sinister smile curved onto the lips of the Council chairman.

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Emmeraude's announcement was heard by all of the guilds as well. Mermaid Heel was in shock about the hard evidence they were presented…but Kagura was not going to draw her rally to arms yet. Not even close. "…I don't believe for a second that Erza and her guild would do such a thing. They are reckless…but they stick to their creed in never killing anyone."

"Fairy Tail's been branded traitors…" Melody huffed. "What do we do? Do we stick our noses in it and pick a side? Although I can't imagine siding with Fairy Tail…plus, Emmeraude has only done what's best for Fiore. Personal ties over what's right for the country…"

"But…" Miliana paused, frowning at the thought of having to fight Erza again. "I don't want to believe that Fairy Tail did such a thing."

"If it turns out they have?" Kagura then turned to the others. Her question was blunt and caught everyone off guard. "I…want to believe in Erza as well." Emmeraude's magic vs Kagura's will was starting to make her head hurt. What she knew over what was forcibly implanted in her head…it was driving her crazy, and no doubt it was for the others as well. "But…I simply don't know. Which is why I want to find and talk to Erza myself. I want to hear what's going on. I want the rest of you to stay put until I contact you, do I make myself clear?"

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Sabertooth was also one guild in doubt over the charges that Fairy Tail was put under. But between Emmeraude's Queenly Majesty having a strong hold on their minds…it was difficult to discern if this was really truth or fiction. But there was proof with the image of Hisui lying in a small pool of her own blood in the Fairy Tail guild hall. Between that, and Lucy being considered a dangerous criminal…it almost seemed like the world itself was ending!

"L-Lucy-sama is…dangerous…?" Yukino shook her head. "I…I can't believe that…but…if Lady Emmeraude says it's true…"

"Fairy Tail has always been a place of troublemakers…as far back as I can remember… Rufus remarked. "But something of this scale…they only continue to up the ante…"

"…" Sting remained silent. This was all hard to believe…even though there was proof right in front of him. "…Fairy Tail…what's going on…?"

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The Fairy Tail building nothing but rubble after Emmeraude's exit. Oddly enough, nobody was hurt from the tumbling structure; almost as though Emmeraude didn't even aim to hurt them, just send a message. After the destruction of Fairy Tail, the guild decided to use Kardia Cathedral as a temporary base of operations until they got their plan straight. "I-Is everyone all right?" Erza asked while looking around.

"I'm not hurt…" Ace said with a heavy sigh. "How's the princess?"

"She's…alive." Wendy said while keeping her healing focus on the injured Hisui. "I think Emmeraude missed her heart…so the injury isn't as life threatening as it could be. But she will be unconscious for a while…"

"Missed?" Zelos shook his head. "No no…it's much simpler than that, Wendy-chan." All eyes were on Zelos as he actually began to drop some information. "She never intended to kill the beautiful princess in the first place…more so incapacitate her. When there's a healer right here, she was more than confident that you'd rush to her aid to keep her alive, which you have. Everything that woman does is calculate to the last detail. It's quite formidable honestly. What a charming woman…"

"That's still unforgivable." Cana spat. "She really was just using the Princess to further her own ambitions! I can't stand that…"

"I heard she thought of the Princess as her own daughter…so for her to do such a thing so easily…" Gray sucked his teeth. Too much happened and they hardly had time to process it all.

"I don't think it was that easy for her." Mii's voice caught everyone's attention. "I mean…did you see the look on her face? Looked like she really didn't wanna do that."

"That doesn't change anything." Natsu growled. He was still extremely pissed about what Emmeraude said and did. "Not only did she destroy our home…she threatened Lucy and took Elfman and Lisanna."

"And to make matters worse…the entire country things you guys killed Hisui." Tia sighed heavily. "You're the enemy of the entire country…did you hear that announcement."

"That doesn't change anything." Laxus said, although his tone carried more weight to it than usual. "If she thinks she can just string us along because we're on her bad side, she's got another thing coming. We do things our way."

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Freed said with several nods.

"But…" Mira was a little hesitating. "She took Elfman and Lisanna…"

"And we've only got but so much time before the town of Magnolia starts rounding up to come charging at us. I don't have any qualms about hurting civilians, but you guys are soft." Mii shrugged.

"She's correct…" Makarov let out a sigh. It was his job to protect the kids, but this situation made it difficult to do so. "We don't have much time…"

"We don't need to analyze anything." Gajeel spoke as a grin curved onto his lips. "Our enemy is Fiore's 'Queen'. We just have to beat her ass and get the Princess back onto the throne, right?"

"That would be the most efficient solution…" Levy agreed with Gajeel's plan…for the most part. "But…the Princess is injured and we have to treat her injury with care. Not to mention…there's the issue of Lu-chan. No matter which way we slice it, we have to find her within 24 hours. If we don't…the worst could happen."

"Our enemy also isn't just Emmeraude and her forces…." Erza stared up at the gray skies. "If the other guilds adhere to her words…we may have to fight them as well. I also don't expect the Council to let us off very easily….and the Royal Guard as well…We may truly be on our own for this one…"

"I can help." Tia offered her assistance without delay. "You've done so much for us…the least we can do is…"

"No." Heartless shook her head. "I can't allow you and Ace to be involved in this incident directly."

"So indirect involvement, understood." Ace nodded, causing Heartless to scowl a bit. But she didn't argue.

"So…what's the plan? I doubt the citizens or the Council will give us much time to act…" Carla stated worriedly.

"Okay, okay…" Mii placed down a map of Fiore she grabbed just before the guild building went down. "This is Fiore, right? It's a pretty big place and Lucy could be anywhere, but I'm 100% positive she hasn't left the country. She has no reason to. I don't even think she has a goal…er…Lambda, really."

"So she's just going to wander around until she dies? I don't think so." Natsu shook his head. Emmeraude's words cut deep even though he wouldn't show it. That's why he wanted to do everything in his power to save Lucy now while he could.

"Well, she could be anywhere knucklehead." Mii scoffed. "Which is why I suggest we split up into groups and cover a few locations." In the heat of the moment, Mii actually seemed like S class material, calmly addressing the situation and ways to approach it. "There's also the issue of Elfman and Lisanna…I don't know where Emmeraude might have taken them."

"Leave the tracking to me." Cana stepped forward with her deck of cards ready. But as soon as she did so, people started to rally up…the sounds were noticeable for the Dragon Slayers and their ears turned.

"We don't have a lot of time…!" Cynthia panicked. "People are starting to get really antsy…they're all closing in on the cathedral…"

"Don't worry about it I just need a minute…" Cana proclaimed while tossing her cards down onto the map. "I'm going to track all three of them down and we can split up after that, starting with Lucy." Cana threw a card down onto the map, this one specifically tailored to find Lucy. The card began rotating around to pinpoint her magic signature…but the card just kept spinning around and around, not proving to be much help. "Huh?"

"No good." Mii sighed. "It's probably the Lambda Virus. If anything, its magical presence has probably overwritten Lucy's. So as far as tracking magic is concerned, Lucy doesn't exist. But that's not really a bad thing since the Council won't be able to find her so easily either."

"I didn't realize she could actually be serious…" Max remarked while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Eh?" Mii blinked before shrugging casually. "I kind of don't have a choice when I've been branded as public enemy number one with the rest of you. Besides, I'M the one who's supposed to die, not Lucy…plus, there's no way I'm NOT gonna try and get a piece of that when this is over. Plus, I'm the one with the most information about this subject anyway…and unlike the Isle, I won't leave you guys high and dry. I'm with you every step of the way...well, until I die anyway." Those words from Mii were…unexpected and sincere. As much as everyone wanted to relish it them, there was no time and Cana tried her magic cards once again, this time trying to pinpoint Elfman and Lisanna's location. The lack of time was also the reason no one questioned why Mii knew so much about something they were just learning.

"Let's see…" The two cards with the Strauss siblings faces shone brightly on the map. The arrows pointed to the southwestern part of Fiore. "Huh…all the way down there?!" Cana was taken aback. "How did…"

"That's where I'm going." Mira said without hesitation. "I don't want to slow everyone else down in the search for Lucy. As soon as I find them, we'll join."

"All by yourself? Are you sure you don't walk backup?" Tia was clearly concerned, even though she tried not to sound like she was. "I-I mean…if you want to go alone, that's on you…"

"Lucy needs you all…and my siblings need me." Mira was rather firm in her convictions.

"So the rest of us are splitting up as Mii suggested." Erza turned to the others. "We will need a squad to keep the recovering Princess safe at all times. Getting Fiore back hinges on her recovery."

"We'll do it." Heartless said. "Although…considering the state of the citizens, we may have to twist the truth a little bit, I hope that's okay."

"It's all we can do." Makarov agreed. They were already considered the enemy, so they had to grin and bear whatever came their way.

"We'll protect her with our lives." Ace saluted….then pulled out a snack bar and began to eat it obnoxiously. Some things really never changed.

Tia, however…she had an irritated scowl and swatted the snack out his hand. "Stop that."

"All right…" Cana then began to hand out communication cards to everyone. "Use these if you find Lucy. Tell us where and we'll try to get the location as soon as possible."

"More importantly…" Mavis added a tidbit of advice. "From what we've heard, Lucy is going to be extremely violent upon contact. If the virus inside her absorbs life energy and magic…then it is imperative that you exercise extreme cautious if you engage her. Emmeraude's plans with Lucy are unclear…but we cannot let her succeed. As soon as the Princess recovers and Lucy's whereabouts are known, the best course of action will be to take the fight to Emmeraude herself. It is imperative we get the Princess back onto the throne to end the false Queen's endeavors."

"We'll get Fiore back!" Romeo said while pumping his fist into the air. It was then that he looked around, noticing that both Natsu and Happy were gone. "Uh…where did Natsu-nii go..?"

"Oh…they left as soon as Cana-chan's tracking failed to work on Lucy." Zelos pointed to the now broken window.

"That idiot…!" Gray growled while rushing over to the window, watching Natsu and Happy fly off into the distance. But he could also see the citizens of Magnolia nearing the cathedral. They were out of time and the time for action was now. "Tch…we don't have time left. We have to go now."

 _"_ _After all…you're her closest friend, aren't you? In a way…you could have prevented all of this if you weren't so daft. You've missed out on your chance to save her…so if you WANT to save her, you have absolutely no choice but to listen to me. Any other method will surely result in her death. If you weren't so…weak…you could have saved her much earlier. Her body is absorbing so much magic she likely can't contain it all. She's probably crawling on the ground in pain as we speak."_

Emmeraude's words constantly echoed in Natsu's mind….because she was right. He knew that something was off with Lucy for the longest time, but in the end…he was unable to do anything about it. There was nothing he could have done…but he always thought he could have done something, anything. And now, Lucy was suffering because in the end, he did nothing. He wasn't going to regret anything, because that changed nothing. Natsu was going to put his best foot forward and do whatever he could to save Lucy.

"Don't worry, Lucy. We're going to fix you one way or another. I promise."

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Next Time: Fairy Tail Against The World.


	148. Chapter 148:Fairy Tail Against The World

23 hours remained. Now that Fiore was properly riled up about Fairy Tail, Emmeraude thought it was time to gather the final piece of her master plan, bringing Knightwalker along while the rest of her unit was given specific orders. They arrived near the front doorstep of Fiore's second strongest guild: White Eclipse. Knightwalker was a little peeved she was pulled all the way to a freezing mountain considering her attire. "Why did you bring me here…? It's cold." She complained.

"I should have told you to wear a jacket…" Emmeraude sighed. "But we aren't going to be here for very long anyway. I simply have to pick someone up and make a request, and then we can return to Crocus."

The Edolas knight remained silent for a moment or two before speaking. "I have two questions before we continue. The first one concerning those knights of yours. How powerful are they?"

"Oh? Marisa, Ross, and Drayden?" Emmeraude had a soft smile as she thought about her unit. "Back when I was a Commandant in the Pergrande Kingdom, those three were assigned to me. They were to do the tasks I asked and all that…but they were like little siblings to me. I won't tell you how old I am…but my young appearance is deceiving, don't you think? Regardless…I have faith in their abilities; they can match any mage in this country with ease. They technically aren't even supposed to be in Fiore as they are still affiliated with Pergrande…so, because of that, I was able to stir up a little trouble. But as loyal as they are to me…I would never ask them to throw their lives away to help my goals. I need them for every step of the way, before, and after."

"I see…" Knightwalker simply nodded. "And that scientist, Aiden? Why did you work with him? You don't seem like the type of person to get along with his agenda. You're aware that he killed his wife and tried to use his child for his own ambitions, yes?"

"He had a good mind. So…I worked with him as an act of professionalism." Emmeraude then scowled. "But…as a person….I truly, utterly, despised that man. He is a parent…yet he bragged about killing his own wife and subjecting his own child to such torture. It was his duty to protect that girl from the horrors of the world, not become one that she'd have to endure for seven years. Listening to the tale made me sick to my stomach…but for the interest of my goal, I listened with a smile."

"So you couldn't stand him, either. You have more sense than I thought." That was the closest thing to a compliment Knightwalker was going to give.

"Why thank you." Emmeraude offered a soft smile. "That child…she's rough around the edges, but powerful. But I digress…I hope those answers sated your curiosity."

"They did." Knightwalker replied.

At this point, the two women reached the front door of White Eclipse and Emmeraude knocked gently. She could hear the murmuring voices inside, likely discussing a plan of action from her announcement. A moment later and the door opened, Luke being the one who answered it. "Uh…well, this is a surprise…"

"That better be someone you know." Jaxon chided the Copycat from inside. "I'm tired of you people opening the door for strangers."

"No…this is uh…I think you should see for yourself." Luke opened the door so Emmeraude could step aside along with Knightwalker. "I…I don't know why she has Erza with her, but…"

"I'm not Erza Scarlet." Knightwalker's words were cold. It had been some time since such a discrepancy was made clear.

Waiston peered forward, grinning towards the Edolas Knight. "Oh yeah...I remember you…but you're probably definitely hotter than she is. I'm not sure what it is, though."

"I'll slaughter you." Knightwalker's words were filled with venom.

"That's hot." Waiston's grin didn't' falter, and the only reason Knightwalker didn't strangle the frozen dragon on the spot was due to Emmeraude holding her back.

"She is a trusted ally, worry not." Emmeraude said. It was then that Sophie rushed over to her creator. "Ah…there you are, my little Protos Heis."

"Your announcement….is it time…?" Sophie peered up to Emmeraude.

"Yes. The time for your mission has finally come." Emmeraude confirmed.

Calium approached Emmeraude, curiously examining both her and Knightwalker. "I didn't expect the Queen herself to come all the way out here. But I assume you came for more than just Sophie, correct?"

"Indeed." Emmeraude nodded while placing her hand atop Sophie's head. "I'm certain you heard my announcement, correct?

"We did." Calium nodded. "It's quite the turn of events for Fiore."

"I didn't think Fairy Tail would do something so horrible…" Aira frowned.

"Unfortunately…I was attacked." Emmeraude revealed the burn marks on her hands from Natsu's attempted punch. "That fire dragon slayer truly attempted for my life…but instead, dear Hisui was on the receiving end."

"And to make matters worse…Lucy is a dangerous criminal?" Luke expressed some concern on this.

"I never liked her much to begin with." Roxanne shrugged.

"She's very dangerous." Emmeraude's tone lowered. "I have the Council pursuing her and soon Sophie will be joining that purpose as well. I was curious to hear your thoughts on the matter. I know White Eclipse is a little far removed from the situation, being on this mountain and all. But your assistance in quelling the threat that is Fairy Tail. I know you'd be the strongest guild in Fiore if Lucy was unable to defeat Sophie, but I don't fault her for that."

"Hm…sounds tempting…" Takeru shrugged. "I haven't had the chance to fight Dragneel in a long time…but it's a shame if he's really turned to the dark side."

"It would only seem right if their natural rivals and superiors were the ones to put them down." Reve remarked. His gaze occasionally shifted to Knightwalker; the fact she shared the same face and name with Erza did rub him the wrong way. He remembered her from a while ago, and he wasn't very fond of her either for obvious reasons.

"You don't seriously want to, do you…?" Aira stared at Reve, who simply shrugged.

"If they're the bad guys, doesn't it make it our job as legal mages to deal with them?" Reve said. His tone of voice said he was indifferent on the matter, but at the same time the idea was a little exciting.

Calium pondered on the idea as White Eclipse began to murmur about what to do. Emmeraude on the other hand was very pleased with the seeds of doubt that were planted in the hearts of Fiore. She had to use Fairy Tail as public enemy number one…but only because they refused to cooperate with her. Now, they paid the price. "I see you're all very busy. But I urge you to think about accepting the request…I would like the capture of Lucy to be done within 23 hours. Either way, the situation is still mostly under control." With that, Emmeraude, Sophie, and Knightwalker took their leave.

"Hmmm…" Calium contemplated the next move. "It seems like Fiore's strongest guild is in a pickle. Who would have expected the tables to turn on them so easily? I'm a little surprised they fell for her trap." The last part was mumbled.

"Strongest guild? I don't recall us being in trouble." Cygnus quipped.

"She took Sophie and left…" Yaya frowned a bit.

"You're free to do what you want." Calium eventually shrugged the matter off. "She said the situation was under control, but…"

"With the Council? Please…" Cygnus hopped up off his seat and dusted his hands off. "Looks like we'll be cleaning up another one of the Council's mishaps."

.

.

Natsu and Happy scoped out Fiore from above. They had little to no information to go on when it came to Lucy's whereabouts. He tried to track her scent but…it wasn't working. Just as Mii stated before, Lucy was essentially wiped off the map as her body was just a host for a wandering virus. But that didn't stop Natsu from hunting her down. "She didn't leave the country…so she has to be around here somewhere."

"I wonder where she went…" Happy said while looking around. But soon, he spotted a large patch of gray, dead grass up ahead…and more importantly, a black haired male was standing in the middle of it all. "Isn't that…!?"

"Take us down." Natsu said. Happy nodded and brought the two of them down to the grass where Zeref was standing, his back turned to Natsu and his Exceed companion. "You…"

"Quite a situation, don't you think, Brother?" Zeref spoke calmly, turning around to face Natsu with a soft smile; in his hand, the Book of END.

"Did you do this?" Natsu questioned with a glare, but Zeref only shook his head.

"You needn't be concerned for me at this moment. I believe you have a more pressing matter to attend to." Zeref turned around once again. "Your friend, Lucy. As I'm sure you're aware of, she's not herself at this point in time. Lambda has always been a gentle, kind being…but it appears its personality has been twisted…it's far beyond salvation now."

"I don't care about that." Natsu spat. "I only care about Lucy, Elfman, and Lisanna. You know where they are don't you?"

"I couldn't say." Zeref's response only angered Natsu more. "But I will tell you this. This is quite the trial you and your friends have been put into. If you cannot overcome this and defeat Emmeraude, then you will have no chance to defeat me. The world you've known will reject you otherwise."

Natsu clenched his hand into a fist. Zeref's words continued to piss him off. "If I didn't have more important things to worry about, I'd take you out right here." And of course he remembered what Zeref told him…if Zeref were to die, so was Natsu.

"I see." Zeref let out a soft chuckle. "Lambda will likely try and use as much time as possible before fully taking control of your friend's body…if that happens, then her body will become nothing more than an empty husk, and it will then move onto the next target…or perhaps it will use its power to infect more people and cause havoc. Judging by the situation, either seems possible. I can see why Emmeraude wants Lucy's capture within the next 23 hours…otherwise it will become a troublesome pest to stop. The feeling of despair it emanates grows stronger…I can only imagine how she's been handling it. Poorly, I assume."

"Shut up." Natsu growled. But Happy decided that they should leave before the conversation escalated into something bigger. Now wasn't the time for this.

"Come on, Natsu. We're not getting anything helpful from him…" Happy said while carrying Natsu into the air.

The wind blew and the gray clouds overhead darkened. The storm was coming closer, the distance rumbling of thunder making that clear. "But as your brother, I can't bear to see you struggle like this. So…I will give you a hint. These gray patches of land…were not my doing. This is the result of Lambda withdrawing magic from the air…a human body can only withstand so much before it implodes. If you follow the trail, you should find them." Zeref said calmly, beginning to walk off. Where? Only he knew.

Natsu stayed silent, but he kept Zeref's hint in mind. It was true; the patch of dead land didn't have that same deathly feel as back in Tenorujima. "…Let's go, Happy."

.

.

Back in Kardia Cathedral, Heartless, Tia, and Ace were keeping a watchful eye over Hisui. The Princess was still unconscious, but recovering. Fairy Tail broke away from the cathedral to begin the hunt for Lucy…but that didn't mean the citizens of Magnolia were just going to leave them be. "How is she?" Ace questioned while keeping an eye out.

"She's still breathing." Tia said. "Her condition is stable. Emmeraude really didn't mean to kill her. The wound isn't even going to leave a mark when she recovers. Even so…I knew I was right to not stand that woman."

"This affair is out of our hands." Heartless said while staring at the wall. "The least we can do is ensure that the Princess is safe. Emmeraude's magic will fade if Hisui sits on the throne once again."

"Aren't we being a little presumptuous on that?" Tia questioned. "For all we know, that could be a lie."

"No…" Ace shook his head. "I think it's true. Keeping the biggest threat to your authority as far away as possible is a smart move. But what I don't understand is…if she really meant to keep Hisui away, then she would have killed her."

"Would you kill your child?" Heartless turned to Ace and Tia. The fact it came out of the blue made Tia blush, but she turned her head away so no one would see it.

"W-What are you asking that for!?" Tia coughed several times, cooling her cheeks before turning back around.

"Emmeraude thought of Hisui as her own child…so I think." Heartless said. "She doesn't seem like the type of person to ruthlessly take someone's life for the sake of her goal…a feeling I could never relate to." That heavy pause caused Ace and Tia to glance at one another. "There is one thing I can say for certain…Emmeraude is not an evil person. She is a compassionate person who only believes what she's doing is right. In order to make sure her plan has the highest chance of success, she needs to remove any and all obstacles for a certain period of time. Fairy Tail was never really an obstacle…but the circumstances she described led to them becoming a hurdle. I assume her plan was to come to Fairy Tail and take Lucy forcibly…but that wasn't happening since Lucy vanished from her team's sights."

"So she moved to plan B…" Ace stroked his chin. "She was prepared for any outcome, how clever. Fairy Tail being Fairy Tail…ended up falling right into her trap."

"Precisely…" Heartless nodded. "And in turn…while I cannot agree with Emmeraude forcibly ascending to the throne, I would be lying if I said her rule was bad for this country. Fiore has done nothing but prosper lately under her rule…it almost makes anyone who opposes her to be a villain. Which is precisely what's happened."

"She's good." Tia scoffed. "Really good." It was around this time that both Tia and Heartless both got a call from their lacrima devices. Putting them up, Jack was on one line while Gaia was on the other. "Jack?"

"Yo! What the hell is going on in Fiore?!" Jack exclaimed. "You guys left a few hours ago and suddenly everything turns to shit?"

"I have to agree." Gaia placed her hand on her cheek. "There's an uproar…"

"Wait…you mean that everything has already been put out in the open…?" Tia questioned.

"Yeah." Jack nodded before switching over to a voice over news cast of the continent.

" _Fiore appears to be within an internal crisis. Nobody knows how, but a woman named Emmeraude has ascended to the throne over the Fiore family. While Fiore has been peaceful in recent times, it has recently named the recent winner of their Grand Magic Games, Fairy Tail, as the public enemy of the state after assaulting Princess Hisui. Although this is an internal affair, none of the countries within the continent have elected to respond. There has been no comment from King Ashnard of Pergrande, Edel of Sin, Ice of Iceburg, King Ceros of Bosco, Count Waltz of Joya, Artorius of Bellum, Raha from Minstrel, or Vena of Seven. We can only assume this means they do not choose to be involved in the matter."_

"It's already on the news?" Ace blinked several times. "How…? It's only been an hour. She works fast."

"Quite." Gaia sighed. "Ceros said that we aren't to be involved. So…as much as I would love to help Fairy Tail, our hands are tied. We can't risk this turning into an incident…"

"Bullshit!" Jack spat. "I'm coming down there to help!"

"You will stay." Heartless demanded. "Ace, Tia, and I are only here because of circumstance. We aren't getting involved directly."

"Tch…" Jack huffed before turning off the communication.

"Well…I wish I could say the same. But we ended up losing Daryan in the midst of our operation. He was swept away in a river…I hope if he ends up in Fiore he doesn't get the idea to stick his nose in it…" Gaia sighed. "Just…make sure the Princess stays alive." With that, the communications cut off.

"So…they're really alone in this fight…?" Tia sighed. "Damn it…" And to make matters worse, there was banging at the cathedral doors. "Huh?!"

"Open up! We know you know where Fairy Tail went!" The voices of the people outside were extremely loud and abundant.

"If you don't open, we're breaking down the door!"

"You're kidding me…" Tia groaned. "They're gonna charge in here? I really don't want to have to hurt innocents, but…"

Heartless approached the door calmly and opened it, but kept the people outside with a large heart shaped wall. "Before you decide to try and break down this wall…allow me to say this. We found the injured Princess after Fairy Tail's destruction. We are nursing her back to health…it would be wise if you didn't bother us. Fairy Tail did use this building, but we don't have any idea where they may have gone."

"That's a lie!"

"We know you saw them leave!"

"Are they trying to protect Fairy Tail?!"

"…They didn't buy it." Ace shrugged. "I don't think they'll leave us alone either. Emmeraude has them riled up too much against Fairy Tail."

Sigh. Heartless extended her hand, using her curse to drain the people at the door of their vitality without truly harming them. The people slumped over and passed out. "This won't hold them long. We need to get the Princess somewhere safe." A card was thrown down and Daigo appeared, bowing to Heartless.

"Hello, my lady. How can I assist?" Daigo said with a smile.

"Get us out of here." She said while gesturing to the people. "I'll explain later."

"As you so wish." Daigo pulled out a card and tossed it on the ground, thus warping Tia, Hisui, Ace, and Heartless elsewhere to a safer location.

.

.

Erza, Mii, and Zelos were a team in the hunt for Lucy. Unfortunately their search lifted no results and they were stuck. "Nothing so far…" Erza said with a heavy sigh. "Where could Lucy have gone? If she's not leaving the country, she can't be far."

"I have a knack for hunting down hot blondes." Zelos spoke with his usual flirtatious tone. "You should just leave it to me; I'll find her in no time. But with a beautiful crimson trio like this around, I think the ladies will be coming to us!"

"I'm willing to give that a try at this point…at the very least we'll know where she is." Erza had no time for Zelos' quips, but it did seem like he was serious.

"Haaaaa…" Mii sighed, placing her hands behind her head. "We'll be going around in circles at this rate. I don't suppose just giving up is an option, is it?"

"Weren't you the one who laid out the plan for us…?" Erza turned to Mii, who shrugged.

"Yeah, but I also didn't expect to have to put in so much work in…." Classic Mii. She was always so difficult and finicky. "Damn Lambda…always making things so difficult."

Of course the real reason Mii was with Erza was due to something Makarov told them to pair together. _"Mii knows more than she's letting on. We don't have the time to question her now…but I would like to know what it is she isn't telling us. That's why I want her to stick with you for now, Erza."_ That was what Makarov asked of her.

"Mii…" Erza turned to Mii. "You know a lot about what's going on. You also knew a lot about the Pergrande forces at the border fortress…why is that?"

Mii snaked her arm around Erza's shoulders and grinned. "Come on Erza. I watched you deduce where a flame was based on how giants were standing. I think you and I both know the answer to your question. You're a smart woman, and I like girl with brains."

"So…were you part of the Pergrande military…?" Erza finally asked.

"Maybe." Mii shrugged. "After the Isle, the whole almost dying thing kinda cleared up my memory about some things. But that's not important right now, eh? Surely you can't trust me from withholding such information from you guys~?" From the way she sounded, it was almost like Mii didn't want to be trusted at all…just like back on the Isle. "You make it too easy to fool you, its super ridiculous."

"You're one of us. So you have my trust." Erza responded calmly. Mii was acting stranger than usual lately…

"…Ew, stop that. What fazes you?" Mii groaned before shaking her head. "Whatever, we have more important things to worry about than Mii. We have a lady to find!"

"I think one has already found us." Zelos pointed behind Erza and Mii. It appeared that Kagura already managed to find Erza and her group. She sure worked fast.

"Erza. You and I need to have a talk about this." Kagura was firm in her stance, but her hand was prepared, ghosting over the hilt of her sheathed blade.

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Next Time: Trust.


	149. Chapter 149: Trust

"Friend or foe?" Mii walked around Kagura as she appeared before them. "You certainly work pretty fast too. I like that in a woman."

"Now now, Mii-chan." Zelos followed suit, eying Kagura. "Women work in mysterious ways. But I certainly respect her tenacity. What say you and I go out for some tea after this little incident is over, my treat? I'm not affiliated with the enemy you see~"

Kagura wasn't in the mood for this and her Gravity Changed flattened Mii and Zelos into the ground without mercy. There were craters in the ground from the amount of force she used. "I'm not here for this nonsense."

"Oof…! This feels familiar…oooh, what do we have here?" Mii laughed while staring up at Kagura. Someone decided to wear the kimono today and Mii got a good look…until Kagura used her gravity to force the angel's face into the ground.

Kagura walked forward, standing in front of Erza with a serious expression. "Erza. We have to have a talk. I don't understand what's going on."

"Kagura…" Erza wasn't surprised by Kagura's tone. The photo evidence of Hisui nearly being killed in their guild hall didn't exactly paint a good picture for Fairy Tail. "I understand your attitude. But you'll have to trust me…it's a bit of a long story and I don't have much time to explain."

"Then make it short." Kagura wasn't exactly at ease, but she wasn't ready to take a swing at the woman she thought of as a sister either.

"Well…" Erza began, but the sound of marching footsteps cut her off. "Huh?"

A Council platoon led by Correll appeared almost immediately, surrounding the group. Ryusei had a wide smirk on his face. "As I thought…she'd lead us right to one of them. Erza Scarlet at that."

"What the…?" Kagura turned, glaring at the Councilman. "I don't recall asking for you to follow me…or speaking to you at all for that matter."

"Hey, don't worry about it sweet cheeks." Correll said with a wink. "How about you and I go out after this? It's the least I could do for your assistance in helping me track down such a dangerous criminal and her group."

What was with everyone flirting with her today? One could see the comical tick mark of anger form on Kagura's forehead. "Enough! I didn't hunt Erza down for your benefit."

"Oh?" Correll lifted a brow, keeping his everlasting smirk. "Are you saying you're going to aid this criminal? You should tread lightly, Ace of Mermaid Heel. You're either with the law, or against it. Emmeraude made her orders quite clear, don't you think?"

"I will decide which side I pick." Kagura stated. "After I hear Erza's story…unlike you, I won't blindly act just because someone said so."

"Blindly?" Correll laughed. "Oh, you're mistaken. This is just the perfect reason for me to arrest Fairy Tail after being such a nuisance for so long. I didn't come back just to be denied this chance. Senpai will get a kick out of this, too."

"You know, I'm technically not affiliated with them." Zelos shrugged. "BUT! I won't allow anyone to talk to my scarlet beauty like that you see…"

"Geez…" Mii sighed, pointing her hand forward. Purple Pot manifested within her palm. The pistol unleashed a bullet that flew forward and exploded, sending a large number of council men flying backwards. "Erza, you and Kagura can go talk things out. Leave this to little ol' Mii~"

Kagura and Erza glanced at one another. Mii was trying to buy them time so they could talk, so they accepted the offer and made use of the opening Mii made, hastily heading elsewhere. Correll scowled at this for a moment before shaking his head. "You just wasted your chance for a lower sentence, criminal. I'll be sure to give you a nice painful lesson before locking you behind bars."

Mii let out a soft chuckle at Correll's words, her hat lowering to shade her eyes. "Ah…you humans are so cute sometimes. I should let you know, that first of all…I don't feel pain. And secondly…I'm already a wanted criminal. You'll never catch Mii alive~" The woman's translucent rainbow wings spread out and she challenged the council soldiers.

"Always so abrasive…" Zelos sighed, drawing out his own blade. "Just because you can't feel pain…but I have to admit, that's just one thing I love about you, Mii-chan~" Zelos had yellow angelic wings of his own spread out, but they definitely appeared to be more for show than anything else. "Come now, shall we have a little dance?"

"You're so obnoxious…I hate you with every fiber of my being." Mii rolled her eyes as she and Zelos were surrounded by Correll's men.

"How ironic, considering you and I are extremely alike~" Zelos hummed.

"Oh, don't get the wrong idea." Mii had Purple Pot pointed directly at Correll from afar, a grinning as she spoke. "I hate myself, too. More than you could ever imagine."

.

.

Thanks to Mii, Kagura and Erza were able to get some distance - far and long enough away for the briefest of conversations. The only sound in the area was the fierce river right next to them. Erza let out a soft exhale while Kagura waited for her to explain. "They're really after us…we had no intention of dragging anyone else into our battle."

"Explain." Kagura folded her arms. "I don't want you to be my enemy, Erza. But I also need to know what's going on. This…isn't like Fairy Tail. So…what happened?"

"To make things simple…Lucy is in danger and Emmeraude isn't who she says she is. I can't explain more than that without using time we don't have. Bottom line…we need as little interference is possible. If we don't find Lucy before 23 hours are over…she'll die." Erza had to stay calm and composed, but one could hear her voice shake at the possibly of being unable to save Lucy in time. "We're alone in this fight…and I don't wish to drag you into this conflict."

Kagura remained silent while listening to Erza. If there was one thing she could pick up on, it was that brief shake in Erza's voice. "I see…"

Of course their conversation didn't last very long at all. Even though Correll's forces were kept busy by Mii and Zelos, that didn't mean Erza was completely safe. Marisa appeared with a wide grin, walking towards the two women. "Wow wow! Thanks so much for finding Erza for us…she's a troublesome one."

"Who are you…?" Erza was on guard.

"Lady Emmeraude's faithful attendant, Marisa!" The pink haired woman snickered. "And you are wanted. So…Kagura, is it? Step aside and let me bring this woman into custody. It would make things so much easier and even spare us a person. If you hand yourself over, we may make things easier on your Fairy Tail family."

Before Erza could say anything else, Kagura was the one who stepped forward. "I don't think so."

"Oh?" Marisa lifted a brow, her pink hair flowing in the sudden breeze that kicked in. "Emmeraude's word is law…are you going to defy your Queen, Kagura?

"This has nothing to do with that." Said Kagura. "…She's looking for a guild mate who could die if not found. I'm not going to allow anyone to stand in her way. This may not be my fight, but I trust Erza's words…and the least I can do is help her ensure the safety of Lucy. If that goes against the word of the Queen, then so be it."

"Kagura…" Erza was speechless, but she had a great big smile on her face.

"The death of someone you care about….I don't want to subject you to that again." Kagura narrowed her eyes at Marisa. "So…go, now. I'll hold her off."

"Thank you." Was all Erza could say before departing.

Marisa let out a very heavy sigh as Kagura allowed Erza to run off. But then a smile formed on her lips. "Ah…I suppose it wouldn't be so easy. But then again, where's the fun in that? Lady Emmeraude only wanted me to make sure things were going as planned." A hand was extended, a pink beam of magic shooting forward towards Kagura, but it was cleaved in half with her blade. "Oh?"

"I don't know what your goals are…but I trust that Fairy Tail is innocent and will be able to clear their own name. I can tell you haven't been around them long enough to pick up on that." Kagura's serious expression never wavered. She was still missing information, but she trusted Erza enough to believe in them.

"Ah, trust." Marisa let out a melancholy sigh. "I trust Lady Emmeraude with my life. So…I assume it's safe to say you trust Erza with yours?" With a swipe of her hand, several Magulity Blades formed around Marisa's body. "This could be so much fun…."

.

.

Even after everything, Emmeraude's work wasn't done yet. She and Knighwalker followed Sophie as the tracking of Lucy continued on their end. She wasn't going to sit around and simply wait; if she could find Lucy before Fairy Tail could, then her plans only sped up. "Everything's going according to plan. The other countries aren't involved, Fairy Tail is cornered, and it will only be a matter of time until Lucy is brought to me."

"You are very content on that throne." Knightwalker pointed out. "And I'm not sure how I feel about you sending your child out into the wind like that."

"Do you mean Sophie? Worry not." Emmeraude waved her hand. "This is her mission - to capture and restrain the Lambda Virus, and then bring it to me. The only reason she wasn't able to do so last time is because my dear isn't a ruthless killer."

"Yes…" Sophie nodded slowly. "I had the chance to end it all…but I refused to do so like that. At the time, she still could have been saved. But that chance has long passed…"

"I see…" Knightwalker scoffed, crossing her arms. "So, you have everyone else doing tasks, while I'm here tagging along like some lost animal."

"Not at all." Emmeraude shook her head. "Drayden is tasked with informing me about the state of affair at the palace while I'm away, Marisa is hunting down Fairy Tail actively…and Ross…he's a bit of a loose cannon. But I've decided to put him on Strauss Sibling duty. He'll get that fight he always yearns for."

"They will do their jobs well." Sophie stated as her eyes flashed a bright pink; she was actively tracking Lambda's magic signature, but considering Lucy had been in a lot of places over the last week, figuring out the trail was a little work.

"Yes…" Emmeraude nodded. "While Fairy Tail is preoccupied…this gives us the best chance to find Lambda. I would never sit around as my comrades do so much for me…it's only fair to do some work myself since they are so devoted to my cause." Emmeraude then took off her glove, revealing the Magulity band on her arm. "I've ordered Marisa to place a sense link on me to all three of them…that way if they are in a bad situation, I can order them to withdraw before they die."

"…So…you can feel if they die?" Knightwalker lifted a brow. As someone who came from a magicless world, the various types of magic in this world were strange.

"Yes. The last thing I want is for them to die for my ambitions…" Emmeraude was very firm in her beliefs. "If they die…I want to know, but I trust in their abilities with my own life. But enough about them…we must find Lucy as soon as possible. The sooner, the better."

.

.

Thanks to Kagura, Erza was able to make her way as far away from Marisa and the Council as possible. She didn't like the idea of having people help her buy time…but knowing that Kagura had her back did set her at ease. Maybe Fairy Tail wasn't truly alone in this battle after all…but more importantly, she had someone she had to meet first. That person was Jellal, who appeared from around a tree with a soft smile. "Jellal…"

"Erza." Jellal's brief smile then turned into a serious expression. "I'm supposed to be the wanted criminal here, not you."

"Looks like we have something else in common…" Erza wanted to say that with a smile, but she couldn't. "I'm glad you were able to make it. I didn't want to cause you anymore trouble…"

"We're both enemies of the law, so to speak." Jellal said calmly. "And you know I'd do anything in my power to help you. I may not know exactly what's going on…but tell me what you want us to do to help?"

Erza let out a relief sigh. "Do you have Cobra with you? I want to know if he can hear Lucy's voice."

"Yes." Cobra was leaning against a tree, peering his head around the corner with his hands in his jacket pockets. "I had a feeling you'd ask for my ears…and if you must know, I can hear her."

"Really?" Erza perked up a bit. "Where is she?"

"There are two voices." Cobra explained while walking out. "One is Lucy's. From the sound of her voice…she isn't doing very well. It's a miracle she can keep herself together at all. I can gather that one reason she's avoiding people is due to that…strange power. The other voice…is grotesque, distorted. You'd have to see for yourself…but the voice is coming approximately 5 miles to the east. And you should hurry…I can hear the march of a council platoon closing in on her location."

"…!" Erza's eyes widened; she didn't think, or was at least hoping the Council wouldn't find Lucy before them. She was more worried for the Council in this instance than Lucy, but had to hurry regardless. "Thank you. I have to hurry." Erza donned her Black Wing armor, taking off to the sky to pursue Lucy and hopefully get her back before anything bad happened.

When Erza departed, Cobra glanced in the opposite direction. "We have some company coming our way as well..."

.

.

Zelos' blade elegantly danced as he cut down multiple council soldiers. His movements were graceful and hard to keep up with. "Please don't hate me, but you ugly brutes could never match my movements!" His blade was gripped tightly and the male performed a rising spiral into the air, a trail of wind following his movement. "Decisive Slice~" Zelos hummed, landing as several men fell down on their backs. "That was so pretty."

Mii rolled her eyes, taking shots at everyone with Purple Pot. The large bullets unleashed caused massive explosions that no one could really get past. "You're such a nuisance! I also hope you haven't been killing these people. Not that I care in particular, but they're really gonna grill me about it later if so, and I don't want to deal with that!"

"Ah, look at you being so responsible! Dare I say Fairy Tail has been a good influence on our usual naughty Mii?" Zelos quipped. However, before he had the chance to say anything else, Correll himself came in with a heavy right hook to Zelos' face. "NOT THE FACE!" The male cried out and narrowly ducked the incoming blow. The usually cool Zelos was now flailing around a bit as Correll aimed several strikes, the landing one being a punch to the gut that sent Zelos flying. "Gaaaah…just kidding!" Zelos flipped and landed on the ground. "Man, you really don't know how to pull punches do you? We're just lucky my beautiful face wasn't harmed in the process." The male then flicked his blade up, causing brown magic seals to form in the sky. "Rock Fall!"

From the seal, large rocks began falling down on the area with no remorse! Mii groaned, having to use her free hand to throw the rocks that threatened to land on her away. "Hey! Watch it!"

Correll simply shook his head, making use of his gravity magic to toss the rocks back at Zelos. "Tch…"

Zelos was unfazed, leaping forward through the rocks as the came at him. His sword was lit ablaze, and once he cleared the rocks, he twisted his body and swung the blade forward! "Hell Pyre!" A sphere of flame shot from his blade, causing a powerful eruption on the spot. While it didn't hit Correll, most of his men were taken out from the attack. Correll instead lunged forward, aiming to punch Zelos in the face again.

However, Mii came in with the save, slamming her boot into Correll's stomach to send him flying back down to the ground. This left her open for a moment, but Zelos covered her by brandishing his blade of lightning, unleashing a concussive bolt that stunned the soldiers. The two landed back to back, but Mii was clearly not so pleased about this. "Ugh. I didn't need you to help me."

"You know me, I can't resist with a beautiful woman is in peril!" Zelos grinned, suggestively raising his brows to get his point across.

"How ironic that you're the peril…" Mii sighed.

"You two can't keep this up forever." Correll smirked while cracking his knuckles. "If you just turn yourselves in quietly and tell us where your friend is, it'll make everyone's lives a lot easier. Especially you." He meant Zelos. "You're not even with Fairy Tail. So why are you helping them?"

"You're a ladies man, aren't you?" Zelos said with a casual tone. "I mean…you're nowhere near as handsome as I am, but I can tell you get some attention. So you should be able to understand that I'm always going to side with the women. They're really the only reason I'm doing this."

"Well, it's your execution, not mine." Correll was ultimately unbothered by the decision in the end.

.

.

Lucy was struggling to keep herself in check. It was a losing battle both mentally and physically, exhausting the poor girl. She was simply trying to stay as far away from everyone as possible…but that task proved difficult when Ryusei and his squadron found and surrounded her. The blonde shook her head frantically. "No…stay away from me..! Get back!"

"We can't do that." Ryusei said while shaking his head. "By Emmeraude's orders, you are under arrest and to be put in custody, Lucy Hearfilia. It will make things easier for everyone involved if you didn't resist."

"No…I can't…" Lucy continued to shake her head. The control she had was rapidly slipping as Lambda felt threatened, noted by the shockwave emanating from Lucy's body. The black and red aura flared threateningly and soon Lucy had no control over her body.

 _"Stand in my way and perish."_

.

.

Mira took her Satan Soul form; flying to the location Cana's cards tracked Elfman and Lisanna. She wasn't entirely sure where she was going for the most part…but eventually she could see the broken remains of an all too familiar building. The remains of Tartarus Castle. She stopped on a cliff's edge, staring at the destroyed castle from afar. That was where her siblings were…she was certain of it. "…."

.

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Next Time: Fateful Reunion.


	150. Chapter 150: Fateful Reunion

Kagura wasn't entirely in the mood to deal with Marisa, but the woman wasn't giving her much of a choice. Several Magulity blades were fired off in rapid succession at Mermaid Heel's ace. Kagura was fast, deftly leaping between the blades while closing the distance between herself and the woman. "Strong Form!" Once close enough, Kagura jabbed her sheathed blade into the gut of the pink haired woman, sending her flying back through some trees.

"Ack!" Marisa cried out, having a rather harsh landing after flying through trees. "Ouch…now that was just plain rude! I haven't even done anything to you yet."

"You annoyed me." Kagura said flatly.

Marisa shrugged off the blow and stood right back up; brandishing a blade of her own composed of sense magic and lunged towards Kagura. The soldier swung and Kagura instinctively tried to counter…only to realize that she couldn't. Her sword fazed right through Marisa's own and the sense blade cut right into her…metaphorically speaking. "Oh, how did that feel?"

Kagura bit her lip. Honestly, that hurt like hell. But she wasn't going to admit that and kept swinging. Parrying an intangible sword was impossible, so Kagura had to awkwardly dodge instead of attack. "Tch…" An opening! Kagura pushed her hand out, using gravity to push Marisa backwards back into the trees, and then she caused the trees to collapse. Marisa was stubborn so it didn't look like that was going to finish her off, but it did buy Kagura time since she didn't even want to fight in the first place. "There. Get out of my face."

"I-I'll get you for this…!" Marisa was wedged between some trees. Her magic didn't exactly allow for firepower, but she would get out of there soon enough.

"Uh-huh. Don't bother me when you do." Kagura turned on her heel and began to follow the river upstream. "That's all I can do for you, Erza. I hope you don't mess up this chance." She thought the walk back home was going to be a peaceful one…but the sound of someone gargling water unfortunately caught her attention. When she looked over…she saw Daryan's upper body sprawled out along the ground, while his lower half was stuck in the river. "…How did…"

"Glug….." Daryan was clearly unconscious and probably drowning. Even though Kagura was unaware of this…Gaia did report that Daryan got swept away in a river.

"….." Kagura stared at Daryan for…a while. She was debating if she should just leave him there to drown or actually help him. The mermaid was leaning towards just walking off, but she could hear Erza in her head being a moral compass.

" _Don't leave him there! Help him!"_

"…..Ugh." Sighing, Kagura walked towards Daryan and pulled him out of the water and onto his back. "I don't want to do this…" She pressed her hands against his chest, administering basic CPR. But he didn't respond. "Oh no…" At this rate, she was going to have to do it. Kagura let out a heavy sigh and moved her hair to the side, leaning down slowly….

The closer she got, the more annoyed she was. But Kagura was going to save his life simply because it was the right thing to do…no matter how the person involved made her feel. Kagura was so close…and that's when her hair ended up brushing against his nose and his nose twitched. "Ah….." Kagura immediately moved back and Daryan sneezed, coughing a little water up in the process. "Oh man…"

"Y-You were conscious the whole time!?" Kagura now had an embarrassed and angered expression on her face.

"Uh…maybe." Daryan shrugged, laughing casually after.

"You were going to lie there and let me put my lips on you when you were fully conscious?" Kagura lifted a brow, instinctively reaching for her sword once more. The limits of her patience today were exceeded by this man alone and she was ready to cut him down once and for all.

"…I'll be honest, I wanted to see if you were going to do it or not. But I'm glad to know that you care enough to actually save my life! I certainly would have drowned if not for you! So you're a life saver Kagura-chan~"

"That's it." Kagura stood up, a fierce aura flaring around her body as she drew her sword. "Today's your last day. I don't have time for this."

"Come on, don't be like that!" Daryan said with a laugh. "Allow me to at least reward you…" And before he could finish, Kagura actually aimed a downward slice at Daryan. While he did manage to avoid it, the suddenness of it caused him to squeal. "EEEEEEK!"

Kagura lifted a brow at the girlish sound that came out of Daryan's mouth. "…You want to try that again as a man this time?"

"F-For a second there, it seemed like you were trying to kill me…!" Daryan said with a cold sweat.

"I was." Kagura narrowed her eyes and took another swing, but this one also missed. Eventually she gave up because she remembered she didn't have the time for this. "Forget it. Just go back home already. Fiore isn't the place to be right now."

Daryan lifted a brow, tilting his head at Kagura's words. Considering he was half filled with water for who knows how long, he was understandably out of the loop. "Eh? What's going on here now? Can I help?"

"No." Kagura shook her head and started to walk off. "This is no place for you."

But the annoyances kept coming. Marisa rushed into the scene, pointing at Kagura with a comical malicious grin. "I told you I'd slip out of those trees!"

"You can't be serious…" Kagura groaned. "It's one thing after another today…I shouldn't have stepped outside today."

"Eh? Who's that? Your boyfriend?" Marisa pointed at Daryan. "I can sense emotions, and you definitely feel some type of way about this trash can…"

"Wh-!?" Daryan's eyes widened. "Trash can!? Who do you think you are!?"

"And you…" Marisa narrowed her eyes at Daryan some more. "Ew…I can sense that you feel way too lovey dovey about this chick. What do you even see in her and those gray hairs?"

"Gray hairs…?" A brow twitched from the Mermaid. If Marisa was trying to get on her nerves, it was working. "Two people in one swing…I think I can manage that…"

"Now now…" Marisa drew a circle in the air. "You two seem like you're at odds. You should really get to know each other." Snap! On that cue, two magic bands appeared on the wrists of Kagura and Daryan – Magulity Bands at that. "There. Can't you really feel for one another?"

"What the…?" Kagura waved her hand around, trying to shake the band off of her. "What is this…?"

"A perk of a lost magic." Marisa's girn widened. "I have to admit…raw damage isn't my specialty, but I'm sure great at making people feel their feelings! And you two seem like you have a lot to work out…but if you really want if off, all you have to do is beat me."

"Geez…" Daryan let out a quiet groan. "My stomach suddenly hurts…I don't think I ate anything bad when floundering about…" Pain aside, he summoned a large bone to use as a weapon.

"I want this thing off…" Kagura was forced into this and she was going to make it quick. Both she and Daryan took a step forward, only to be completely uncoordinated and crashed into one another. "Oof…! Don't get in my way…"

"You kinda stepped in my way, Kagura-chan…" Daryan said with a pained groan. "I forgive you, though…"

"Ah…how uncoordinated. I wonder how you two will survive stuck together like this." Marisa hummed.

"Stuck? I don't think so…" Kagura pushed Daryan away and proceeded to sprint forward. With the distance closed she prepared to finish this in a single blow…but as soon as she got a few feet away from Daryan, a pink line shone from the band on her wrist and connected to Daryan's, forcibly pulling her away and back into him. "Tch…!"

"Whoa!" Daryan was now sprawled on the ground with Kagura on top of him. "There's a time and place…"

"Did I not mention…with this special sense link, you two can't get too far away from each other, otherwise it'll be problematic." A blast of pink magic was shot forth from the woman's palm, exploding against the two mages. The blast was so strong, both Kagura and Daryan ended up falling into the powerful river, which carried them downstream. "Oh…and there they go. Oh well…they'll have plenty of time to bond with one another….and if they can't, oh well."

.

.

Lucy was surrounded on all sides, council soldiers pointing their various elemental weapons at her. They were all waiting for Ryusei's orders, and he was waiting for Lucy's actions. The warden was calm and collected, watching the unstable blonde carefully. As Emmearude said, she was to be dealt with as efficiently as possible. "This is your last chance." Ryusei stated. One move and he was ready to fire.

"Why…won't you leave me alone…I can't…" Lucy brought her hands up to hug herself. Lambda's aura continued to expand, draining the magic from everything within the immediate radius to feed into her. "You have to…go away…before you all get hurt…"

"She's far too gone, sir!" A soldier exclaimed.

"Permission to fire?!"

"If she won't comply, then we've no choice but to take action." Ryusei swiped his hand forward, creating a plethora of raw magic shaped bullets. "Fortissimo." And the bullets began to fly across the sky towards Lucy, relentlessly pelting the blond with miniature explosions. "We're taking her by force! But be careful and keep your distance!"

"Agh!" Lucy brought an arm up to defend against the incoming bullets. She really wasn't trying to fight back, but Lambda wasn't giving her an option. These councilmen were in their way and that couldn't be forgiven. "Stop…STOP!" The aura expanded rapidly and it was getting much larger in the process.

" _Destroy them!"_ Lambda's voice echoed in Lucy's head. Her eyes flashed an intense red and she swung her arm forward, causing several explosions on the spot that knocked multiple councilmen backwards.

"As the report said…she's extremely dangerous. Hit her with the Nullification beams!" Ryusei commanded.

"Yes sir!" The men behind Lucy fired off a large beam of Nullification magic from their weapons. The idea was to block Lucy and Lambda's magic to make them much easier to capture. The beams struck Lucy's back, forcing her forward a few steps.

It looked like it may have worked as the markings on Lucy's body receded for a brief moment…but then they returned, the magic that was used on them simply being absorbed into her body. "Huh?" Ryusei raised a brow. "That should have worked…unless…"

Lucy placed her hand on the ground, forming an obsidian magic seal that oozed a red mist. The area rapidly fogged up, obscuring everyone's view. "I need…more magic…" Lucy breathed out heavily. Black tendrils shot out from the seal, wrapping around the nameless council soldiers and she instantly began to drain their magic to feed into her own body. "Ngh…"

" _Yes…more…more….more…"_ Lambda was soaking in the magic it had Lucy absorb. Even though in the end, Lucy was the host body, but she was losing control of her body to Lambda with each passing second.

"This goes far beyond human level…" Ryusei was still calm, surveying and assessing the situation. A black tendril rose up to wrap around him, but he easily shot it down with a beam of magic. "We're going to pull back and try again with another plan!" While he said that, most of his men were tied up. With their magic gone, life force was next.

"Dance my blades!" From above, a rain of swords rapidly fell from the sky, slicing several tendrils to force them to release the council men. Cards appeared as well, cutting through the remains to free those trapped. Erza and Cana ironically appeared on the scene at the same from separate areas. "Get your men out of here!" Erza demanded.

"They all lined up to be arrested…" Ryusei had to play this situation carefully. He was a clever man and had to use his men well. Erza and Cana came for Lucy…and if he played his cards right, he could capture all three of them at once. "Men, we're falling back!" Those that were able to move followed the Warden out of the area.

"Lucy…!?" Cana's eyes widened upon finally landing on Lucy. She looked awful…! "What happened to you…?"

Lucy turned at the sound of Cana's voice. Her eyes widened as her guild mates found her, much to her chagrin. "N-No! Cana…! Erza…stay back! I can't…hold it back…it hurts…" Her body moved on its own, first unleashing a pitch black sphere of magic directly at Cana.

Cana took a leap to the side, avoiding the sphere as it exploded violently near her. "Geez…! That Lambda thing must be taking its toll on her…" Cana tugged at her jacket sleeves. She had a secret weapon hidden there, but this was not the time to use it. The last thing she wanted to do was attack a guild mate, no matter the condition they were in. "Erza, can you hold her down!?"

"Right!" Erza darted forward in her Flight Armor, circling around Lucy with its intense speeds. Just when Lucy was dazed, Erza snuck up behind her and quickly changed into her Giant's Armor, clasping her arms around Lucy to restrain her. "Calm down Lucy! We're here to help you!"

Lucy began to struggle in Erza's grip. This was the same event that happened at the border fortress, but it was with much more urgency now. "ERZA…! Please! Let me go!" Lucy's aura flared against her will. Lambda was growing irriated and forced a Stardress change directly into Taurus. Normally the physical might may have been enough to give Erza a bit of a hard time, but this time Lucy broke out instantly and Erza stumbled backwards. Lucy then swung her whip at the ground, causing several explosions of raw magic strong enough to blow even Erza back!

"I don't want to do this…" Cana tossed a card down at Lucy's feet, mostly to distract her. "Prayer's Fountain!" The card spewed water in all directions. Lucy was aware of this card and jumped backwards to evade it, which only left her open for Cana's real trick. "Time to go to sleep!" The Sleep Card was used, tossed right at Lucy's face. The card shone brightly, releasing a cloud of sleep magic.

"…!" Lucy's eyes widened for a split second before growing extremely heavy. "…Ngh…No…" She staggered around, fighting the effects of the sleep inducing magic.

"I think you got her…" Erza stated, but kept her guard up.

Lucy started to succumb to the sleep. Her body started to fall forward, but that's when a black tendril rose from the ground to stab her in the side. The reaction was a scream of pain that jolted her right up, while Erza and Cana stood wide eyed. The wound inflicted immediately healed and Lucy was wide awake now, panting heavily as a result. Red sparks danced around her body for a moment and she let out a shriek of pain. "Agh! Stay away from me! Both of you…!"

"We're trying to help you!" Cana exclaimed worriedly. "We're your nakama, you can count on us! We're going to kick that stupid virus out of you one way or another…!"

"I…I can't fight it…" Lucy's arms dropped to her sides. It was sudden, but a large shockwave emanated from the magic seal present, causing Erza and Cana to topple over.

" _You'd best stay out of my way."_ Lambda's voice came from Lucy's mouth. And without a trace…Lucy vanished along with the magic seal and the fog.

"Wait..!" Cana's legs felt week for some reason. "Damn it..!"

"She slipped away…" Erza grunted. However, before either woman could stand up straight, a pair of magic sealing cuffs was slapped on them. "Huh!?"

"What the hell!?" Cana squirmed.

"The main target escaped…" Ryusei shrugged. "But we caught two Fairies in the process. Erza Scarlet…Cana Alberona…you two are officially under arrest. I've been given orders to take any member of Fairy Tail barring Lucy directly to the Stronghold. I hope you two are prepared for a long trip."

.

.

"This way!" Sophie was sprinting in the direction Lambda's energy spiked. Emmeraude and Knightwalker found themselves running at full speed just to keep up with Sophie. "Lambda's energy spike in this direction just a few moments ago! They're close!"

"A spike in energy…? That may not be good for darling Lucy…" Emmeraude mumbled. "If it was this easy to detect, that means a large amount of power must have been used…and with 22 hours remaining…I believe that she may have just cut that time in half."

"I don't understand everything that's going on here…" Knightwalker glanced at Emmeraude. "But the Lucy of this world is on a timer, correct? So you're having me chase her down with you before time is up?"

"Indeed." Emmeraude responded. "Long story short…that girl stole something of mine that doesn't belong to her, and now she's paying the consequences with her life. But once we find her…not a soul in this world will be able stop me." But the Queen then came to a halt.

Sophie stopped running, turning around with a raised brow. "Lambda is close. Aren't you coming?"

"I'll catch up. You go ahead." Emmeraude waved Sophie off and she kept running.

"Why did you stop?" Knightwalker questioned.

"Because…don't you know it's rude to watch a lady from afar?" Emmeraude turned in the direction of a few trees. Jellal stepped forward and Knightwalker's eyes widened for a moment.

"Jellal…" She whispered….only to remember where exactly she was. The aggression immediately increased and she gripped her spear tightly. "No…you're…the other Jellal."

"I am not Mystogan…" Jellal said, even though Knightwalker was more than aware of this fact.

"You wanted to go home, yes?" Emmeraude started to walk off, playing the message that Ryusei sent to her.

" _We've captured Erza Scarlet and Cana Alberona! We are transferring them as we speak. Lucy escaped, but she is still within the vicinity."_

"…!" Jellal's eyes widened at this message.

"You wish to save her, don't you?" Emmeraude had a coy smile on her lips. "I'll ask this once…but if you abide by my word, I can clear your sins and you'll be a free man. Work for me and I can make your dreams come true…you won't have to worry about anything weighing on your oh so heavy heart. What do you say?"

Jellal remained silent for a moment before eventually shaking his head. "My sins…are not to be cleared for your convenience. Maybe one day I can live as a free man…but as far as I'm concerned, that day isn't today."

"Suit yourself. I offered you the easy way out." Emmeraude shrugged as she distanced herself from the scene, intentionally leaving Knightwalker behind. "Knightwalker…if you wish to go home, I ask that you execute this man here and now. The man who shares the same face of the King you follow back in Edolas…if you slaughter him here and now, then I will take you back home myself."

Knightwalker's body shook…was it in anger? Anticipation of finally having the chance to go home? It was hard to tell. But to fight someone that shared Jellal's face…a sinister sneer crossed her lips at last. She could go home…all she had to do was kill the man before her. "…Very well."

Jellal felt the sweat bead on his forehead. He was fighting Erza…or rather, someone just like Erza. Same face and everything…would he be able to do that…? His hand clenched into a fist in response. "It appears as though…I have no choice but to fight you, Erza…"

.

.

Laxus and the Raijinshu were caught up dealing with Fullbright's group. For someone who acted goofy and was completely on the side of lawful good, his squadron of anti-magic units was surprisingly tough. Laxus didn't bat an eye and reared his arm back before shooting it forward, a yellow magic seal forming in front of him which unleashed an enlarged version of his fist coated in lightning. "Breakdown Fist!" This fist flew forward, exploding against the council soldiers. "Listen here. We don't have time to play around with someone who stole the last cookie from the jar. Get out of our way."

"You'd do well to listen to him." Freed said with his blade drawn. "We have no intentions of harming anyone…we're simply looking for our lost comrade. If you are to hold us up any longer…"

"Then you are going to suffer the consequences…" Bickslow eyes shone beneath his mask.

"And receive a punishment far worse than death." Evergreen finished off the statement. "If you wish to continue this little farce any longer…then you're going to give us no choice but to play rough. We're against the world, but for the sake of our comrade, that's fine with us. I can petrify the mouths of those who do ill to Fairy Tail, you know…"

"H-How noble!" Fullbright had comical tears flowing from his eyes. "Fighting against the world for your friend…it's truly a Just cause! However…it is unjust of me to let you go freely! Under the Queen's orders, I must capture and bring you into custody!" Fullbright then unleashed several chains from the magic seal behind him, all of them laced with anti-magic.

"You wouldn't know…but the Queen is the true enemy! She's been playing Fiore as fools for months now!" Freed sprinted forward, slicing through Fullbright's chains with his sword before skidding to a halt. "That's why we are taking it upon ourselves to do this battle."

"The Queen is the enemy? That's dangerous talk!" Fullbright then gestured to his men, all of them pointing anti-magic weaponry at the Raijinshu. "Men! Take them down!"

"For justice, sir!" The soldiers exclaimed, firing off powerful beams of anti-magic from their weapons.

"Rune Magic!" Freed swung his blade once more, creating a barrier of rune magic to protect his team from the anti-magic. "Bickslow! Evergreen!"

"Hyahahaha! No need to tell us twice!" Bickslow flipped backwards, landing on his dolls which were all in a line formation. "Babies! Line formation!" The dolls then unleashed rapid fire beams of Seith magic, exploding against the Councilmen.

Evergreen's wings sprouted from her back and she took to the air, swinging her fan forward to unleash multiple needles of light down upon the council soldiers. "Fairy Machine: Leprechaun!" Combined with her aerial mobility, she was proving to be a real nuisance to the soldiers who couldn't land a hit on her.

"This is your last chance." Laxus raised a fist, lightning crackling dangerous around it. "You have three seconds to think about if you want to keep standing in our way or not. If you don't move, then I'll move you myself."

Fullbright had a slight sweat drop on his forehead, but he continued with his job nonetheless. "Your threats don't scare true JUSTICE! It is my job to ensure no evil-doers roam the land! And as we speak, the evil Lucy is causing harm!"

"Well, there's my answer." Laxus shook his head and allowed his Lightning Body to take over, lunging at Fullbright with full speed.

.

.

After reaching the destroyed remains of Tartarus Castle, Mira began to walk through the area slowly, but cautiously. There was a sense of unease building up in her…but it was probably Sayla subconsciously responding to the sensation of her old hideout. "The demons…haven't been rebuilding. Perhaps we're really done with them for good…"

"Humans…they continue to run amok in my home…" Marde's voice came from afar. Mira was nearly startled, but she kept a firm expression. The demon sat on his throne but smiled nonetheless, still possessing that accursed Mirror of Truth with Rose inside.

"You…" Mira clenched her hand into a fist. Was she going to have to fight him?

Marde stood up from his seat. There was no maliciousness in his aura as he approached Mirajane, just a calm smile. "There was another who came not too long ago…carrying those foul insects you'd call siblings. I'd have a mind to destroy them all on the spot…but I think it would be much more entertaining to see you slaughter one another."

" _Yeah! Let them all burn!"_ Rose shouted from the mirror, sneering at Mirajane.

"….You're not going to get in my way, are you?" Mira questioned. "Natsu and Gray did take care of you, so I would be able to as well."

"I have no need to." Marde smiled while staring at Mira. "Your incompetence in thinking you can absorb a full Etherious will be your undoing. Sayla, it's time you wake up,"

Mira felt a pulsing sensation inside her. Sayla subconsciously responded within her body and Mira's body jolted in response. "…?!"

"As I thought. Sayla has yet to be fully taken over by your disgusting magic. The more she resists, the more your body will suffer. You are aware that Takeover works both ways, correct? You will lose your control and Sayla will have your body. Tartarus will resurge from this point on and continue to follow Lord Zeref." With a content grin, Marde walked off…he was only a spectator and was curious to see the results.

The words the King of Hades spoke did ring true, however. There were times when Sayla's consciousness did hold Mira back…but now wasn't the time to worry about that. Her search continued for Elfman and Lisanna…who she eventually found. "Elfman… ! Lisanna!" Mria climbed over the rubble to her siblings, noticing they both were in some sort of trance. "Are you two okay…?!"

"Hey hey!" Ross exclaimed from above. The man landed down so strong there was a crater in the ground from impact. "Emmeraude knew you'd show up! But alone? That's pretty reckless!"

"My siblings needed me." Mira said with an evil stare. "If you continue to stand in my way any longer, I'll have to destroy you."

"Ha!" Ross laughed, slapping his knee. "What better place to slay a demon than the home of demons? That one guy gave off a nasty aura…he said he's gonna spectate, but I'm pretty sure he's the type of demon to kill the winner, too." The man was so casual about the situation and setting.

Mira wasn't having this sort of attitude. Her siblings were right there and needed to be saved. A sphere of darkness was launched in Ross' direction, but he swiftly evaded it and instead kicked Elfman into its path. Mira's eyes widened and she denoted the sphere prematurely to avoid hurting her sibling. "…!"

"Heheh…" Ross grinned, wrapping his arm around Lisanna's shoulders. "You sure you wanna fight me when your siblings are in the line of fire? Don't fret, little demon. I'll make a nice meal out of you…"

In that instant, a flash of lightning struck Mira's thigh. She grimaced noticeably as this was pain she hadn't felt before. "H-Huh…?"

"The name's Ross. Emmeraude's battle hungry unit member and Lightning Demon Slayer. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

.

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Next Time: For You.


	151. Chapter 151: For You

Darkness. Hisui's consciousness was submerged in complete darkness after being stabbed by Emmeraude. It didn't make any sense to her, but when she was alone with her thoughts; she had plenty of time to think about it. All the memories falsely implanted in her head started to fade away, replaced with the truth of what happened. Emmeraude barged into the throne room sat on the throne, simple as that. Everything went fuzzy from that point on. How long was she out? No clue. But she did jolt awake in a cold sweat. "…Father?!"

"AH!" Tia squealed as Hisui jolted awake. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack!?"

"W-Where am I…?" Hisui frantically looked around, breathing unevenly.

"You're in a hotel room." Heartless stated calmly. "Breathe. You're unharmed."

"I…" Hisui calmed down, but her heart was still racing. "I remember now…Emmeraude she…she…"

"We know." Ace was leaning against the wall. "She's not Fiore's Queen. Your father has likely been imprisoned somewhere as well. As deceitful as she may be, it's clear she's not the type to kill someone. So your father is safe…and that Arcadios dude should be too."

"I see…" Hisui tried to stand up, but felt her chest ache. "Ngh…"

Tia eased Hisui back onto the bed. "Calm down. Just because it wasn't a fatal injury doesn't mean you can move about freely. It was still a deep stab wound."

"But I…I can't sit here. My country is in turmoil…" Hisui sat up again, causing Tia to roll her eyes. "I am the only one who can take the country back from Emmeraude…"

"Which is strange." Heartless said. "Because you and your father are the only two who pose a threat to her status as Queen. But instead of imprisoning you…she kept you around. She could have killed you at Fairy Tail, too. But instead she painted an extremely convincing picture. It's clear that she cares about you too much."

Hisui stared down at her hands, clenching them into fists. "She…said she thought of me as a daughter. She told me about her mother, and how everything she's doing is for her sake. I believed it all…or rather, she forced me to believe it. I was played for a fool…and now my kingdom is paying the price."

"Allow us to bring you back up to speed, Princess." Tia stood up. "Lucy has been infected by a virus Emmeraude made…"

"The Lambda Virus, I know that much." Hisui turned her attention to Tia. "She told me that it was essentially her life's work…"

"Ah…" Tia blinked a few times. She honestly didn't think Emmeraude kept Hisui that close into the loop. "W-Well…Lucy hasn't been seen since a mission Team Natsu returned from…and after you were stabbed, Fairy Tail was put into some serious heat. The Council is after them…and I wouldn't be surprised if every guild in the country came after their necks."

"Ngh…" Hisui made up her mind. She stood up immediately, but her legs buckled and she brought a hand to her chest. "Ah.."

"Did my words just go in one ear and out the other with you?" Tia groaned and turned her back, not even helping Hisui as she ended up falling back onto the bed. "Seriously…"

"I need to retake my kingdom…" Hisui groaned. "Please…will you help me…?"

"I'm afraid we can't." Heartless shook her head. "The other countries have already spoken on the matter…or rather, they haven't. I doubt that Queen Vena would like us to get involved in Fiore affairs like this….the most we could do was ensure that you didn't die."

"I see…" Hisui understood the situation, but her expression didn't waver. "Then I will do what I can to ensure Fiore is taken back. Emmeraude will not do as she pleases with my country or my people." There was a fiery aura around the Princess that burned with determination! But after taking a good look at herself, she looked a little worse for wear; her hair was disheveled, she was clothed with a hotel robe with bandages around her chest, and she looked tired. It was a little amusing and took away from her little speech. "Uh…I don't look very presentable to the public do I?"

"Not at all, Your Highness." Tia shook her head. "Not at all."

.

.

The blue haired Commandant from the border fortress watched the ensuing chaos in Fiore. The man sighed, but had a smile on his face. "Every time I come to this country it's always wrapped in some sort of turmoil. But I must admit, Emmeraude…you've truly outdone yourself this time. Nobody ever expected the exiled traitor to resort to such a grand scheme. I'd almost call this impressive if you didn't have the little snags in your plan…" The man then opened his book up, tracing his finger along the pages. "No matter. I, Zell of Pergrande's 13 Commandants will clean up this mess….and then there is the matter of the other traitor to deal with….that red-headed fiend…"

.

.

After escaping from both the Council and the hands of her own guild mates, Lucy just continued to wander. She wasn't exactly sure where she was going as most of her body just moved on Lambda's command. The blonde appeared to be in pain, and even though she tried to reach for her key ring, she couldn't. "Ugh…it hurts…"

"LAMBDA!" Sophie's voice from nearby caused Lucy to turn. A bright pink sphere of Photon Magic was barreling right for her! Lucy brought her arm up and managed to swat it away since she was still in her Taurus Stardress. But as soon as she did so, Sophie herself lunged forward with a punch aimed for her gut! Lucy moved to the side, only to be caught by Sophie's foot instead, tumbling along the ground in pain.

"Agh…" Lucy dug her fingers into the dirt, breathing out heavily. "Just…leave me…alone…" Sophie's magic did what it was made for: suppressing Lambda. This was clear as the markings on Lucy's body receded for a little bit.

"Excellent work, Protos Heis." Emmeraude clapped her hands together. "Now…can you be a dear and wrap her in an aura of your magic?"

"Yes." Sophie nodded and extended her hands forward. Pink energy wrapped around Lucy's body, suppressing the effects of Lambda while also binding Lucy.

"Such a good girl…" Emmeraude smiled to Sophie before turning to Lucy. "Now…it's been quite some time since we've met, Lucy Heartfilia. How are you feeling?"

"Kill me…" Lucy responded while shutting her eyes. The red aura around her body was counteracted by Sophie's magic. "It hurts…so much…I can't…"

"Ah…so you've fallen into the despair stage." Emmeraude shook her head and sighed. A sneer then crossed her lips and her heel rose before stomping harshly on the ground next to Lucy's head. "That's what happens when you steal something that doesn't belong to you! You have some nerve, parading around with my years of hard work inside your body!" And here it was…while Emmeraude was normally calm and composed…she was extremely irritated that Lucy foiled her plans all those months ago. "It's because of you that I've been set back for months!"

"I…" Lucy gasped out, growling lowly.

"But it's okay." Emmeraude then knelt down, giving Lucy a soft smile. "I forgive you. It's also thanks to you that I was forced to unveil my ace in the hole…I was a little worried about this country's state of affairs, but I've done a wonderful job as Queen, don't you think? Now…if you come with me, I can help you. I can make all the pain go away and remove that wretched Lambda from your body once and for all." Emmeraude's hand extended to Lucy; using the same tone of voice she had when asking Knightwalker to join her. "Just come with me…and we can end this little charade once and for all. What say you?"

Lucy stared up at Emmeraude with her red eyes. For a moment she started to reach out…only to pull her hand back of her own accord. "N-no…I can't…"

That was…not the response Emmeraude was expecting. The emerald queen lifted a brow, keeping her hand extended just in case. "You…can't? Now…pray tell…why is that?"

"B-Because…I know…what you're trying to do…" Lucy writhed on the ground, but managed to bring herself up to all fours. "Lambda…told me everything…and it's because of that…that I can't let you have it. That…would put everyone in danger."

"…Oh?" Emmeraude's hand was drawn back and she stood back up. Her heel raised and immediately slammed into Lucy's side, forcing the blonde back into the ground. "How….how dare you!?" Emmeraude's actions didn't stop; her heel continued to crush Lucy's sides. "I offer my hand to assist you, and you deny it!? You, who stole my life's work, now have the audacity to refuse to give it back to me!? I am your QUEEN! Your comrades are already in danger because of you! If you don't hand over Lambda to me right this second, I will make Fairy Tail's life a living hell from this point on!" She then kicked Lucy over onto her stomach. "Protos Heis."

"Yes." Sophie nodded. Lambda's response to Emmeraude's assault was to increase Lucy's aura, but Sophie intensified the barrier to keep Lambda in check. Since the magic between the two was the same, but on opposite spectrums, this was one magic that Lambda couldn't absorb. The effectiveness was starting to show as for a moment, Lambda's form could be seen from outside of Lucy's body, but no more than that. "…Lambda isn't coming out. I think…he's stuck."

"Oh…." Emmeraude nodded slowly. "I see…the experiment was never complete after all. But I understand what's going on here. It appears as though they've truly been bound for too long. Lambda can't leave her body willingly…and she can't expel him. Even Protos Heis can't seem to remove him without extensive damage to the subject's body…" All things considered…Emmeraude didn't exactly _want_ to kill Lucy, she just wanted Lambda back. Emmeraude knew more than anything than sacrifice was needed for the world she envisioned, but she also knew the difference between throwing people away and meaningful sacrifices. The gray clouds overhead finally started a downpour and the rain fell.

"…Should I…?" Sophie asked.

"No…not yet…" Emmeraude shook her head. "There are other ways. First I need assess the situation some more."

Lucy glared at Emmeraude while gritting her teeth. The aura around her flared in Sophie's moment of distraction, shattering the barrier and allowing Lucy to be free. She jumped back, switching to her Sagittarius Stardress and unleashed a plethora of arrows. Normally the arrows would shine bright…but in this case, they were tainted with darkness and all flew towards Emmeraude. "Get away from me…!"

"Don't give me that stare, Lamdba." Emmeraude summoned her chain-whip sword, swinging it around with precision to destroy the arrows before they could cause her arm. A larger arrow, a blast of darkness was unleashed and soared towards Emmeraude. The woman remained calm and placed her hand forward and 'crushed' the beam with her Crash Magic. Lucy seemed incredibly surprised by this outcome. "Why are you acting so surprised? I made you after all."

"You didn't _MAKE_ me!" Lucy exclaimed, but judging by the tone of voice, it was Lambda using her body to communicate. _"You captured me…and turned me into some monster that craves destruction…and now I plan to do just that."_

"You intend to defy me until the end, do you?" Emmeraude shook her head slowly. "You're cruel. I see what you're after. I don't want to use Protos Heis to remove you from that girl's body…because there is a strong chance she could die in the process. But you can't leave her body on your own either…so you're gathering as much magic as you can with her body while also forcing her to use it, thus reducing the time she has left to live. She's resisting you all the while…this isn't the intended outcome I had in mind. Lucy's state of despair and depression is your doing…and despite all of that, she still wants to protect you from me. Am I really that threatening."

 _"You are one of the most dangerous individuals I've ever seen."_ Lambda spat.

"If I have to play the villain for the sake of my mother and a better world…then so be it. I refuse to rule this world by power and needless sacrifice." Emmeraude didn't sneer…but smiled. "You will be mine, no matter how far she tries to run. Port Hargeon won't save you."

That made Lucy's eyes widened. Her plan was already unraveled? "Tch…" But her body released a sphere of darkness into the ground, causing an explosion with a large cloud of smoke to use as cover and run off.

"If you want to save your comrades…then you'd do best to come with me before your time is up." Emmeraude waved her hand, now contacting those at Port Hargeon. "This is your Queen speaking. Don't allow any ship to sail." Despite how Sophie felt about the matter, they started to walk off. "Come…we're returning to the castle."

"Are you sure…?" Sophie asked.

"Indeed." Emmeraude nodded. "If she truly wants to save her friends, she'll come to us. I already have a plan to remove Lambda from her without killing her. She's reached the despair stage…which was the final stage of all the other test subjects. Once they reached this stage, they craved for death. Her current outlook isn't really her fault…but she is by the one who's lasted the longest in this stage. If she wants any hope of being free from Lambda, she needs to find her will to live first. It's a real shame…she would have been the perfect final test subject…"

.

.

Knightwalker's Silfarion spear allowed her to keep pace with Jellal's Meteor. Even though he was still faster than she was, he wasn't able to completely shake her off his tail. Realizing this, the sinner turned around, tracing his finger along the air to create five stars in front of him. "Heavenly Body Magic…Pleiades!" The stars spiraled into the air before coming down onto Knightwalker.

"This magic…?!" Knightwalker hadn't seen anything like this before. Thanks to her spear, she was able to evade the falling stars. Their power was noted as they created large craters within the ground. The knight narrowed her eyes before pushing forward, using her spear's attributes to close the distance where she shifted to the Mel-Force spear and released a powerful vacuum burst of wind upon Jellal.

"Hm…" Jellal used Meteor to evade the incoming tornado. That spell was always troublesome for his opponents and this remained true for Knightwalker, noted by the scowl on her face. Jellal closed in, releasing a point blank blast of Heavenly Body magic at Knightwalker. This was a direct hit and Knightwalker was sent backwards, skidding across the ground with some damages. "The same, but different…" He muttered.

"You as well…" Knightwalker growled. It admittedly made her feel strange to battle Jellal considering her loyalty to the one in Edolas. But fighting this Jellal gave her the chance to finally go home after all this time! Those feelings of weakness were pushed aside! Home! That was the only thing on her mind. "But that doesn't matter! I have to return home!" Knightwalker yelled, switching to Blue Crismon. A blast of fire and ice was unleashed at Jellal with malicious intent.

"Erza…!" Jellal swiped his hand forward, creating a barrier to shield from the incoming elemental assault. The barrier held, but as soon as it broke, Knightwalker was on her prey with the Explosion spear. A direct explosion landed against Jellal, sending him flying backwards, but he was able to recover by sliding along the ground. "Ngh…!" Jellal couldn't help but hold back. He knew he wasn't fighting the Erza who meant so much to him…but this woman…she had Erza's face, and felt a strange connection to her regardless. It was for that reason he was holding back. He had no desire to fight her. "Do you truly want to continue this fight!?"

"Why do you care?" Knightwalker asked while switching to the standard form. A series of stabs were aimed at Jellal's person, and he had to step backwards to avoid being impaled. "This isn't about you. This is about me finally having the chance to return home! I don't care if you have his face…I will go home!" The standard formed turned into Explosion once again. A point blank blast was aimed at Jellal,

Jellal was fast enough to avoid the explosion. When he jumped back, nine blades of Heavenly Body magic formed behind him, all of them pointed at Knightwalker. "Nine Thunder Stars!" These blades rushed forward, all aiming to converge on Knightwalker and explode violently.

Knightwalker didn't budge; her spear changed to the Gravity Core, where a pitch black sphere of gravity formed at the tip of her weapon and was shot forward. This orb of gravity consumed the Nine Thunder Stars into its endless void and the collision of magic resulted in an explosion that blew both parties away. "Ngh…!" Knightwalker tumbled along the wet ground before stabbing her weapon to halt her momentum. "Damn you…!"

Jellal caught himself, letting out a few heavy breaths. Considering this woman was Erza, he wasn't surprised she was putting up one hell of a fight. But because she was Erza, he wanted to believe that he could extend his hand to her. "I can tell that you don't want to continue this fight, Erza. In truth, I don't want to either."

"Why are you using that tone with _me_?" Knightwalker grit her teeth, using her Gravity Core once again to charge an even bigger sphere of gravity. Everything in the immediate radius was pulled into this gigantic black hole, even nearby trees were being uprooted by the raw power of Knightwalker's spear. "I am NOT the Erza of your world, so there is no reason for you to talk to me like this!"

Jellal remained unfazed. He had to dig his heels into the ground to prevent from being sucked in, but his gaze never wavered from Knightwalker's own. "You aren't the Erza I know, that's true. But you two are extremely similar despite that. You both are strong…and though you are different, you both share that passionate spirit inside of you. I know your wish is to return to Edolas at any and all costs…but you needn't resort to this to return home."

Knightwalker's body began to shake in anger the more Jellal spoke. Each comparison about her and Scarlet just pissed her off! "Stop…comparing me to her!" That sphere of gravity continued to grow in size, now radiating a dangerous amount of power. The ground started to crack apart and shatter. But for some reason…all Knightwalker could really bring herself to do was yell at Jellal. If she truly wanted to off him, she would have fired already.

"You two are different, but your hearts are the same." Jellal said. "You wish to go home…and I only want to help you in that endeavor. I know she would, too."

"She's the reason I'm here! That damned scientist used me…and now Emmeraude has offered me the chance to return home. What do you want me to do, Jellal? Huh?" For a moment, she lost her sense of rational thought. She thought she was talking to her Jellal…and she realized this mistake.

"You don't have to tread down the path of darkness." Jellal shook his head, now allowing himself to be pulled in by the gravity. It was the only way to get closer and to prove his point. "I know it was Hyde who corrupted you in the first place, but because you're Erza, I believe you're strong enough to overcome that darkness. All you need is a little push. I doubt you really want to return home like this, do you?"

Knightwalker remained silent. What Jellal said was true in a sense…she'd do anything to return home, but there was a part of her that didn't want to come home with blood on her hands; at least not the man who looked like the King she was trying to return to. Before her initial conflict with Erza in Edolas, this wouldn't have even been a thought. But the words of Jellal sounded exactly like something her Jellal would say…so it was for that reason she dispersed her attack and allowed her spear to return to normal. "…Don't get the wrong idea."

Jellal let out a quiet sigh of relief. Erza would deck him for being so reckless. "…The wrong idea?"

"As I'm sure you're aware of…you share the same face as the man I call King back in my world. Killing you…would leave a bad taste in my mouth should I return home." Knightwalker turned her back to Jellal. "As such…I'll simply ask Emmeraude for another way to return me to Edolas. We made a deal…and I don't intend to go back on my word. Her methods are…a little forceful, but even I can see her intentions behind them. I don't want to smear her name with blood when she's avoiding that outcome herself."

"I see…you are a loyal knight." Jellal exhaled.

"And the rest of your crew? I know there is more than just you." Knightwalker asked while walking off, her curiosity piqued. What sort of people followed the Jellal of this world?

"I've tasked them with an important mission." Jellal said.

"I see. You and him are also the same…you have an uncanny way of getting people on your side." The knight shook her head while departing from the scene, presumably returning to Crocus where Emmeraude was likely to be as well.

"Also, huh?" Jellal had a small grin…but he couldn't grow complacent. Today was far from over. "I have to get going as well…"

.

.

Mirajane shifted to her Halphas Takeover during this battle with Ross. Dealing with a mage who specialized in slaying her takeover was going to be difficult, but there was no chance that she was going to back down because of this unfavorable matchup. Not when her siblings were on the line. The high speed of Halphas allowed her to evade numerous lightning strikes that aimed to smite her from above. "You will release my siblings this instant!" The demon demanded, firing off multiple orbs of darkness that covered a wide radius.

"No can do!" Ross shouted as he pushed off with his best foot forward. He zipped through the incoming orbs and appeared in Mira's face instantly, swinging a lightning infused haymaker at the woman's face. But Mira was also fast enough to counter with her own darkness infused punch. The collision of powers resulted in a shockwave that forced both parties to slide back.

As they flew back, Mira reacted on a time and charged cosmic-like energy which took the form of a large beam that soared towards Ross. It wasn't in her best interest to use large scale explosive attacks due to her siblings just mindlessly standing in the fray. "Elfman! Lisanna! Get out of the way, please!"

"They can't hear you!" Ross took a high leap into the air to avoid the incoming beam of magic, whistling lowly as it flew directly under him. "They're just puppets right now with me in charge of them, as Lady Emmeraude commanded." The male swiped his hand across the sky, forming multiple bolts of lightning in front of him. "Lightning Demon's Shower Rain!" The bolts of lightning zapped through the sky in large numbers, all aiming to strike Mira down where she stood.

Mira was fast enough to counter. Darkness magic formed on her hands and as soon as the bolts of lightning neared, she swiped her hand to the side to deflect the lightning into the sky. A bright explosion occurred off in the distance, but the demon was unharmed in the end. However, as soon as she deflected the lightning, Ross was already in her face. "…!"

"Lightning Demon's….SLASH!" A blade composed of lightning formed and quickly slashed Mira's side. The Demon Slaying effects really did hurt and she cried out for a moment, but not before returning fire.

"Satanic Blast!" Just after Ross slashed her, a pillar of darkness magic erupted directly under his feet, spreading far and wide. Mira was able to make full use of this power in the instant he was close to her since neither Elfman nor Lisanna were close enough to be harmed, and Ross was thrown backwards as a result. "That hurt…" She grumbled, but this pain was nothing to her in the end. She could complain about it after her siblings were safe and sound. Right now, she had the advantage and she lunged at Ross…but then the worst happened. Elfman and Lisanna stood in her way, thus halting her momentum. "Huh!?"

"Like I said…they listen to me!" Ross said while wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Lady Emmeraude needs these two to stay put…and since that is her wish, it is I who will abide by it!"

"You coward…" Mira felt her anger spike as her siblings were being used as shields!

"Sorry…but I have to make sure Emmeraude's plan comes to fruition. She's waited so long for this…I can't let even the slightest bit go sour!" Ross then inhaled slowly, lightning crackling around his mouth. "Lightning Demon's…RAGE!" From his mouth, a large blast of lightning shot forth, utterly destroying the ground with its raw power while racing for all three Strauss siblings.

"No…!" Mira acted on instinct, moving in front of her siblings while forming a shield of darkness magic to protect them. The shield held for a little before it was completely shattered, consuming the Strauss family and blowing them backwards. Mira took most of the damage to protect her siblings…and for a moment it almost looked like they wanted to reach out to her…but they just couldn't. Their minds and bodies were under Emmeraude's control still.

"Heh…" Ross stared at the cloud of smoke his attack formed. "Was that enough…?" No it wasn't! Because Mirajane emerged from the smoke in her Sitri form, flames shooting from her feet to carry her forward with incredible speed. She gripped Ross' face and proceeded to slam him through several walls, carrying him as far away as she could to keep her siblings out of the cross fire!

Marde watched the battle cautiously, although in the end he was bored. "Humans are predictable. Stifled by their own relationships to one another…"

"Yeah…" Rose scoffed. "Protecting her siblings only got her hurt more. Now she's just gonna lose. By the way, Marde-sama…you're not really just going to let them roam free after this, are you?"

"Of course not." Marde responded, a grin steadily forming on his face. "No matter the result of this bout, none of these filthy humans are going to make it out alive. Besides, Sayla should be returning to us any moment now."

"Lemme go…!" Ross gripped Mira's wrist, releasing a discharge of lightning that forced her to unhand him. A punch was thrown, but Ross evaded it and allowed lightning to surge around his fist. "Lightning Demon's…IMPACT!" CRACK! The crack of lightning and the boom of thunder echoed out as Ross made a direct hit to Mira's chest forcibly pushed her back. The demon slaying attributes were really laying into her.

But Mirajane wasn't going to stop as long as her siblings were on the line. Her hands were pushed forward, a massive blast of darkness magic shooting forth, covering a wide radius. "Soul Extinction!" And she quite literally aimed to erase Ross' soul from this place for using her siblings like this.

"Oh crap-!" There was no time for Ross to evade the attack and the massive beam of darkness exploded upon him and shook the earth to its very core. As the smoke cleared, Ross was on a knee, coughing up some blood as Mira approached him.

"I don't take kindly to you using my siblings against me…" Mira stood tall over Ross. The difference in strength was clear, even with her disadvantage.

"You seem like the type who eithers kicks ass…or gets their ass kicked…" Ross said with a dry laugh. "Go ahead…do what you must…but…" As Mira went for the finishing blow…Elfman and Lisanna charged in and attacked her! This caused Mira's eyes to widen and she jumped back to avoid hurting them. "I don't think they'll let you…"

"Elfman…!? Lisanna!?" Mira glanced between her siblings, who she couldn't dare to hurt under any circumstances.

"We're sorry…" Lisanna spoke out in a monotonous tone. For a moment she tried to hold her body back, but it ended up shifting to her Tigress Takeover while Elfman went to his Weretiger. The younger siblings then began to assault the eldest, who did nothing but dodge!

"Please stop this…! I'm trying to save you! I just need a second…!" Mira said with a frown. But to make matters worse? She could feel Sayla inside of her stirring. The spiteful Demon Gate halted Mira's movements, allowing her to get hit by her own siblings' attacks! When she wasn't defending them, they all hurt a lot and the damage started to rack up.

"See…that just might be your weakness right there. Not your siblings…but failing to do what you need to do when it counts. No hesitation!" Ross finally stood up, now sprinting forward with lightning fast speed. "If you really wanted to save them, you'd do what you have to! But you wasted your one chance!" Just then, Elfman and Lisanna stopped attacking and Ross flew past them, lightning surging dangerous about his body. "Secret Demon Slayer Art: BOLT STRIKE!" All it took was a single blow. Ross' fist took the shape of a lightning bolt and crashed into Mira's chest, a blinding flash occurring on the spot. Mirajane flew backwards, tumbling along the ground as her body reverted to normal from such a critical blow. "Ah…beautiful."

Mira was on her stomach, her vision blurry, but she could see Elfman and Lisanna standing above her. They looked sad…but their bodies betrayed their internal thoughts. "Lisanna…Elfman…I'm sorry…I couldn't protect you…" That was the last thing Mira said as her eyes started to close, fading into the depths of her consciousness.

.

.

Natsu wandered around port Hargeon with his eyes narrowed. The trail of dead grass led to this port. "She has to be around here somewhere…"

"Do you think she's nearby…?" Happy asked. "Maybe she went in another direction…?"

Natsu shook his head slowly. "No…she's here. I know it." What gave it away? His own instincts…and also the screams of people saying watch out from the tendrils shooting out from around the corner!

"Natsu! Over there!" Happy pointed.

As Happy pointed, Lucy rounded the corner, looking even worse than how she did with Emmeraude. Natsu's eyes widened and he started to rush over to Lucy without a second though. "Lucy!"

Lucy immediately responded to Natsu's voice, turning with wide eyes. "Natsu…? W-Wait…no! Get away from me!" She wanted to reach out to him for a brief second, but instead her hand unleashed a destructive sphere of raw magic that exploded immediately once within Natsu's range, but he was able to avoid it before it caused him harm.

"Whoa…!" Natsu slid off to the side, staring at Lucy with widened eyes. Her condition was so much worse than when he last saw her at the border fortress. "Lucy…are you…"

"Natsu…please…" Lucy shook her head, staggering a few steps backwards. She didn't want him of all people to see her like this. "Go away…"

"What do you mean go away!? I'm here to help you! I'm gonna get that Lambda thing out of you and then we're going to take down Emmeraude!" Natsu said with his usual determined tone. There was no way he was going to leave Lucy behind…especially when he now knew what it was that was plaguing her for so long.

 _"This man…he is unnatural. He is a threat. Eliminate him."_ Lambda sensed that something was extremely off about Natsu. What it was, it wasn't sure. But it deemed him a threat, and now was planning to take him out.

"NO! Stop! I don't want to hurt Natsu!" Lucy tried to pull herself away, but it was to no avail. Lambda was taking full control of her body and forced her to move, changing into her Cancer Stardress. Darkness wrapped around her blades and she swung them forward, sending crescent beams of raw magic forward.

Natsu found himself flipping around to avoid the slashes, growling as they exploded behind him! "What the…? What are you doing!? Leave her alone!"

"Natsu, are you okay?!" Happy asked with worry.

"Yeah…" Natsu nodded slowly while glaring at Lucy. Once again, he could make out a strange figure in the aura around her body. That had to be Lambda, the damned creature that was making Lucy suffer so. But if he wanted to fight Lambda…that meant hurting Lucy too. "Damn it...!" Before he could do anything else, Lucy was attacking him with a series of slashes. Natsu had to step back, trying to avoid actually fighting, but he didn't have a lot of say in the matter. "Lucy! Come on, you have to fight that thing! I know you can do it!"

 _"This body is currently under my control. You are a threat and must be destroyed."_ Lambda's voice came from Lucy's mouth and the aura flared around her body once more.

Natsu jumped back, clenching his hand into a fist. It didn't look like Lambda was giving him the option of simply retreating for now. "Okay…if that's how it's going to be…" Flames erupted around Natsu's body. "I don't want to hurt Lucy…but I'm going to save her too. So I'm only going to say this once…GET OUT OF HER BODY!"

.

.

Next Time: Natsu and Lucy.


	152. Chapter 152: Natsu and Lucy

Mii and Zelos ditched Correll and his band of councilmen. They didn't exactly need to fight for so long when Erza was already gone…little did they know that she had been arrested along with Cana. But they both looked carefree despite the situation at hand. The two of them took cover from the rain under some trees. "Haaaaaaa…" Mii let out an exasperated sigh. "That was a much needed workout. I should fight the law more often…"

"You're joking, right?" Zelos stared at his disheveled hair. "It ruined my hair! The ladies aren't going to fall for a guy who looks like he just got out of bed!"

"I'm surprised anyone would fall for you at all." Mii quipped with her hands behind her head. "Unlike you, I'm not looking for love."

"What ARE you looking for?" Zelos asked, as if he didn't already know the answer.

"Right now, Lucy." Mii shrugged, completely evading the question. "I don't know how many times I have to say this…but I really hate Fairy Tail. But I also don't want anything bad to happen to them." Mii placed a hand over her heart, letting out a heavy sigh. "I feel…strange when I'm around them…especially Lucy. I hate it. I hate them. I hate that happy cheer they spread throughout the guild…but I as much as I do, I owe them."

"So…I take it your cynical depression has dialed down?" Zelos questioned.

"Not a chance. In fact, it's the opposite." Mii sighed once again. "It's probably because…of what I was really sent here to do. I can't get close to them. I'm actually surprised Emmeraude didn't rat me out…but she was always like that. Such a know it all…always knowing exactly how things will turn out. That overbearing confidence oozing from her always pissed Mii off…but it also made her hot, so I'm conflicted."

To that, Zelos nodded. "Yeah, I hear you there. In a way…she's just like the person she despises. She inherited a little more than her father's power, don't you think?"

"Peh…" Mii shrugged. "Like father like daughter…but that aside. I'm nothing but a filthy traitor, but I've already accepted that. I hope they do, too. Unless they're just pretending to care so they can try and hurt me later. They'd be really cruel if that was the case."

"You're such a downer." Zelos sighed. "Where's the pep? The Mii that I know and love~?"

"As much as I hate to admit it…you're the only person I can mope to about this shit. Since we're so alike…" Was Mii…confiding in Zelos? It was strange for her to admit, but such a thing was happening nonetheless. There also appeared to be an underlying reason…but that was something only the two of them knew. "Anyway…we have a girl to hunt down. No doubt Lambda is already killing her. And if we wait too long, she'll probably walk into Emmeraude's gloved hands…I don't really like the direction things are looking…and this rain is totally bad for my hair."

"Tell me about it…" Zelos whined.

.

.

Natsu and Lucy stared one another down. It was ironic…the place where they met was now the place where they'd have to fight. The heavy rain fall only matched the mood between them. Happy had a worried and sad look on his face while Natsu grit his teeth. Of course Natsu didn't want to fight Lucy like this…but she was suffering and needed help. "….."

Lambda's aura flared around Lucy's body. Lucy pushed forward, still donning her Cancer Stardress. She reached Natsu within a matter of seconds, swinging her swords at his body once again. Natsu swayed his body while taking several steps backwards to avoid being hit. "Natsu…please…you have to get away from me!"

"No way! We're going to save you! You just have to stop pushing us away!" Natsu shouted, only to lean his head away from a slice that was very clearly aimed take his head! But he continued to act because he knew that Lucy wasn't doing this of her own free will. "You have to fight it! I know you can't!"

"I…" Lucy was unable to finish her sentence. The blades she had were the pushed together, releasing a widespread blast of magic that was eerily familiar to Luke's Black and White fusions, and it absolutely ripped through the stone street, barreling towards Natsu at unbelievable speeds.

Natsu's eyes widened at the magic coming his way. But that was only for a moment before flames protruded from the corners of his mouth. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" Parting his lips, a funnel of orange flame shot from the Salamander's mouth. The roar and blast of magic collided and immediately resulted in a large explosion! Smoke filled the port but Natsu didn't stop there; he sprinted at Lucy, flames erupting from his arms and trailed behind him. "Fire Dragon's Wing Slash!" The fire dragon flew past Lucy, striking her body with the vicious trail of flame. After sliding to a halt, he narrowed his eyes at Lucy after the direct hit. "That was Luke's magic, wasn't it…?"

Lucy grit her teeth after the direct hit. The sensation of Natsu's flames wasn't one she was unfamiliar to due to their partnership. But the burn marks on her body were healed because of Lambda, but that didn't fix the burns on her clothes. "It's…what Lambda absorbed…in the Games…" Lucy narrowly managed to respond before her body pushed off again, her Stardress changing from Cancer to Aquarius. The blonde took to the air and spread her arms apart, making use of rainfall to attack. Multiple spheres of water formed in the sky, soon tinted by darkness due to the power Lambda possessed; this caused Natsu's eyes to nearly bulge out of his head.

"What the…Lucy, knock it OOOOF…!" Before he knew it, he found himself running away from the falling spheres of water. The first sphere that landed caused a massive explosion of water, leaving a noticeable crater on the ground. "GAH!" Natsu continued to run, but he was unable to outrun the endless falling spheres and one landed right behind him, the explosion lifting him off his feet and sending him tumbling across the ground. "Ugh…"

Unfortunately Lucy wasn't done yet. Lambda persisted on fighting and her body was going to do just that by taking to the air, using the earth magic that came with Aquarius' Stardress to give the ground a watery feel. "Aqua Metria!" Spinning her arms clockwise, Lucy caused the ground to surge and swell like a tidal wave. These waves all attacked Natsu and the landscape of the port was ruined as the Salamander was caught up in all of it. With the raging land slowly dying down, Lucy gripped her arms and shook her head. "Stop this…! I…I don't want to fight Natsu…I don't want to hurt him!"

 _"He is a threat. Therefore we shall destroy."_ Lambda was very determined to eradicate Natsu for some reason, and it was very intent on making sure Lucy followed through despite how much she was resisting. _"Your unwillingness is making your attacks soft…"_

"Ngh…my body…isn't yours…to use…" Lucy grumbled.

"I'm fine!" Natsu shouted to Lucy. While it was true her attacks weren't hitting as hard because she was holding herself back, that didn't mean she wasn't dealing a lot of damage in the process. Happy flew over to Natsu to pick him out of the liquefied ground. "Happy! Get me close to her!"

"Aye!" Happy nodded and flew higher into the air before diving down towards Lucy.

 _"Shoot them."_ Lambda commanded. It was really trying to take full control over Lucy's body, but despite her current condition of despair, she was putting up an equal fight to prevent harming comrades. In the end, it just wasn't enough and Star Dress: Sagittarius returned and Lucy ended up firing off multiple arrows with high accuracy at Happy and Natsu. Luckily Happy was able to avoid the arrows, but at the same time he wasn't able to get close because of it.

"I can't get close…!" Happy grit his teeth and tried his best, but Lucy's rate of fire was too much. Even with his excellent evasion, arrows grazed both him and Natsu.

"Then I'll do it!" Natsu pushed off of Happy, diving head first at Lucy. Flames erupted from the soles of his feet to increase his speed and before Lucy could even fire off another shot; Natsu did what he did best when falling: land right on top of her. Only this time Lucy dropped her bow and he made sure to grab her arms and not her boobs.

Lucy immediately started to squirm as Natsu took hold of her arms. Both she and Lambda found the situation to be very uncomfortable and they were ironically working together to escape Natsu's iron grip, but he wasn't making it easy for them. "L-Let me go! You shouldn't be close to me!"

"Lucy! Come on! I know it's hard…but you have to fight it! I know you can! If I have to, I'll punch that damn thing out of you! But Fairy Tail needs you right now! We're not going to leave you behind just because Emmeraude threatened us. We've gone far for you and every one of our members and we'll do it again. You just have to trust us."

Lucy ended up growling lowly at Natsu's words. Not because she didn't believe him…it was quite the opposite. Between this despairing feeling she had for quite some time…words she believed, and Lambda screaming about death in her ear, it was very hard to decide what to do… "S-Stay AWAY!" The aura around Lucy's body erupted violently without warning! The intensity threw Natsu back while damaging him at the same time. Lucy stood up once more…but the aura didn't exactly fade away. The intensity remained the same as Lambda put up some form of barrier…this was its ultimate tool for self-defense: the Nova Barrier. "Ah…ah…" Putting up that barrier was a lot of effort on Lucy's end…and it made her feel strange.

"What the…?" Natsu was on a knee. After contact with Lucy he felt…drained. Not only that, but the barrier around her body was a red flag.

 _"This…is the Nova Barrier. You won't be permitted to touch this body anymore. So long as your magic isn't that of Protos Heis'."_ Lambda said with Lucy's voice.

"Oh yeah!?" Natsu reared his arm back, lightning and flame surging violently around his fist. Although this was a rare time he was hesitant…because he was attacking Lucy. But he'd be ready to fire in self-defense without a moment's notice.

 _"You humans…you're all the same…"_ Lambda scoffed, turning Lucy's head away. _"Treating my existence as a mere inconvenience…or in that woman's case, using me to fuel your ambitious desires. I am not some creature to be used…I am a living being."_

"I don't care about any of that." Natsu spat. "Just get out of Lucy's body!"

 _"I will do no such thing."_ Lambda responded _._ _"This body…was the first one to be so accepting of me."_

"W-What does it mean by that…?" Happy looked at Natsu, who also had no idea.

 _"This girl was the one who liberated me from Emmeraude's clutches."_ Lambda explained. _"Many months ago, this woman attempted to stop Emmeruade and her plans before they could truly take off. But the battle was more than she could chew…in the end, the lab exploded and I was set free….but I was weak…and so was she, barely clinging to life…so I choose her as my host so I could lie in wait and recover. In exchange, I used what little of my power to have her bring her body back to the place she called home before lying dormant. But I was constantly disturbed from my slumber…"_

"I knew it…" Natsu grit his teeth. "It was you all along back in the Isle…making Lucy do all those weird attacks…

 _"I used this body to attack and fend off those who disturbed me before returning to my slumber. Even now…I am still not at full power. That is why she has been resisting for so long...so I am using this host body to accumulate as much magic as possible before she expires. I cannot leave of my own free will, which is unfortunate, but I will make the most of it."_

The way Lambda spoke only irritated Natsu. "Stop talking about her as if she's just some tool for you to use you bastard!"

 _"Oh? But is that not what I've been referred to as for years? A simple tool to be used or simply something that should be destroyed despite being a living creature? Humans are hypocritical."_ The word's Lambda spat…how it angered Natsu that they were all coming from Lucy's mouth. Was she even conscious anymore? That part worried him the most since Lambda had been talking for so long. _"Emmeraude has a grudge against this host body for stopping her plans and taking me…so before this body expires, I intend to use this body to destroy that foul woman. Ironic, isn't it?"_

"Like hell you will! I don't care what your aims are I just want you of Lucy you virus bastard!" Without thinking, Natsu violently extended his arm, unleashing a brutal wave of fire and lightning from his limb. Two elements collided against Lucy's body and continued to travel forward, causing collateral damage onto Port Hargeon itself. There was nothing but ruin behind Lucy…but the Nova Barrier held strong and didn't budge. But it seemed like after that one attack Lucy herself was unable to sustain it for long without doing serious damage to her body. "Lucy…!"

"Ngh…" Lucy shrieked in pain. It hurt. It all hurt. Her body felt like it was going to rip apart. "E-Emmeraude said…that…we've been bound for too long. The only way to get rid of this thing…is with that Sophie girl…but that…doesn't look good for me. But if I go to her and give her Lambda, then it w-won't be good for anyone…but at the same time, you guys will…"

Natsu knew what she was trying to say and didn't like it one bit. He absolutely refused to accept that outcome. "I don't believe that!" The male shouted. "She's just trying to corner you! But you have a way out as long as you stick with us!" Natsu then extended his hand out. He wasn't going to try and fight Lucy anymore. "So what if we're the bad guys right now? That's not going to stop us from doing what we do best. Emmeraude's hurt Fairy Tail more than you know, and that's why we can't let her do what she wants anymore. We're the only ones who can stop her, and we need you, Lucy! We're in this together."

"Please come home, Lucy…" Happy said with his eyes watering. Even though he did like to mess with her a lot, the last thing he wanted was for anything bad to happen to her.

"Stop Emmeraude…" Lucy uttered those words to herself quietly. Several dots started to connect in her head. Fairy Tail was only really in danger because of her actions from several months ago…and Emmeraude was definitely the type to hold a grudge – that much was certain during their encounter not too long ago. Lucy started to take a few steps forwards Natsu with her own hand extended. She was fighting off all of Lambda's attempts to stop her with everything she could muster. "Natsu…." It seemed like the persuasion worked…but that was until Lucy slapped Natsu's hand away, rejecting his offer while continuing to walk past him. Natsu and Happy's eyes widened as soon as she did so. "If anything bad were to happen to you guys because of what I've done…I don't know what I would do. I've brought this upon you all…s-so I have to finish what I started. And if I stay too close…Lambda will no doubt hurt you. It's taking everything I have to keep it from lashing out…"

"What!?" Again, Natsu wasn't accepting of this. "We're partners! So I'm tagging along with you whether you like it or not! We'll beat Emmeraude together in that case!"

 _"You're too weak to fight Emmeraude."_ Lambda remarked…and that pissed Natsu off again. There was that word again. Weak. _"You are a fool if you can't see why she's choosing to distance herself from the rest of you…but if you need an example…"_

Lambda then upped the ante, several intangible tendrils shot from the ground nearby and stabbed into Lucy, causing her to cry out in pain. "AAAH!" Even though the wounds did heal, that didn't stop it from hurting.

"STOP IT!" Natsu barked.

 _"You are welcome to follow if you want. But know that I will have this body drain you of every ounce of magic and life that you possess."_ Lambda's thoughts on the matter were clear.

"This is all your fault!" Natsu shouted at Lambda. Such a threat normally wouldn't bother him in the slightest, however….when he saw the look on Lucy's face. She looked terrified at the thought of hurting Natsu.

 _"We've lingered too long here. They're coming."_ Lambda told Lucy.

"W-wait…who is coming?" Lucy looked around. Clearly Lambda was aware of something she wasn't.

"There they are!" Multiple councilmen started to flood Port Hargeon. The Council finally arrived on the scene and it was easy to find the two of them due to the trail of destruction. This squad in particular was led by Odin, who looked more irritated and tired than anything else.

"Natsu, we have to go…!" Happy shouted. When he glanced over at Lucy, she was already making her leave by rushing to the other side of the port.

"Damn it…" Natsu growled as Lucy ran off and Odin approached. "All right you bastards! Let's do this!" But he didn't have much time to act, for a magic seal appeared in front of Odin and began to suck the oxygen out of the area.

"I'm too old for this shit." Odin scoffed. "So I'm going to detain you the easy way. No oxygen means no fire, and no fire means you're out of luck."

Natsu and Happy both found breathing difficult thanks to Odin's magic. Natsu was feeling especially tired since Lucy's attacks earlier did hit hard, and he felt drained from the direct contact with Lambda. "You think…I'm going down like that!" Even the lowered oxygen, Natsu found enough strength to generate flames and lightning on his dominate arm. "TAKE THIS!" Natsu punched the ground, causing it to tremble and shatter. His raw power caused an eruption of flame and lightning that took out a large number of council men. "Happy!"

"A-Aye!" Happy immediately moved to pick up Natsu, but was intercepted by a high powered blast of ice from a soldier's weapon. "Waaah!"

"Happy!" Natsu turned but Odin's boot pressed against his back and shoved him to the ground. "Gah!"

"Don't resist. You're not getting out of this one." Odin scoffed while sucking away even more oxygen from the area around Natsu.

"H-Hey! Lemme go…!" Natsu's voice started to get weaker and weaker…until the lack of oxygen eventually caused him to pass out. Once that happened, Odin slapped the magic sealing cuffs on the unconscious Salamander.

"How annoying." Odin scoffed before walking off. "The girl escaped…but take this criminal and put him in the carriage with the others."

"Yes sir!"

Happy already made his escape. But with the situation looking as dire as it did…he had to leave for now and find the others. As he flew off from the port, he could briefly see some disturbance over on the side Lucy escaped to…

.

Lucy didn't want to leave Natsu alone like that, but she had no choice with the way things were going. "I still believe in you guys…" She grumbled. Right now her goal was to escape the port and make way to Crocus. But that wasn't going to be so easy as a steel wall appeared right in front of her. She nearly crashed into it but slid to an immediate halt. "Huh!?"

 _"Who dares!?"_

"Sorry if you were planning on going somewhere…but we can't exactly let you roam free." The voice came from above. Zalen adjusted his glasses as he stood on a rooftop. Accompanying him was Jaxon, Roxanne, El Rayo, and Aira.

"W-White Eclipse!" Lucy's eyes widened. "W-What are you!? N-No…get out of my way…I need to get out of here…"

"We can't let you do that." Jaxon crossed his arms, using a tornado to hover in the air.

"But…Emmeraude is evil…aren't you aware of that? And I need to…s-stop her…" Lucy cringed in pain. Lambda was not a fan of this.

"Of course we know." Roxanne scoffed. "The old man told us after the Games."

"Then why are you…!?" Lucy asked but was cut short by Jaxon.

"Because as far as things are concerned…you are a danger to Fiore." Jaxon explained. "I don't know what it is about your guild, but you all end up having some very dangerous individuals. First your idiot Natsu, then Cynthia, and now you? Even though Emmeraude is fake, her claims are still real. As things stand, you are a threat to Fiore."

Jaxon had a point. Even though Fairy Tail was the enemy of the state…it honestly wasn't without good reason. It was all Lucy's fault this was happening. "I…"

Takeru slowly started to rise from the shadows behind Lucy with his shadow katana in hand. "It's nothing personal, ya know? But someone has to make sure this country stays safe."

"We don't want to hurt you." Aira said with a calm tone.

"I do." Roxanne scoffed.

"If you come quietly, we won't have El Rayo suplex you too hard." Zalen made his offer, but it didn't seem like Lucy was buying it.

 _"You…don't understand anything!"_ Lambda's rage peaked and its aura exploded from around Lucy.

"Whoa whoa! What is this?!" Takeru was forced backwards as a result from Lucy's explosive aura.

"Be careful! I sense malevolence!" Aira warned.

"I can SEE it." Roxanne growled before changing into her Banshee takeover. The woman lurched forward and released a high pitched scream. The sound waves reverberated through the air before closing in Lucy.

Lucy had no choice but to leap to the side to avoid the sound waves. Roxanne was packing some serious power since the waves utterly destroyed the steel wall that was behind her. "…! I don't…have the time for this…" She really didn't. The Nova Barrier from earlier took a lot out of her…but here she was, confronted with multiple White Eclipse mages.

"LUCHA!" El Rayo pounced from above with his rope magic. The luchador yelled while attempting to grapple Lucy. But he was unable to even get close as Lambda's aura continued to extend outward to push him back. "GAH!"

"Shadow Dragon's ROAR!" Takeru released a roar with no warning. The funnel of shadows ripped through the air while flying at Lucy. Unfortunately it didn't hit its mark as Lucy's arm extended to 'consume' the roar, courtesy of Lambda. This of course left Takeru a rather dumbfounded. "What the…? Did you know she could do that? I didn't know she could do that."

"Be careful everyone!" Aira lifted her index finger sky high, a pitch black orb forming at the tip of her finger. "Tempest!" The orb expanded before vanishing. A black tornado suddenly ruptured the ground under Lucy and lifted her into the air; the sharp winds of the twister creating cuts on her skin that were almost immediately healed. "And…False God's Bellow!" Following up before Lucy could react, a powerful blast of wind escaped the woman's mouth, blowing Lucy out of the tornado and right onto the ground.

"Guh!" The blonde grunted and attempted to stand up, but she was unable to get up off the ground as steel/diamond restraints rose up to wrap around her wrists, waist, and legs. Lucy's red eyes widened and she immediately tried to free herself. "No! S-Stop! You have to release me now…!"

"I don't think so." Zalen said while shaking his head. The building mage was far from finished as a dome started to form over Lucy composed of wood, steel, etc. "Jaxon."

"You got it." Jaxon then snapped his fingers. The temperature in the confine spaced began to rise dramatically. "There we go. She won't last a few minutes…then we can carry her dangerous self to the Council or something…"

"What a nuisance…" Roxanne sighed heavily. There was loud screaming and banging coming from inside Zalen's trap. "Give it up. You're not getting out of that anytime soon."

"I wonder what's happened to her…" Aira frowned. "I wish Emmeraude would have told us. I would like to help if able…"

"Maybe she just needs a good old steel chair to the back of the head." El Rayo suggested with a shrug.

"Save that for later, big guy." Jaxon patted the luchador on the shoulder.

Lucy's voice didn't cease. While it was worrying to some…they didn't have the time to be concerned. There was a small burst from within the confinement and Lucy's voice suddenly calm to a halt. Takeru lifted a brow and turned to the others. "…Her voice stopped. Actually."

"Did she pass out?" Aira tilted her head.

Zalen was a little hesitant to release the confinement…but he did so just to check on Lucy's status. As the confinement faded away, everyone was surprised to see the giant hole in the ground! Lucy was no longer there! "How did she…!?"

"She got away?" Roxanne sucked her teeth in annoyance.

"What do we do now?" Aira stared at the others.

"I guess we just let the others have their shot." Jaxon shrugged. "It's annoying…but we expected this possibility."

.

.

Lucy managed to escape underground thanks to both Lambda's power and Star Dress: Virgo. It didn't take her long to emerge from the ground a ways away from Port Hargeon, but now she was feeling extremely exhausted. Her time was running low…but she couldn't stop yet. Her destination was Crocus…Emmeraude herself.

.

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Next Time: To Be Human.


	153. Chapter 153: To Be Human

Mira floated in the darkest depths of her consciousness. She wasn't dead by any means, but extremely weak after taking such a heavy blow from Emmeraude's subordinate. The battle was hers, but her siblings got in the way and she knew it wasn't of their own will. She just cursed herself for not being strong enough to prevent this in the first place. Her siblings were in danger as was Lucy, and she wasn't able to do anything to help either of them. And to make matters were, she was now face to face with Sayla, who still had a conscious even after the Takeover process. "…."

"How pathetic…" Sayla let out a scoff. "Your story is appalling. First you take my body and my powers…and now here you are, sprawled out in the same place you once defeated me. All because you refused to act. That isn't how a demon should act. A demon is ruthless and will seize victory at all cost."

Mira frowned and shook her head. "That may be how you act…but I refuse to do such a thing to my own siblings. They mean more than the world to me."

"It doesn't matter." Sayla said. "Marde-sama has called for me…and I will rise and use this body to fulfill his desires. Tartarus will never die. But you humans…the pages of your story are coming to a close. You stand no chance at winning the battle."

"You've been hindering me a lot as of late." Mira responded while crossing her arms. "Your idea of revenge isn't helping."

"Because I will never accept you as my vessel." Sayla spat. "You may have taken my body, but so long as I have a conscious, you will not do as you please with me. Your story is finished, and as such, mine will start once again, by Marde-sama's side. You are a dangerous woman…but you are flawed. If you fully accepted your demon side…perhaps I'd think differently of you." And without warning, a punch was delivered to Mira's face. Neither of them could use magic in the depths of her conscious, but that didn't stop it from hurting.

There was silence between the two of them. On top of dealing with the situation in the real world, Mirajane now had to deal with Sayla attempting to reverse the takeover process and control her body while her siblings and Fairy Tail were in danger. "…I don't care if you accept me or not." Mira said while glaring at Sayla. "Perhaps…back when I was younger, then maybe…maybe those words would have struck a chord with me. But just because I am a demon doesn't mean I have to resort to your ways. I met another woman just like me…the one from White Eclipse. She's part demon as well…but I could see in her eyes that she hasn't told her guild who she is yet either."

"What does that have to do with this?" Sayla's irritable tone only showed what little patience she had.

"We live in a world where demons are synonymous with the word evil." Mira said, keeping her glare at Sayla. "When there are demons like those in Tartarus running amok…even the innocent ones are outcast. You're loyal to Tartarus simply because you were created there, is that not true?"

Sayla swung at Mira again, but this time the punch was caught. "You…how dare you speak so lightly!? We all have a task at Tartarus! We'd even destroy our own bodies for the sake of that goal. I had Kyouka-sama…but then you wretched humans…" The demoness' voice quivered in anger and sadness as she recalled the battle against Kyouka in which Erza, Reve, and Minerva successfully finished off the demon.

"That right there…is how I feel at this very moment." Mira said. "Your revenge against me won't bring her back."

"She would have wanted me to kill all of you!" Sayla growled. Things were growing more intense in Mira's mind, but the outside world had no clue of what was occurring. "You're no different than I am. Humans are so high and mighty with their morals, but when it comes down to it…you can be even more of a monster than demons."

"I'm prepared to be a monster." Mira's calm tone caught Sayla off guard. "For my siblings…and for Fairy Tail, I'll do what I need to."

"I don't…understand…" Sayla's voice lowered. "Why…do they mean so much to you? Enough to not even defend yourself? To hesitate? Is that what it means to be a human? To allow anyone and everyone to step on you? Anyone can see that you'd be much better off leaving them behind to save yourself, even if that window has already closed."

"You'd never understand what it means to be human." The woman shook her head, now thinking back on some painful, yet fond memories at the same time. "My siblings mean the world to me…and they taught me a little about it as well."

[Flashback]

A young Mirajane and her siblings were hiding away in their house. On the outside was an angry mob, screaming things along the likes of; "Get out!"

"Get out of the village!"

"Demon-posessed!"

"How long are you gonna stay here!?"

"Your family is cursed!"

"As long as you're here, misfortune will continue in this village!"

A rock broke through the window and hit Mirajane's head, causing her to grumble in pain. "Ouch…."

"Mira-nee…are you okay?" Lisanna asked, while Elfman couldn't even make a sound. "It's not your fault!"

Even though her siblings tried to console her, Mirajane felt otherwise. She lifted up her arm, a cold sweat beading down her face as she revealed her grotesque demon arm. "This wouldn't have happened…if I didn't…."

"Get out, demon!"

"Get out of this village!"

Without thinking, Lisanna ran up to the window to open it. "Mira-nee defeated the demon that was doing bad things in the church! She did it for the village! It's not her fault! She was possessed because she beat the demon! It's not her fault!"

"Stop it, Lisanna…" Mirajane sighed. "Don't cry, Elfman. We can't stay in this village any longer." That was the decision Mirajane made for her siblings and herself. The three of them packed up and just began to wander for a little bit of time. They eventually wandered into the town of Magnolia and spotted the Fairy Tail guild.

"That's called Takeover. It's a kind of magic." Makarov explained. "You aren't possessed by any demon. You have the demon's power inside of you."

"The demon's power…" Mirajane mumbled…but even as it was explained to her, she still had one thought lingering in her mind. _"I don't want that…"_

A month passed. While Lisanna and Elfman got along with the others fairly well, Mirajane was still the outcast. A young Erza approached her with a friendly smile. "I heard about you, Mirajane. You seem to be pretty strong. Did you get used to the guild yet?" And instead of answering, Mirajane just stood up and walked away. "H-Hey…"

"Leave her be." Macao said from a nearby table. "She won't talk…or smile."

"She always has a scary face." Wakaba remarked while smoking on his cigarette. "On the other hand, her brother and sister have integrated into the guild perfectly."

Mirajane was already outside the guild. More than that, she was planning on leaving. "Magic…demons….I don't want this power, it's horrible." Her mind just flashed back to the people screaming at her to leave. "I'm not…a human anymore. It's a nice guild…I can safely leave them there. I'll just…leave this town…Goodbye Elfman…Lisanna…I'm sorry." She was going to leave her siblings behind…only because she thought it was what was best for all of them.

"Mira-nee!" Both Lisanna and Elfman called out to her, causing her to turn.

"Look!" Lisanna said with a jovial smile.

"You'll be surprised!" Elfman grinned. And with a puff of smoke, the two of them transformed!

"Animal Soul!" Lisanna posed.

"Beast soul: Bear! …Only on my hand." Elfman chuckled. "We learned this!"

Mira…she was surprised, that much was certain. Her lower lip quivered and the tears started to well up in her eyes. "….."

"You always looked so lonely…" Lisanna said.

"Now you're not alone anymore!" Elfman nodded.

"You…." The eldest Strauss sibling's head lowered.

"We're always together." Lisanna got closer to her older sister.

"Our magic is the same too!" Elfman's arm then turned into a giraffe leg and he began to sweat, while Lisanna ended up turning into a pig. "I…still can't control it properly."

The lonely expression on Mira's face faded and the tears fell. The girl looked at her siblings with a smile. "How can you work for the guild with that magic?"

"Like you protected us with your power…we'll protect you with ours." Elfman's first promise as a man was to his own sister, how fitting.

[End flashback.]

"I would never leave them behind…not after what they've done for me…" Even in her mind, Mira's magic aura started to flare, which surprised Sayla greatly. "I'll become a demon…or whatever I have to for them. But the one thing in the world I absolutely will not do is leave them behind. We may be demons…but you and I are different. I know what it means to be human…I won't leave any of my family behind." Her aura only continued to grow. "This is _MY_ body…and I won't allow you to use it as you please any longer!"

"W-What's going on…this power…?!" Sayla's eyes were wide with…fear?

"This is where our conversation comes to an end. My siblings need my help…"

"Who do you think you are!? I won't allow you to talk to me this way! Marde-sama is waiting for me…" Sayla's own aura flared. "And this body will be mine!"

.

"She's down…" Rose banged on the mirror. "Marde-sama…can I kill them?!"

"No." Marde shook his head. "Sayla will reawaken…then we can take our own initiative…"

Mira's eyes didn't open. Instead, her body turned to that of Sayla's for a moment. Was it takeover? Or did the demon manage to fight her way through Mira's mind? Even Ross felt pretty tense as he felt a strange aura coming from the demon for a moment. "I command you…" The woman's eyes opened slowly and she gestured to Elfman and Lisanna. "I command you to listen to the sound of my voice…and stop listening to Emmeraude!"

"Huh?!" Ross blinked several times. "What the…?!"

Elfman and Lisanna were snapped out of the trance with the full power of Sayla's Macro overriding it. "Huh? Where are we!?" Elfman glanced around before lying eyes on Mira. "Sis…?!"

"That's right." Mira smiled. The way her hair was done was a slight giveaway…but Mirajane finally subdued Sayla once and for all and her body was free from that demon's petty grip. "It's me…and you two are going to be safe now."

"Mira-nee!" Lisanna threw herself at Mira for a tight hug.

"Now now…we can hug later." Mira said with a soft smile before glaring at Ross. "For now…I have to take care of this man. Then we can go and save Lucy."

"That power can override the Queenly Majesty?" Ross had wide eyes. That…was going to problem if Mira was capable of using that on a larger scale. "Now I see why Emmeraude wanted to keep you busy…if you're able to use such a thing on a bigger scale than just your siblings, it could pose a problem! But for Emmeraude, I'll stop this here and now!" Lightning violently discharged from Ross' body and his magic output grew stronger and stronger, strange markings beginning to form along his body. "This is exciting! The rush I've been looking for! This is a fight!"

"This isn't a fight…" Mira said with a frighteningly evil smile on her lips. "This will be a slaughter." With her body exiting the Sayla takeover…she went for something different. Sayla wasn't the only soul that she consumed during the Tartarus incident. There were plenty more considering it was the home of demons…but now, with Sayla no longer having a conscious of her own to block Mira from this power, it could come out full force. Takeover: Alegria. Considering this was her first time finally unveiling all of this power, those who witnessed it were all in shock. Even Marde from afar considered this to be somewhat threatening…only somewhat, though.

"I was wondering why it felt so vacant in this place…" Marde leaned forward in his seat a little; curious to see how Mira would make use of the power she obtained directly from Tartarus. "To think it was because that insect stole every lingering soul remaining."

"We'll see about that!" Ross lunged forward, preparing to strike Mira down once and for all…but she was already in his face before his muscles even twitched. "….!"

Mira's hand was in front of Ross' face and all was silent. "Goodbye." That was all Mira had to say in that moment. From her hand, a gargantuan blast of darkness magic overtook Ross and destroyed everything in its path. There was a large crevasse in the ground that extended for several kilometers. Ross lay at the end of the split in the ground, completely and utterly defeated.

"Mira-nee…" Lisanna marveled at her sister's power.

Mira blinked a few times, surprised at her own strength. But she didn't last much longer. The damage dealt to her in the battle along with the magic she just unloaded all took its toll quickly and she immediately fell forward and her body immediately reverted to normal. "Nh…" Before she hit the ground, Elfman came to catch her.

"Don't worry, we got you. Heh…that's my sister! What a man!" Elfman grinned.

Marde had a sneer on his face. The events that unfolded before him were…disappointing. He'd seen enough. "Dispose of them." With a snap of his fingers, Rose was finally released from her mirror prison.

Rose stretched and yawned after finally being freed. "AAAAAH! FINALLY!" Dark red flames exploded around the Cynthia lookalike's body. Elfman and Lisanna tensed up as the girl started to approach them. A twisted grin formed on her lips as the two Strauss siblings had a look of fear on their faces. "Hey, Elfman, Lisanna…long time no see~

.

.

Thanks to the lacrima Emmeraude possessed, returning to Crocus and the Throne room was rather quick and easy. Now Emmeraude could relax, but the dreary weather did put a damper on her mood. "Oh my…such dreary weather. I'm glad I was able to teleport us back inside quickly. It seems as though the others are still out and doing their missions…but that's fine."

Sophie still had her head down. They were so close to Lambda and Emmeraude decided not to pursue. "…Why did you let Lambda go…? I thought you weren't going to let it escape again…"

Emmeraude turned over her shoulder to stare at Sophie. "I understand your confusion…but it was part of the plan. You see…with Lambda stuck inside her body, her options are limited. As it stands right now, Fairy Tail is incapable of removing Lambda from her…I want her to acknowledge this possibility first. I understand my actions seem contradictory to my attitude…but I need you to trust that I know what I'm doing."

"I do trust you." Sophie said with a nod. "I'm just worried…that taking too long…will hinder your goal in the end. Tartarus was the same way…the Face project took too long and was destroyed."

"Ah…I know. I am aware of that." Emmeraude nodded. "But I wish for both of them to realize something. I need Lucy to realize that her friends will stay in danger if she herself doesn't come to me...and Lambda may not know it yet, but it needs me as well. It may despise me for what I've done…but it can never fully accomplish what it wants to without going through me first. When they realize their goals align…they'll come to me. Lucy still has control of her body…but when it comes to self-preservation, Lambda does all it can to ensure they both survive and takes the reins."

"I see…" Sophie somewhat understood. "So…they'll come to us before she expires?"

"That's right. Once the reality of the situation sets in." Emmeraude spoke with the utmost confidence. "Everything I do…it's all been calculated."

"You're amazing." Sophie tilted her head up.

Drayden then appeared, gesturing to the throne room doors as they started to open. "Ah…sorry Emmeraude, but it appears as though you have an appointment with some people."

Marisa followed suit, appearing right alongside her comrade. "Oh, am I missing anything?"

The throne room doors then opened up. Makarov and Mest appeared in the doorway, both of them wearing rather serious expressions. "Oh…?" Emmeraude tilted her head. "This is a pleasant surprise. Master of Fairy Tail…have you come to turn yourselves in directly to me?"

"No." Makarov said with a shake of his head. "I had a feeling you'd be coming back here. And I've come to end this before anyone else gets hurt."

"Oh?" Emmeraude was curious, but she'd humor them. "Have you come to strike a deal then? The offer is still open. And some of your children have been put into custody already by the Council. But if you're willing to work with me, I can make all those crimes vanish."

"I've come to ask that you release them." Makarov said firmly. It was clear he was here for peace talk, but that didn't keep Marisa and Drayden from being off guard. The way Mest was eyeing the room had them antsy.

"Is that so?" Emmeraude tapped her finger on her chin. "You see...this is a give and take world. Equal exchange and all that...so if I'm to release those captured, I'm going to need something of equal value in return. You know how it is. And I hope your friend isn't plotting any funny business...I'd hate for anything to absolutely ruin my good mood right now..." And funny she should mention that, because the second she did, the sense link that Marisa placed on her began to weaken when it came to Ross. "...?"

"Eh...?" Marisa tilted her head. "That's weird...Ross...he's not responding?"

Emmeraude frowned, holding her hand up the pause the current conversation. "Ross...? Ross...? Are you all right? Please, come in? If you're conscious retreat this instant..."

Now. Mest saw his chance while everyone was distracted. His memory manipulation was focused on Sophie, making the girl's memories fuzzy but implanted one very important thing in her mind: Kill Emmeruade. So it came as a surprise to everyone as Sophie's Photon Magic took the shape of a sword to stab the Queen in the side! Sophie realized this after the fact and her eyes widened! The only reason she missed any of Emmeraude's vitals was due to the woman having moved at the last second. There was a wound, and it hurt, judging by how she fell to a knee for a moment. "I...I..." Sophie's voice started to shake, her hands trembling as she had no idea what she just did.

"Mest!? What did you do!?" Makarov turned to Mest with widened eyes.

"I had to do it!" Mest exclaimed with an almost evil smile, cold sweat dripping down his forehead. "For the good of the guild and Fiore! She's a menace that needs to be stopped!"

"Lady Emmeraude!" Drayden and Marisa rushed to Emmeraude, but she extended her arm out to halt them.

An emerald aura started to form around Emmeraude's body. This caused the foundation of the very castle to tremble and shake. The wound was nothing compared to what Emmeraude experienced before. This wasn't the first time someone came after her life...but this? This was a straw that Mest should not have been so hasty to pull. "Did you...just try and use...my dear daughter...to kill me...?" The aura intensified, expanding throughout the entire throne room. Mest and even Makarov were in awe about the pure magic power that radiated from Emmeraude. Her usual calm expression was gone...nothing but anger was prominent on her face. The wrath of Emmeraude was unleashed. "You have just made a very grave error."

.

.

Next Time: My Ambition.


	154. Chapter 154: My Ambition

Crocus shook with the power that Emmeraude was letting off. She was wounded….but she was more pissed off than she was hurt. Yellow eyes gave Mest and Makarov the death glare. Everyone was in frightened awe at the power emitting from the Queen. Realistically, Mest did make a good move for the cause he was after…but unfortunately he didn't pan out in the way he wanted to, and now they were facing the consequences. "You….I'LL KILL YOU!"

Emmeraude's voice screamed nothing but threat. Since his plan failed Mest and Makarov had to leave as soon as possible. Mest planned to use his Direct Line to snag Makarov and make an escape, and the instant he blurred out of sight…Emmeraude's chain caught his leg. "…S-She caught me…!?" The bladed chain pierced through his leg before he could reach Makarov, which was a horrifying thing to think about considering how fast he was.

"You damned dirty filthy insect! I will crush your skull beneath my heel and string your corpse for your family to see!" Emmeraude screamed at the top of her legs, whipping Mest around wildly with her absurd strength. She smashed him against one wall, flung him to the roof, and then brought him back down to the floor with such strength the palace itself shook violently. Before he could even try and move, a beam of darkness traveled across the chain and exploded upon reaching Mest, blowing him backwards into the wall near the doors.

"Now they've gone and done it…" Drayden shook his head. Emmeraude was so calm and angering her was one of the hardest things in the world…but they managed to completely tilt the woman into a near blind rage.

"Mest! Are you all right?!" Makarov rushed over to Mest…and while he was still clinging to life, he definitely had seen better days. The Tartarus attack on the Council didn't come close to this."

Emmeraude was breathing heavily. She was rationally upset but right now she didn't care. "So…this is how Fairy Tail decides to do things, huh? I should have known that your offer for diplomacy was a sham. There's nothing that you could offer that comes close to my life's work! What I fool I was to even spare you a second!" Several chains then shot forth from Emmeraude's hands, all of them actually attempting to impale Makarov.

Out of the oven and into the frying pan. Makarov was now forced into this situation and Emmeraude didn't show any signs of calming down anytime soon. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this." With the chains coming at him with violent intent, the Fairy Tail guild master had to show his stuff once again. Despite his old age and size, he was extremely nimble, bouncing from wall to wall to avoid the incoming chains. As soon as he was in the air, a magic seal formed in front of him and unleashed multiple blasts of light down towards Emmeraude with destructive impact behind them.

Emmeraude scowled as Makarov avoided her chains. In truth, there was a part of her that underestimated him since he was so old…but clearly he was capable of holding his own. With the Rain of Light coming down on her, the Queen extended her palm and a sphere of darkness formed. She was executing the technique she used during the Immovable Object event at the Games. The Rain of Light was absorbed into the Dark Sphere, causing it to grow exponentially in size before it was fired towards Makarov. "PERISH!"

As soon as Makarov landed back on the ground, he crossed his arms and clenched his hands into fists. This prompted three pillars to form around him in a triangular formation. The Three Pillar Gods technique was sturdy enough to withstand the enhanced Dark Sphere. The large explosion that occurred from contact shook the throne room. There was little time to process the situation as the pillars were then forcibly broken apart by Emmeraude's use of Crash Magic. "As I thought…" The guild master grumbled before extended his hand forward, using his Titan magic to throw a heavy punch at Emmeraude.

For an old man, his strength was no joke. Emmeraude extended both of her arms forward to catch Makarov's fist. It didn't exactly pan out the way her rage-induced mind thought. She was sliding back across the floor. Her wound weakened her stance and she was eventually thrown back, but landed with a flip. "You…" She hissed in pain and anger. The Queen then placed her hand on the ground, causing a white light to briefly shine through the cracks in the floor. "Erupt!"

"…!" Makarov realized what was happening just a second too late. With a back flip he narrowly managed to avoid a direct hit from the destruction of the floor directly under him. Emmeraude planned for him to evade and as soon as he did, a chain pierced through his arm. "Agh!"

"HAA!" Emmeraude swung her arm down, slamming Makarov down onto the floor with fierce anger.

"I haven't seen her in action for a while…" Drayden remarked to Marisa. "She fights well for a woman in her late 30s…"

"You're not supposed to say that!" Marisa smacked Drayden in the back of the head and huffed.

Emmeraude pointed both hands forward, palms open and gathered both darkness and crash magic within them before releasing the conjoined beam. The chain was still in Makarov's arm and she intended to completely tie him down and finish him here. "Now breathe your last, you old fool!"

Makarov found his options to be limited at the moment. But even so, he was going to show his power. A powerful, destructive light surged from his body, completely destroying everything in its path. The beam Emmeraude released was overpowered and she, Marisa, Drayden, and Sophie were caught within the radius of his Giant's Wrath. As the light died, Emmeraude panted heavily. It was rare to see any type of injury on her…but Makarov's strength was still prominent despite his old age and state of health, resulting in a few scratches and bruises on her being. But it was precisely because of those factors that he knew he wasn't going to last much longer. "Ah…" Makarov coughed profusely. Being thrown around by Emmeraude wasn't helping his condition at all. The chain in his arm was gone from his attack, but the way she pinpointed the muscle in his arm made it difficult to use after.

"If I wasn't furious, I'd commend your strength." Emmeraude exhaled. Her breathing was still uneven, presumably from the wound inflicted. It did slow her down a lot. Makarov used his uninjured arm in a quick act; he tried to use the Titan magic to extend his arm and grasp Emmeraude, but she saw this coming and flipped into the air to avoid his grab, landing right in front of the throne. "Your cheap tricks won't work on me anymore. I'm going to bring this to a close." Darkness and crash magic expanded throughout the entire throne room and everything just turned white.

Of course Makarov wasn't going to go down without a fight. Even though his arm was mostly useless now, that wasn't going to stop him from bringing out the strongest spell in his arsenal to counteract Emmeraude's. Of course that was Fairy Law. Emmeraude's ambitions may have had some sort of merit…someone who wanted to help her only family. But at the same time, to Makarov, the way she went about it made her the villain. She destroyed Fairy Tail's home, threatened his children, even kidnapped and possibly harmed them, along with backstabbing someone who she supposedly thought of as a daughter. Their own thoughts about family made one another an enemy, and that was why, from deep in his heart, he was unable to think of her as anything other than an enemy. "Fairy Law." The bright light started to emanate from within his hands…but the crash magic imbued within the incoming attack broke apart Fairy Law before it could fully form while the darkness completely ate away the remaining light. "What…?!"

"Killing Field." Without a doubt her strongest spell. Any other spell being used while within this field was immediately broken apart and rendered useless, as seen with Fairy Law. The entire throne room shook before it was lit up in various explosions, all of them focused around Makarov. The old man let out a cry of pain as he was helplessly thrown around before landing on the floor on his stomach, heavily injured.

"Ugh…" Makarov coughed profusely. He did try to move his body to stand up, but that was shut down as Emmeraude's heel pressed his face back into the ground. "Oof…"

"How should I kill you two?" Emmeraude said while grinding her heel against Makarov's forehead. "I didn't realize Fairy Tail was nothing but a bunch of dirty handed criminals. But I suppose my earlier announcement wasn't too far off the mark now was it?"

"Now Emmeraude…" Drayden was trying to defuse her anger. "Think about it. What is the best way to go about this?"

Emmeraude paused for a moment before giving a shrug. "I could string their mutilated corpses for the rest of them to see…"

"I think she's still mad." Marisa whispered.

"No no…" Drayden shook his head, snapping his fingers to activate his Card Magic. Two cards appeared under Makarov and Mest and trapped them within. Unlike Cana's cards, they weren't retaining consciousness or able to do anything. They were just trapped. "I know you're upset…but try to take a deep breath first."

Emmeraude did as Drayden suggested. She inhaled and exhaled, allowing the adrenaline to flow out of her body along with the rage. "Hm….I'm calm…don't worry. The rage has settled. We have bargaining chips now…even more so than before."

"There you go." Drayden nodded. "Although I cannot blame you for being upset…what they tried to do was most foul."

It was then that Sophie ran up to Emmeraude to hug her. She couldn't cry, but the way her body shook told enough of how she felt. "I-I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to hurt you…I didn't want to hurt you…my body just moved on its own and I…I…"

Emmeraude winced from the wound. But seeing that Sophie was distraught spurred her maternal instincts. She crouched down to wrap her arms around Sophie and bring her into a hug. "I know you'd never hurt me intentionally. That evil man used you to hurt me…and it angered me."

"Our lady is so strong, but even she has one glaring weakness…" Marisa sighed. "Maternal Instinct…she's so much like her mother, it's both endearing and frightening. I can't blame that man for targeting that weakness…but if the Princess were to show up again…"

"Worry not." Drayden said. "I'll take care of it myself."

At the same time…Marisa's sense link on Ross eventually shattered. That only meant one thing…and she and Emmeraude both cringed in pain. "Ah! R-Ross!? No…!"

.

.

Elfman and Lisanna were sweating at the sight of Rose. They didn't think they'd have to deal with the demon version of Cynthia…and it didn't help that they were extremely outmatched in this regard and Mira just fell unconscious. "Rose…" Lisanna swallowed the nervous lump in her throat.

"Hello hello!" Rose was ecstatic because she was finally free. "Which one of you wants to die first?

"Honestly, I'm not really in the mood…" Lisanna said with a nervous sweat drop. "Do you mind if we put in a raincheck? Now's not really a good time…ahaha…" Unfortunately Rose was just going to keep walking forward with a malicious smile on her face. "Why can't she be as cooperative as Cynthia…"

Elfman stood in front of Lisanna in his Lizardman takeover, more than prepared to defend his sisters. "Don't worry. I won't let her bring harm to you! As a Man, it's my job to protect my sisters."

"We'll see about that!" Rose sprinted forward, demonic flames igniting around her first. "Omega Fire Demon's Fist!" The demon swung her arm forward, landing against Elfman's body and the result was an explosive burst of red flame that covered a fan-like radius. "You should give it up. I'm stronger than you."

As the flames cleared, Elfman's scaly body was shown to take some damage, but he was quick to grip Rose's extended arm, sneering at her. "Magic-wise, yes…but in terms of strength, you don't hold a candle to me!"

"Elf-nii wait! Don't touch her!" Lisanna cried out, but it was already too late.

"Ngh…!" As soon as Elfman tossed Rose away, her Flame Body curse came into effect and his body was set ablaze.

"Are you okay?!" Lisanna asked with nothing but concern in her voice.

"A little burnt, but fine." Elfman exhaled. The main problem was getting away…

Rose dusted herself off and let out a small sigh. "I'm so rusty…I haven't even gotten to move a muscle since Cynthia beat me. But it's fine, I can practice with you two!" Rose began to inhale before she lurched forward, releasing a blazing funnel of demonic flames right for the Strauss pair. "Die!" But her funnel was countered by a blast of electricity from behind the Strauss siblings, resulting in an explosion and a cloud of smoke. "Huh!?"

Ross appeared in a flash, standing in front of the Strauss family. "Are you all right?"

"What the…?!" Elfman sneered. "What do you think you're doing!? Weren't you just trying to kill my sister?!"

"Whoa whoa! I never said anything about killing her! I just wanted her unconscious!" Ross said while panting heavily. "Besides…I'm enforcing the creed that Lady Emmeraude taught me when I joined her: protect the weak!"

"Excuse me!?" Lisanna took some offense to that. Especially since it came from someone her sister just pounded into the ground. "You're injured anyway…!"

"That's fine…" Ross coughed up some blood. "Anyone who beats me definitely shouldn't be allowed to lose their lives."

"Ugh…fine, I guess you can die first." Rose shrugged and dove forward, slamming her fiery leg into Ross' cheek to send him flying backwards. Yes, she was aware that he was simply a distraction, but she planned on finishing him quickly.

"He's…giving us time to take Mira-nee and run…?" Lisanna was baffled. This was supposed to be the enemy under Emmeraude's orders, but…there was no time to question. They had an opening and they had to take it to get Mira out of there!

Ross did grin slightly as the Strauss siblings escaped. But he was soon towered over by Rose, who sneered at him. "Is that all you got…you little shit…" Ross spat at Rose to irritate her more.

Rose sighed while pulling her arm back, the flames around her hand turning into a sharp claw. "Stay out of my business, you shit stain." And when she thrusted her arm forward, that claw pierced right into Ross' heart.

"…!" Ross' eyes widened as Rose pierced his heart. He didn't even last long at all…but as he felt his life fade away from him, there was a bit of a sad smile on his face. _"I'm sorry, Emmeraude. I guess…I won't be around to see that grand vision of yours come true after all…"_

[Flashback]

Another year of the Pergrande Military tryouts. Ross just barely passed the harsh exam and was now a member of the strongest military in Earthland. When he applied to be a part of a unit of one of the 13 Commandants, his results weren't very desirable. He was denied by all of them…all of them except Emmeraude. He was now a part of her unit along with Marisa and Drayden as the last one eligible to join. The devil slayer was confused though… "Why did you pick me…?" Ross asked Emmeraude, who was busy with a clipboard, jotting down notes from several results, Lambda included.

"Hm? Why not?" Emmeraude's gaze didn't move from her notes. Marisa and Drayden were playing a card game as Ross got adjusted to his new surroundings.

"Well…I was considered the weakest applicant…" Ross looked down. "None of the others would accept me…so…why you? I'm weak."

Emmeraude paused, tapping her pen against her cheek before giving a simple shrug. "Because I see potential in you."

"What…?"

"Potential." Emmeraude repeated. "Pergrande does have the strongest military in the continent, yes…but all they do is look at pure strength and nothing more. Granted, it does work…but it does alienate those who have power that they can't quite reach just yet."

"Mmm…!" Marisa nodded in agreement. "She's right! I mean…Pergrande has a lot of people I wouldn't want to get in a fight with. But look at me! My swing isn't exactly strong…but Emmeraude decided to take me anyway."

"As with I." Drayden said.

"Really…? Don't you get looked down on for having what many people consider to be one of the weakest units…?" Ross questioned…but as he did, there was some anger in his voice. "Damn it! I wanted to be strong…and here I am, stuck in the weakest squad!"

Emmeraude wasn't so surprised by Ross' reaction. No doubt that he wanted to be with someone like Lex, Xen, or maybe even Brax. Their units were among the strongest in the army while hers was considered weak from a power standpoint. They weren't wrong, but she wasn't about pure power anyway. "Do you know what I consider strength to be?"

"Huh….why are you speaking in riddles?!" Ross glared at the Commandant.

"Many define strength as overwhelming power over your foes. I believe our King is a practitioner of those beliefs as with the royalty before him. That's why Pergrande is so strong…they take the strongest to weed out those they perceive as weak. I cannot say for certain whether this army would protect every single citizen in this country…but I can say that if they did, it would be to show their power and nothing more. While that is technically strength…I could never abide by something like that. I believe strength is having the power to protect. To protect something dear to you…or to protect those who cannot protect themselves. I'm not strong because I wish to lord my power over everyone else…I simply wish to protect my mother and my country because they are dear to me. You three are dear to me, too."

Ross stared at Emmeraude with widened eyes. "How can I be dear to you? I just got here…!"

"So? You are a part of my unit…and we're like a little family, you know? So if the need arises, I will protect you." Emmeraude's tone was firm. Normally she was nothing but business when it came to the other Commandants, but to those in her unit, she treated them like family. "You too came from the slums, didn't you Ross? Is that why you want to be strong?"

Ross glanced away. His anger did defuse since she did provide him with another outlook on power. "…."

Emmeraude patted Ross on the head with a soft smile. "It is my ambition to create a world where strife no longer exists. I could really use your strength, Ross. It would mean the world to me."

Ross swatted Emmeraude's hand away and proceeded to stomp off. Being perceived as weak was something he didn't enjoy. "I don't want to be weak…a weak person can't change anything…"

"Yeesh…what a power hungry fool." Marisa sighed.

"He'll come around eventually…" Emmeraude snickered. "I could see the look in his eyes. All he ever needed…was a chance to use his potential. He wasn't going to get anywhere being thrown to the side…"

[End flashback]

 _"I may not be able to do much…but protecting those who can't protect themselves. That strength…is what you taught me…"_ Ross gathered the last of his magic and pointed his palm at Rose's face, releasing a point blank blast of lightning that consumed the demon, sending her flying backwards. After that…the man gave one last smile as his hand fell. _"Create the world you dreamed of, Emmeraude…I believe in you…because you believed in me…"_ And so…Ross drew his last breath, the Sense Link around his wrist shattering in the process.

Rose grumbled, her body seizing up a little from the lightning. "Damned nuisances…" Her wings the spread and she took off to the sky, pursing after Elfman and Lisanna. They didn't get as far as they would've liked and it didn't help that Rose was a fast flier.

"She's gaining on us already?!" Lisanna shouted.

Elfman was holding the still unconscious Mirajane, growling lowly. "We're not going to get very far at this rate…"

"I got you now…" Rose lifted her hands up, crafting a blaze within her palms. Before she could actually fire, Cynthia and Wendy dove down from above, their legs slamming into Rose's stomach to send rocketing to the ground. "Agh!"

The pair landed with Carla right next to them. They were both somewhat injured but fine nonetheless. "Sorry we're late. We had a run in with the Council and barely got away…" Wendy said.

"They're really coming after us hard…" Carla sighed. "Is everyone all right!?"

"Mira-nee is unconscious, but still breathing." Lisanna clarified.

"Son of a…" Rose stood up, spitting some blood off to the side before glaring at Cynthia and Wendy. Oh how she yearned for this meeting. "You two…"

"I had a nasty feeling…" Cynthia spat.

"This is perfect! I'll kill all of you and get my revenge!" Flames exploded around Rose and she lunged forward with a wild look on her face. She was more than prepared to strike down these Fairy Tail mages…but before she could reach them, an unknown magic seal appeared underneath them and whisked them off! So Rose ended up tumbling along the dirt before coming to a halt. "Huh?! What the hell!? Where did they go?"

.

.

Some time passed, possibly an hour or so after the initial events. Emmeraude was sitting on the throne, although her shirt was removed for the sake of Marisa wrapping some bandages around her body to cover her wound. A heavy sigh escaped the woman as her thoughts wandered. "For a moment…I thought of what might happen if I did perish before fulfilling my promise to my mother."

"Hey, don't have those thoughts!" Marisa shook her head. "Emerald is doing just fine, you know? She's moved up in class thanks to the money you sent, so she's living comfortably in the middle class. She's in that rare threshold."

"Indeed." Drayden nodded. "A vast improvement over the slums you lived in for years."

Hearing that news brought a smile to Emmeraude's lips. "I see…I'm glad my efforts haven't gone to waste. But I'm not content with that just yet. I don't want her to work another day in her life and relax for the rest of her years…I want to give her the world."

"Such a noble and endearing ambition…!" Marisa had tears appearing in the corner of her eyes. She was always oversensitive emotionally. "This is just one reason we look up to you, my lady! And that's why we are willing to assist you in any way possible!"

"I don't know what I would do without you." Emmeraude smiled to her loyal companions…but it was a sad smile. Ross wasn't here anymore…but when the sense link shattered, she could sense that he didn't go out said. His thoughts were with her, and that was enough to ensure that his life wasn't wasted in vain.

The throne room doors opened once again and it was Knightwalker who returned. She wasn't soaking wet from the rain because she stole someone's hood to keep herself dry. When examining the damage dealt to the throne room she lifted a brow. "...What happened in here…?"

"Oh, Knightwalker. You're back. How did it go? And nothing…just dealing with a few gnats." Emmeraude responded.

"…I didn't kill him. I didn't want to." Knightwalker admitted. "So I want another task."

"Very well." Emmeraude was very forgiving in this regard. "Perhaps it was a bit much to ask you to kill Jellal…I just assumed that you'd want to let off some steam. No matter. I'll send you home once this is over, I promise you that."

"She doesn't back down on her promises." Sophie remarked.

"I see…" Knightwalker sighed and walked off to the side of the throne room to glance out the window. "This world is a mess from what I've noticed. In Edolas, the entire world is unified under one leader. But this one has multiple countries with multiple leaders…during my time here; I've briefly visited these countries. It's the same, yet different."

"I agree…" Emmeraude nodded slowly. "When I was exiled from Pergrande, I didn't have anywhere to go. I wandered from country to country to find a place to live…but it's all the same no matter how you slice it. Either the rulers are incompetent, or they intend to go to war over the smallest thing. A world like this is dangerous…which is why I intend to change the world, starting with Fiore. For some reason, this country is the start of it all. Between Fiore's End…angels attacking once again, Dealer, the Isle of the Dragons, and even Tatarus attempting to wipe the world of magic…this country is obviously a red flag to Earthland. No one feels safe in Fiore…and no one feels safe with Fiore. I didn't have any intentions to use this country as my first stepping stone, but it's funny how things work out."

Curiosity piqued for Knightwalker, but she shook her head. "You're strange. I wonder how the Edolas version of you is…"

"Be sure to write me a letter about it." Emmeraude snickered. But all the casual talk soon came to an end as the doors to the room opened once again. "Who is it this time…?!" But her surprised tone ceased when she saw who was at the door.

It was Lucy. She laid waste to the castle soldiers, although she did hold back enough to make sure they weren't dead. The aura around her body was intense…who knows how much time she had left? She wasn't sure, but her chest fell and rose with each broken breath she took. "I'm…here…"

"What the…." Knightwalker blinked several times in pure shock at Lucy. This was the first time she'd seen the blonde since the Aiden incident and she looked absolutely awful.

"Oh! So you came after all!" Emmeraude clasped her hands together with a wide smile. "I knew you would. Tell me…how did it feel?"

"How did…what feel…?" Lucy asked while taking slow steps forward. Sophie, Drayden, Marisa, and Knightwalker were all ready to attack, but Emmeraude stood up and they all held back. "I didn't come here…to chat. I came to end this…"

"Oh, so you did realize? Every time you encountered your friends…they were stolen away from you after you pushed them away. How did that feel?" Emmeraude started to walk forward. She was seriously planning to meet Lucy and Lambda halfway. "It didn't feel very good did it? Being so close to something you cherish and desire only for it to be snatched away. That's how I felt when you stole my precious Lambda away from me when it was so close to completion." A genius, a loving daughter, a doting mother, a Queen, and a little petty; that was Emmeraude.

"You…" Lucy growled. "If we stop you here…then it'll all be over…" The blonde held her hand out, forming a pitch black sphere within her open palm. The throne room shook with the power Lucy let off. She was determined to stop Emmeraude right here and return Fiore to its rightful state. "Then everyone will be safe from you…"

"Awww…are you sure you want to do that…?" Emmeraude snapped her fingers to cue Drayden. Drayden did as commanded and unveiled the two cards of Makarov and Mest from earlier. "If you so much as take another step…." The Queen extended her hand towards the cards, Crash Magic dangerously radiating from her palm. "I'll erase these two from existence."

Lucy's eyes widened at the threat in front of her. She instantly hesitated as Makarov and Mest's lives being threatened. "…! You…!"

"Don't be upset." Emmeraude pointed at the bandages around her stomach. "Were you going to call me unfair? Underhanded? Something similar? You shouldn't. Because as it turns out, your precious family tried to do the same thing to me. So feel free to attack me…but you will lose your family in the process."

"Tch…!" Lucy sucked her teeth. She was going to stand down, but…

 _"What are you doing?!"_ Lambda yelled inside her head. _"Destroy her!"_

"No!" Lucy placed her free hand on her wrist to fight herself. "I can't put them in danger!"

 _"They're already in danger. Destroy her and them! If you don't attack, then I will."_

"N-No! I won't…let anyone else be hurt…because of me!" Lucy cried out, literally biting her tongue as she forced herself to fight against Lambda. "Stop it!"

Emmeraude had an assumed smile as Lucy fought with Lambda. "In the end, you two are just using one another. Did you really think you could stroll in here with your head held high to defeat me? Your plan was flawed from the very beginning, Lucy…Lambda. How much power have you used too? Surely you only have a few hours left on your lifespan now…"

"Maybe she was trying finish things off before she ran out of time…" Knightwalker suggested. "A suicide mission, perhaps?"

"Do I attack?" Sophie asked.

"No…there's no need." Emmeraude responded. "You know what's really important, don't you Lucy? You want to save everyone in Fairy Tail…you're the only person capable of saving them. You know that." Emmeraude was instigating Lucy's love for Fairy Tail. She leaned in to the struggling blonde's face, presenting a sweet smile. "Do you want to save them…or do you want to kill them…?"

This was probably the struggling face Emmeraude was yearning to see. Lucy could feel Lambda tearing her body apart as she resisted harming the Queen for the sake of her family members. "P-Please…don't…hurt them…"

"But I might have no choice. They did try to kill me after all." Emmeraude pouted, clearly enjoying Lucy's struggle. "And this is all your fault…you just had to interfere. You could be living peacefully with your friends and family under my rule…but no, you had to ruin everything. Now Fairy Tail's fate is decided by the snap of my fingers."

Honestly, Lucy wanted to swing. The way Emmeraude threatened her family did anger her, but at the same time those emotions only increased Lambda's influence on her, as though she didn't have a hard time dealing with already. "I hate you…." She growled.

 _"KILL HER! KILL HER!"_ Lambda screamed. It was so close…yet so far because of Lucy refusing to strike! All because she cared about a couple of humans? It was never going to understand. All it wanted was Emmeraude's life.

"S-STOP!" Lucy took a step back, placing her hands on her heads. Lambda was screaming for her to not waste this chance and take Emmeraude's life…but she couldn't. The internal and outward struggle ended as the aura exploded around Lucy before diminishing completely. Lucy's eyes grew dull and she just collapsed on the spot.

"Oh my…" Marisa blinked. "What happened…did she die?"

"No…" Emmeraude shook her head and knelt down, placing her hand on Lucy's forehead. "It seems she and Lambda quarreled to the point they both fell unconscious. I can't exactly tell what kind of effects this will have but…as far as I'm concerned, we can milk this for what it's worth. Lambda is finally within my grasp."

"I suppose this means your plans can start?" Knightwalker asked.

"Oh yes…" Emmeraude lifted the unconscious Lucy into her arms, examining the black markings all along her body. "Hm…she really did make for an excellent final test subject. But the time for games is over now…my revolution can finally start. You should be honored, Lucy. You can serve as the cornerstone for the world that I wish to build."

.

.

Next Time: Royal Decree


	155. Chapter 155: Royal Decree

As the crisis in Fiore escalated…just how did the other countries react to this? To the public, they had yet to give an official word of their thoughts on the matter. Their response was completely silent. So what was it exactly they were doing this entire time? They were discussing the matter at hand amongst one another. The respective leaders of each country all had lacrima screens open to communicate. But the first one to speak was King Ashnard. "So…why do we care that Fiore has a new ruler again?"

"Well…it's quite unnatural, don't you think?" Queen Vena asked. "The ruler of Fiore is supposed to be Toma…with his daughter Hisui next in line. Should we not be concerned that someone has usurped the throne?"

"And further more…" Edel of Sin spoke. She was a woman with long black hair and red eyes; donning military attire. "I've heard that this 'Emmeraude' was formerly one of your top subordinates a few years ago?"

"You wouldn't happen to be behind this would you, King Ashnard?" King Ceros of Bosco asked.

"Former being the operative word." Ashnard corrected. "She's been exiled and stripped of her citizenship in my country for quite some time now. I have nothing to do with her foolish plots."

"I hope that's the case…" Artorius of Bellum sighed.

"What does it matter?" Count Waltz said. "In the end…all we have to watch out for is any change in Fiore's activity. If this woman would try and come for our thrones as well…I'm sure she's aware that she would swiftly be put down. But if she plays nice, that just means we have a new friend."

"I agree." Ice said. "This isn't our concern unless she decides to make it ours. In the meantime…it's best to sit back and watch how things play out."

"If…things go bad…I do have the air fleet…" Raha of Minstrel said. She was incredibly young for a ruler…in fact she was a child with an attendant at her side.

"For now…I believe the best course of action is to watch." Vena tried to defuse the situation before it escalated. For now…the royals made their thoughts clear: they weren't going to interfere. At least not yet.

.

Mira's eyes slowly opened. As soon as she started to stir, all eyes were on her! The woman sat up to take a look at her surroundings. She was in some type of home, wrapped in bandages and on a bed. "Where…?"

"Mira-nee!" Lisanna immediately threw herself at her elder sibling. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Lisanna…!" Mira returned the hug. Now that her vision was focused she could see Elfman, Wendy, Cynthia, Carla…and even the mysterious Takeba sitting in a corner. "What…happened exactly?"

Takeba stood up, approaching the group with her arms crossed. "You successfully defeated Ross and passed out from the sheer amount of power after. The little…evil twin of that one?" She pointed to Cynthia, "was then going to kill you all…but Ross stepped in to protect you. He didn't buy you much time…but enough to where these brave little girls could step in and protect you. I decided to whisk you all away to safety."

Mira blinked as Takeba explained. She recognized the woman from their several encounters. "You…saved us…?"

"Of course." Takeba nodded. "I know we don't know each other very well…but there's something about you that I like, and I didn't want your comrades to be injured either."

"She's actually the one who healed us…" Wendy pointed out. "Thank you for helping us."

"Yeah, thanks." Cynthia nodded. "I wasn't exactly in the mood to fight Rose again…I thought I left that part of me behind, but not yet it seems. I am worried that she's active, but…"

"I believe you have more important matters to attend to." Takeba pointed out. "Shouldn't you be heading to the palace soon? You do have a battle to fight, don't you?"

"How did you…?" Elfman was about to ask.

"I can tell you're all in a very important battle right now." Takeba's tone was ominous. "Plus, it would only make sense to go there for the final confrontation…Mercurius is a beautiful palace…"

"She's starting to not make sense…" Carla whispered to the others. "But she does have a point…we're not going to get anywhere standing around. I'm just worried because I can't contact a few of the others with the cards Cana gave us…"

"I hope nothing bad has happened…" Mira frowned. "The way things are looking…it's not very good at this rate."

"I'm sure you'll all be fine." Takeba said while waving her hand. "I'll just leave you be for now. I shouldn't be getting involved anymore. But I'm sure you'll all do just fine." With a snap of her fingers, the pink haired woman vanished.

"That was so weird…" Cynthia scratched her head. "But…I am worried about the others. We haven't heard from them all day…"

"I have a foreboding feeling…" Carla stared at the window as the rain fell. It started to lessen but going outside could still result in a cold. "Erza isn't answering…Cana isn't answering…nor is Gray or Juvia. I only called them once, though…if they were captured by the Council, I don't want them tracking our location with constant calls."

"We can't start our attack without them…! And we also have no idea where Lucy is…" Lisanna frowned.

"I suppose we'll have to wait." Mira said with a sigh. "…I would hold you all back anyway with how I am. My body is sore and heavy…I used a lot of magic…but I think it's better we stay here until we hear word from them…any risky moves and the Council could find us. We can't help anyone if we get captured too."

"As much as I don't like it…I agree…" Lisanna muttered.

"I don't want you two going anywhere either." Mira's gaze narrowed at Cynthia and Wendy. Of course she was concerned for them, even in her condition. And even in her condition, defying her word was still scary. Especially after what Lisanna and Elfman told the girls about her new takeovers.

"R-Right…" Both Cynthia and Wendy both nodded in unison.

.

.

Natsu stirred…until a bump in the carriage caused him to awaken immediately. It didn't take long for him to realize he was sitting in a vehicle and he fell over. Motion sickness and magic sealing cuffs slapped on him…this was not a good day. "Ugh…."

"Oh, he's awake…" Cana sighed. She and Erza weren't the only ones who ended up being apprehended by the Council; Gray and Juvia were also with them as well unfortunately. "You alive?"

"No…" Natsu's face turned green and he felt like he was going to vomit.

"Be quiet back there." Layanna's passive aggressive tone came from the front of the carriage. Those in the Council clearly didn't care for the wellbeing of those who were deemed criminals.

"What…happened…?" Natsu tried to steady himself, but was failing horribly. When did his friends get captured?

"We encountered Lucy…but she escaped and we were captured." Erza sighed. She was actively trying to pry the magic sealing cuffs off her wrists, but to no avail. "Geez…what do they make these things out of…? They're so tight…."

"We've learned from past mistakes. This is a new issue of magic sealing cuffs that can't be pried off so easily. You're not going anywhere." Ryusei explained.

"Damn it…" Gray grumbled. If he could freeze the cuffs this wouldn't even be an issue. "We got ambushed by the Council and now we're here, too."

"Juvia didn't see it coming…" Juvia was extremely disappointed in herself. Now of all times, when their family was in danger and Lucy's life was at stake. This wasn't their best performance so far…

"Lucy…she looked…like she was suffering…" Natsu struggled to speak because of his motion sickness. But he refused to give up! "She…said….she was going to Emmeraude…"

"What!?" Erza's eyes widened and she stood up. "We can't let her do that! We have to escape and stop her!"

"I wouldn't get any funny ideas. We're close to our destination anyway." Layanna said with her usual indifferent tone. "Honestly…this was a good excuse to get rid of you lot anyway. I never did like Fairy Tail."

"We aren't exactly fond of you either." Cana spat. "If only there was some way to get out of here…this wouldn't be a problem if we already had Lucy. Then we could just take the fight to Emmeraude without having to worry…"

"She's already a dangerous foe…" Erza grumbled. "Even aside from her strength…her ambition makes her extremely dangerous."

"You like to talk a lot, don't you?" Odin sighed. "How about you foul criminals shut the fuck up for a second?"

"S-Say that to my face…!" Natsu took a step forward and ended up collapsing again.

"Your execution will be coming soon enough." Odin said.

"E-Execution!?" Juvia's eyes widened. "But!?"

"It's the only way to make an example. You are far too rowdy and have far too many offenses…this is the best way to keep the people quiet. It's not like you'll be missed." Odin continued. His tone was harsh…he didn't even sound like he was looking forward to this. With his old age came nothing but an annoyed attitude towards everything.

"You're crazy if you think we're just going to stay here!" Gray shouted.

"By all means, try and escape. You're surrounded on all sides and you can't even use magic. We'd make short work of you on the spot." Odin's annoyed tone only grew with the words Gray spoke. "You're criminals…if it were up to me; you wouldn't even have basic human rights. You abandoned those rights the very second you decided to break the law."

"Fuck you too then…" Cana growled, squirming in her restraints. "They stole our communication cards…if they weren't so thorough we could contact the others…did they take yours, Natsu?"

"Urp…" Natsu wasn't much help in his condition. Transportation was always his mortal enemy. "You gave those out…?"

It was then that Cana remembered…Natsu rushed out the window with Happy before she could give him one! "…Damn it. We're finished…"

And if things couldn't get any worse, it was around this time that Emmeraude appeared on various lacrima screens in the sky above Fiore. "Hello Fiore. It is your Queen, bringing you an update on the situation. I'm happy to announce that Lucy Heartfilia has been captured and brought into custody." The camera shifted to show an unconscious Lucy restrained by several chains, all of the Queens own doing.

"Shit…!" Gray stood up from his seat, peering through the window to try and get a better view.

"We were too late?" Juvia questioned with a pout.

"Unfortunately I cannot say that Fairy Tail was responsible for turning them into me…therefore I can't pardon their crimes." Emmeraude shrugged. "So…the guild will remain on the criminal radar, and I'm leaving the Council to do with them as they see fit. Everything is in place for me to make a safer country, and soon a safer world. Thank you all for your continued support; this is Queen Emmeraude signing off." With that, Emmeraude's message was over and the screens vanished.

"This…isn't good…" Erza grit her teeth. This was easily one of the worst situations they'd found themselves in for a long time. "But we can't give up yet. I refuse…"

"Still chatting, huh?" Odin sighed. "Fine. Enjoy your last moments. We're nearing your execution grounds anyway."

"We have to get out of here before then…" Erza whispered. Of course that was easier said than done…but if they couldn't get out of this place, then it was all over.

.

.

Daryan and Kagura were forced to stay within close proximity of one another thanks to the Sensory Link placed upon them. Daryan didn't seem to mind so much, but Kagura was very miffed about it and well…he could sense it. Because of the rain, they had to take some shelter under the canopy of trees, and Kagura made sure to sit on the opposite side. She did want to stay as far away from him as possible given their circumstances. After Emmeraude's announcement played, he placed his hands behind his head and whistled. "Well…that was quite the announcement, wasn't it?" Of course he did his part to inform Kagura of why Emmeraude wasn't truly Fiore's ruler, but all things considered…she just wanted him to go away. "…You're not much of a talker, are you?"

"…I'm just wondering what I did that warranted this punishment." Kagura replied. "Staying within five feet of you is not how I intended to spend any of my days. But I would prefer keeping the maximum amount of distance from you."

"Ah…why's that?" Daryan asked. Their progress was being impeded by the rain so they weren't going anywhere for a while.

"…." Kaugra opted not to answer. But she forgot that the Sense Link wasn't just for keeping them annoyingly close together; they could feel one another's emotions.

"I can't be that bad, can I?" Daryan asked.

"You are." Kagura's reply was short. It was hard to have this conversation grind to a halt when her emotions were basically his…and vice versa. "…You irritate me."

"…I knew I wasn't feeling annoyed for a reason." The dragon slayer joked. But his joking expression faded a bit as he focused on something else. "Also a little heavy…do you always feel that stomach pain?"

"…I don't feel it anymore." Kagura said. She didn't like bringing the subject of her scar up ever. That incident still weighed heavily on her mind. "I can't let it slow me down. You know, like you're slowing me down right now. I was supposed to be home by now."

"Hey hey, at least you took some time to save me! I totally owe you!" Daryan said with a wide grin. Even though Kagura couldn't actually see it, she could tell it was there and her annoyance only rose.

"Just so we're clear, the only reason I even tried was because there was a voice in my head lecturing me to do the right thing. And no, it wasn't my own." Kagura let out a small huff. This wasn't how she anticipated her day going at all. Soon enough, Daryan circled around the tree to sit next to her, causing her to raise a brow. "What are you doing…?" At this point she was too tired to fight him.

Daryan did mind his distance. She was prone to asserting her right to personal space whenever he got too close, and right now he wasn't trying to overstep his boundaries. "That scar of yours…I know you don't like talking about it, but…"

"Then why are you bringing it up." The Mermaid's tone was harsh.

"Well…just because it's a scar doesn't mean you have to feel weak." Daryan said with a bit of a softer tone than usual.

"It reminds me of a time I was weak." Kagura sighed. There was no point in denying or keeping silent…and she'd rather say the words than have Daryan and his stupid face say it for her. "I almost died back then…if it wasn't for those two, I wouldn't be here right now. It was a pathetic showing." Why was she being so talkative now? Well…it was always easier to talk to someone when they didn't have any stakes involved. And as much as she was unsure about her own feelings about Daryan…she could at least talk to him. She didn't want to burden the others at Mermaid Heel with her thoughts and concerns, even though they could read her like a book. She didn't want to show them that weakness. "Even though it doesn't bother me, it flares up occasionally. Like right now, since you brought it up."

Daryan listened carefully. It was…an odd feeling. She was actually talking to him…or rather, just using him to get her thoughts out. But hey, he was content with that. It was better than their usual conversations which would have ended by now. "I see…you know, you're not entirely alone in that regard." He then turned around and lifted up his shirt a bit, revealing the large claw mark scar on his back.

"What…" Kagura blinked several times. Even she wasn't expecting to see such a scar on Daryan. "…Did your dragon do that to you? And why are you showing this to me?"

"Because I'm in the same boat…kinda." Daryan said with a shrug. "And no, it wasn't my dad…it was actually Gaia."

"Huh…?" That caught Kagura by surprise. "Isn't she your comrade though…?"

"Yeah, but…that was before we got along." Daryan explained. "I'm still not entirely sure about the whole thing about the dragons even though it was explained…but before I joined Cosmic Star, I thought I was the toughest person around since I thought I killed a dragon. I wanted to tell Gaia I slayed a dragon so she'd bow before me…but Karma told me not to do it. Even so…we had a fight and she kicked my ass, making sure to leave a mark after. She told me that if I ever tried to step up to her like that again she'd kill me."

"I can imagine you charging at her with reckless abandoned only to get smacked down." Kagura kept a straight face, but she was internally laughing at the image of Daryan getting smacked the moment he started to run. Of course he could tell because of the Sense Link but he didn't say anything. "…That still doesn't explain why you decided to share this story with me. You can also put your shirt down."

"I know scars suck…" Daryan said while putting his shirt back down. "But they're not always a bad thing. You're a strong woman and that's just one of the things I love about you. The scar can only define you if you let it. You shouldn't let it make you feel weak…just turn that into your reason to be strong, yeah? That would make it pretty beautiful in my eyes."

Silence. Kagura wasn't even sure what to say to all of that. By some strange instinct she ended up shoving Daryan over as though if he got too close. It wasn't exactly hatred that drove her to always push him away…she didn't know what it was either. "You…say a lot of strange things."

"Do I? I thought it was pretty normal…" Daryan scratched the back of his neck. It was then their little conversation was cut short by the communicator Daryan had in his pockets. The dragon slayer answered the call and there was an unhappy Gaia on the screen.

"Daryan! There you are. I've been trying to reach you for ages…where are you? …And why are you with her? Are you two on a date?" The dragon questioned, and Kagura shook her head.

"Never." The mermaid said immediately.

"Damn…" Daryan sighed. "Listen…I'm kind of tied up here at the moment…"

"As long as you're not involved in that Emmeraude affair…" Gaia glared. "King Ceros has specifically told us to not get involved. So come home as soon as you can."

Sweat drop. Daryan was no fool…he wasn't going to tell Gaia about his circumstances because he'd catch an earful for sure. "R-Right…I'll be back soon, don't worry." And he was quick to cut off the transmission and let out a heavy sigh. "…So…the capital right? That's where Emmeraude is."

Kagura lifted a brow. "Aren't you not supposed to be involved?"

Cue the skeletal dragon lifting up his wrist to show the Sensory Link. "I'm already pretty involved. Also…on the way there, can I ask why you hate Jellal or…"

"Stop talking."

.

.

Emmeraude pressed a needle into Lucy's arm, using it to extract a bit of her blood but more so the magic essence of Lambda. Since Lambda couldn't be removed without extensive harm to Lucy, Emmeraude opted for another option for the time being. "Hm…this should be enough."

"What exactly are you going to do with that…?" Knightwalker questioned.

"I'm going to field test Lambda. At this current point in time, this is the most of it I can inject into another person without them suffering the drawbacks such as our dear guinea pig here. I'm not done making this girl pay for interfering with my plans…so I'll be using her as my main experiment until she expires." Emmeraude said. "I don't have to worry about her time running out since both her and Lambda are unconscious…they're in a strange limbo. I don't know what will happen when they wake up."

"You're just intent on making her suffer until she's dead aren't you?" Knightwalker lifted a brow. "That's cruel."

"She set me back so many months when my research was almost complete." Emmeraude's tone grew harsh. "So she's going to help me with the final touches of my project. I'll drain every drop of blood, sweat, and knowledge from her to compensate for my time lost." The needle in her hand was then given to Drayden. "I'll need you to use your copy and paste card. It's the best way to give it to all the soldiers in a short time."

"As you wish." Drayden said with a bow before departing.

Marisa and Sophie then appeared, both giving a salute. "The citizens are all evacuated! They didn't bother asking questions, Sophie and I made sure of that. Everything's all ready."

"Excellent work." Emmeraude sat back down on the throne, crossing one leg over the other. "Everything is going according to plan. I know those meddlers will appear if the Council doesn't finish them off…and even if they don't…I can feel _her_ coming. Call it…motherly intuition."

Zell clapped a few times as he made his presence known. In truth everyone was aware that he was in the room but they were ignoring him. "Bravo, bravo! So this is what the legendary Emmeraude of the 13 Commandants is capable of! What a wonderful spectacle."

"…Who is this man?" Emmeraude pointed at Zell with a curious brow raised. "I don't recall seeing such a person in the Military."

Zell cleared his throat, preparing to speak with poise and confidence. "I am—"

"Oh…that's Zell…" Marisa said, bored.

"H-Hey!" Zell whined. Despite his calm composure against Natsu and the others prior…he was actually young and it showed when he was interrupted. "I didn't get to introduce myself!"

"After the Isle of the Dragons incident…they had to start filling the spots of the Commandants that fell or lost their rank in the Island. We lost Xen, Lucius, Lex, and Wes…and Laura was stripped of her rank. So they've been taking prominent members of the military these days and giving them rank." Marisa explained. "Since this all happened after you left…I'm not surprised you don't know him."

"A Pergrande man…" Emmeraude shifted in her seat. "And what exactly are you doing here? This is my country…you aren't under Ashnard's orders are you? I need an excuse to rip into him."

"No no!" Zell shook his head. "I got a request from Ross…who I now assume forged your signature on this document." Zell held the paper forward and Emmeraude snatched it.

"Hm…? I don't remember signing this…" Emmeraude sighed. Of course Ross would come up now…what did he do? It was a bit of a sore subject. "Hmmm…the Village of the Sun…? Oh…I remember seeing something about this now. It was in one of those documents I glossed over…so you were responsible for that?"

"Indeed." Zell said, proudly. "By using my Remembrance of Time, I conjured Xen to appear and freeze various locations along the continent. It was supposed to be a show of power for the power of time."

"Right…" Emmeraude rolled her eyes. "The Remembrance of Time…I recall reading about it. A magic that allows the user to recreate people or events from history…while they can be interacted with, nothing itself can really change. So if a person was brought back from the past…their thoughts will remain the same from that point in time. It's a glorified history book in terms of magic."

"…Why do you people keep stealing my thunder…" Zell frowned.

"But my question is…why is a high ranking Pergrande officer in MY country?" Emmeraude lifted a brow while tapping her armrest.

"Ah…yes…you are aware of the traitor, Mii Koryuji, yes? I've been tasked with bringing her in…and as luck would have it, she happens to be a part of the now criminal Fairy Tail guild." Zell explained. "Along with her allegiance to the 13 Commandants…I fear things have gotten a little tricky. So I've simply come to ask for permission to apprehend her…from what I've been told, she needs a little reminder about her mission."

"That doesn't concern me." Emmeraude scoffed….but then a lightbulb went off in her head. Clearly this was Zell's first major assignment and he was bumbling about. As a Commandant, making a mistake in a foreign country for a mission was unacceptable…she could use this. "…But as long as you apprehend her and do nothing else, I suppose I could let it slide. That girl is a menace and won't give herself up so easily."

"Wow, really? I-I mean…thank you for your cooperation." Zell turned around, giving a sinister smirk. _"Too easy….she's gonna regret this…"_ He then exited the throne room.

"What a fool…" Emmeraude said with a snicker. "He thinks he's playing me…that's adorable. The moment he slips up, I'll clamp my jaws on Pergrande and every country in between. New recruits are always eager to prove themselves. But I'm eager myself to see that traitor finally get her dues. One less thing I have to worry about."

.

.

The carriage holding the prisoners of Fairy Tail came to a grinding halt. Natsu tumbled out as soon as the doors opened and was glad to be back on solid ground. "Ugh…fresh air…"

"Don't get comfortable." Correll said with a grin, grabbing Natsu by the back of his scarf and practically dragged him through the dirt. "Your friends may have gotten away, but we're going to take our sweet time with you."

Gray, Erza, Juvia, and Cana were all dragged out of the carriage by various council officers. Despite their struggle, it was hard to outright escape since they were outnumbered. "Hey, hands off!" Cana snapped. One look at their surroundings and it wasn't good…they were about to be transferred into the Council Stronghold and were surrounded on all sides by guards. With no magic, the situation looked very grim…but Fairy Tail wasn't one to give up! They just…needed a way out.

"Once you're in here, there's no way out." Ryusei stated with pride.

"Grrr…" Natsu attempted to slam his skill back into Correll's nose, but it didn't work out as well as he wanted.

"Ohp, you might wanna be careful! You've already got a number of charges!" Correll smirked. "But go ahead…make my day and give me one more."

"You don't think we'll go down that easily, do you?" Erza's determination was unwavering.

"And on what grounds are you still so annoyingly persistent?" Layanna said while shoving Erza along.

"When we need them most, our comrades will always come through." Erza didn't even have to look to say anything. A gigantic iron sword cleaved through the carriage, causing everyone to go on high alert.

"What the…?" Odin sighed and turned in the direction the blade came from.

"Gihehehe…." Gajeel withdrew his arm. "I hope you didn't think you'd be offing my comrades that easily." Beside him were Levy and Pantherlily, both of them ready to fight the law. "We'll be taking them off your hands now."

"Oh, another one…" Correll cracked his knuckles. "All of you came to get arrested? This'll be easy enough."

"Oh…we didn't come alone." Levy interjected.

"Wait…what?" Ruysei was on guard immediately.

Following the entrance of Gajeel, Levy, and Pantherlily were a few more surprise guests: Cobra, Midnight, Hoteye, Ultear, and Meredy. The members of Crime Soricere were on the scene! Cobra led the charge with a purple mist secreting from his palms, a somewhat twisted grin forming on his lips. How ironic it was they got the chance to hunt the Council after they were the hunted. "Can you hear it? The sounds of your hearts beating in fear?"

.

.

Next Time: You Are Not Alone.

Chapters until the season finale: 7.


	156. Chapter 156: You Are Not Alone

The Council squadron looked around as Cobra, Midnight, Hoteye, Gajeel, Levy, and Pantherlily had them surrounded! There was a wide grin on Natsu's face as the cavalry finally decided to show up. "Took you guys long enough! Get us out of these chains!"

"How did they find us?" Layanna said as a sword manifested in her hand. "We weren't being followed, I made sure of that."

"You trust your eyes, but all I need are my ears." Cobra responded with a twisted grin. "So how about you use those ears and listen well: We're taking them back with us, and if you are wise, you won't stand in our way."

To that statement, Correll let out a loud laugh. "HA! You think we're going to let this chance slip us by? Wanted criminals just waltz up to the Council Stronghold, thinking they can stage a breakout? I think you've got it twisted, you toxic gecko. You can join them."

The Council wasn't composed of a bunch of fools – all eyes were on the foes presented before them. But there was one person who was able to move somewhat freely due to their lack of offensive presence: Levy McGarden. "Solid Script: Sword…" The script mage traced her finger along the air, drawing out the words. The pen became the sword and the words flew forward, slicing through the magic cuffs that bound her comrades.

"Nice shot, shrimp!" Gajeel said with a wide grin.

"Giehe…" Levy was pleased with herself. Because with her comrades free, they could finally begin their offensive front.

"FINALLY!" Natsu roared, fire erupting around his being. It was no surprise that he was the first one to actually throw a punch; fire wrapped around his arm and he swung at the nearest council soldier, causing a powerful eruption of flame that shook the earth with the power he was packing. "Now, get out of our way!"

"Arrest them all!" Ryusei exclaimed. "Fortissimo!" Just as before, the Warden unleashed a plethora of magic shaped bullets upon the Fairy Tail mages, the continuous bombardment aiming to keep them all pinned down and eventually force them to submit. However, Midnight had other plans and his Reflector trapped all of the bullets in a never ending ethereal twister. "Huh?"

"I can't allow you to do that…." Midnight said with a bored yawn. Clearly he was still tired and a little irritated that his sleep was interrupted for this…so it was only natural that he was doing everything he could to ensure that this skirmish ended as swiftly as possible. The bullets Ryusei fired were spat out wildly from the twister, shooting in every which direction to take down multiple council members.

"A breakout? Not on my watch…" Layanna's blade granted her speed and her aim was to cut down any and all opposition to the law right then and there. But she was immediately intercepted by Erza in her Flight Armor; the collision of high speed blades caused sparks to fly and they entered a deadlock. "Why do you continue to oppose the law?"

"Because they get in our way." Erza responded. The relationship between the Council and Guilds was always rocky…sometimes they helped out each other, but most of the time they were at each other's necks just like this. "Right now, our goal is to rescue our comrade and take back the country. We don't expect you to understand."

"We don't need to understand your motives." Layanna spat. "We're going to arrest you for all of your crimes."

"You'll have a hard time doing that." Erza spoke with a smug grin before leaping backwards. Layanna attempted to pursue…but found that her feet were sinking in the ground.

"What is this…?!" Layanna growled, showing a rare emotion of anger.

Hoteye was the cause of the liquefied ground. With his book his hand and fingers pointed down, the ground turned into a thick liquid substance that bogged down multiple council soldiers. "Don't worry about them. We're here to back you up!"

"Good to know we can count on them!" Levy said while drawing the word "lightning". The words came to life and lightning sprodaically shot out to paralyze multiple councilmen.

Gajeel grinned, allowing his iron scales to form along his body and used his body as a conduit for Levy's lightning. "Iron Dragon's Hard Fist!" A simple swing into the ground caused a powerful electrical shockwave to discharge and explode elsewhere. Those that weren't knocked down were taken out by Pantherlily in his battle form.

"I've had enough of this…" Odin sighed as a magic seal appeared before him. The captain inhaled, preparing to suck all of the oxygen within the area to leave everyone lightheaded. His magic did make him troublesome, but purple mist flowed into his mouth and he started to cough. "The fuck…?"

"You should be careful with what you inhale…the air is polluted around here…" Cobra smirked before rearing his arm back. "Poison Dragon's Fang Thrust!" Twin 'fangs' of poison shot from Cobra's arms, aiming to collide against Odin and send him flying backwards.

"If it were up to me…" Odin growled, coughing somewhat before forming a high pressurized barrier of oxygen around him to protect against Cobra's attack. "Where is that justice oaf when he's actually needed?"

"Come on! It's no fun otherwise!" Correll grinned, his fists growing larger due to his magic. The first person he wanted to swing at was Gray since the others were occupied, but Gray managed to block the attack. Correll's physical strength was nothing to sneeze at, but the instant Gray was hit…

"HOW DARE YOU ATTACK GRAY-SAMA!?" An enraged Juvia leapt into action. A cyclone of water formed around her lower half and she spun right into Correll, knocking him backwards.

Correll did catch himself, only smirking in response. "Attacking an officer…that's your last strike." Because to him, Fairy Tail had an immeasurable amount of strikes and this was the time to capitalize on it and bring them in! All he needed was a reason, and even the smallest one was good enough for him.

"We don't have time to deal with you!" Gray extended his hand to his side, interlocking his fingers with Juvia's. Water and ice merged together, forming a powerful cyclone of both elements that spiraled through the land. The Ice Edge tore through most councilmen, rendering them too cold to move while others were knocked out.

"Where are Racer and Angel?" Erza asked Ultear, who was knocking away various council soldiers with her orb and the various time techniques she enjoyed using with it.

"They've been tasked with another mission. Jellal was the one who wanted us to come bail you out after hearing that you were captured." Ultear explained.

After tossing some explosive cards out, Cana managed to regain her comminucation card and contacted everyone to keep up with their status. "Is everyone all right?! Where are you all?" With all the noises in the background, it was difficult to discern who answered, but she did pick up that everyone was heading to the capital. "The capital…? We're on it…!"

"Go. We'll handle them!" Meredy said confidently. "You have something more important to take care of, don't you?"

"We're on it!" Natsu said with a firm nod. Unforuntately Happy wasn't here to just fly him off, so they were going to go the old fashion way…by stuffing Natsu and Gajeel into the carriage before he could object and using it to travel to the capital! It was a far faster alternative than moving on foot. "W-Wait…"

"No time!" Erza was the one driving so it was automatically going to be a bumpy ride. Titania wasted no time in controlling the carriage at the highest speeds and drove off in the direction of the capital. She was keeping track of their location when they were in captivity, so driving back wasn't going to be an issue for her.

"Damn it, they're escaping!" Ryusei growled, but the members of Crime Soricere kept him too busy to pursue.

.

.

Just outside of Crocus, Fairy Tail gathered. The rain mostly settled by this point, but dark clouds still lingered in the sky with the light drizzle. Everyone was safe and sound…barring Makarov and Mest who hadn't shown up to the meeting place. Natsu and Gajeel crawled out of the carriage, both of them getting over their motion sickness. "That was awful…" Gajeel groaned.

"It looks like they're finally here." Laxus crossed his arms. "What took you all so long?"

"We had some…complications." Erza said.

"NATSU!" Happy flew and hugged Natsu tightly. "I was so worried!"

"Aha…we're fine!" Natsu said with a small grin. His attention then turned to the Strauss family and he was glad to see that Elfman and Lisanna were safe. "Hey, you got them back!"

"That's right." Mira said with a soft smile. "It was no easy task…but we managed."

"It's nice to see everyone all together again~" Mii hummed, sitting atop a tree, swinging her legs back and forth without a care in the world. "Nice job not getting caught."

"I'm not so surprised to see her in one piece…" Cana said with an exasperated sigh.

"Master and Mest-san are still missing…" Wendy pointed out, concern laced in her tone. "I hope they're okay. They haven't been answering the calls we've been trying to make."

"Perhaps they were ensnared within Emmeraude's grip. How awful that would be." Zelos said as an offhanded remark, but little did he know he was incredibly close to the truth.

Cynthia raised her hand a little eagerly now that everyone was gathered around. "So…what's the plan exactly? I doubt Emmeraude is going to make this easy for us…and she also has Lucy."

"We go in and punch her." Natsu was firm in this plan.

"You idiot, it's not going to be that easy! Gray yelled.

"You got a better plan?!" Natsu and Gray were about to argue, but they were separated by Erza before it could escalate any further.

"Focus, you two!" Erza snapped and both of them instantly calmed down.

"I suspect she'll send the royal guard after us." Freed deduced. "She has an army; it only makes sense for her to use it."

Bickslow then laughed. "They're small fries! They won't keep us busy for long!" _"Small fries! Small fries!"_

Mavis appeared before the guild as they discussed various ideas on how to attack. A frontal charge was obviously the only idea they had remaining…but the Palace itself was the tricky part. Nobody knew what kind of potential traps lie in wait for them. "Everyone…I have something very important I'd like to discuss with you before you begin…."

"What is it, First?" Laxus lifted a brow and everyone turned to give Mavis attention.

"This battle you are about to fight…it may be one of your most dangerous yet. Emmeraude isn't an opponent that you should take lightly. I have to remind you that she's human, just like the rest of you." Mavis said.

"What does that mean?" Natsu furrowed his brows. "Just like with Aiden and King, we can just beat the crap out of her for what she's done to us! Just because she's sitting on the throne doesn't make her any less different than us!"

"That's…the problem." Mavis' tone grew much more serious. "Despite the way she acts, Emmeraude is extremely similar to our mentality. She is a driven woman who has been planning all of her live to do what she has been doing now. Unlike the previous human opponents, Emmeraude's goals are not selfish and she has a following behind her. She is not only fighting for a cause, but for someone else, just as we do. I know you understand full well what kind of power someone can unleash when they are fighting for someone dear to them…so even if her strength was in question, the devotion she has to her goals is real. Emmeraude will not be an easy opponent. As long as she is driven, she will be the toughest foe Fairy Tail has gone against so far. But we also don't have a choice…she has the country under her thumb and we are made out to be the villains for standing up to her rule. Fiore has been doing well since she took the throne, but it is not hers to take. As such, we are causing an uprising because of this. But she has hurt our family, destroyed our home, taken our comrade, and made a fool of us…and I know that nothing will sway you all from paying her back tenfold. I support your cause and will do my best to aid you in this battle."

Mavis' words were true, but it was also a morale boost. Fairy Tail was the only one who could bring Fiore back to its rightful state, even if they were alone in the battle! "We'll make it work! We always do!" Natsu roared, deciding to be the one to lead the charge right into Crocus. "CAN YOU HEAR US, EMMERAUDE!? WE'RE COMING FOR YOU!"

.

Natsu's loud voice echoed through Crocus…so much so that Emmeraude could hear it. She blinked a few times and looked out the window to the city, a soft smile spreading on her lips. "So they gathered and came to bring things to a close…like moths to a flame. Try as they might, they won't be able to stop us, right Lucy?" She didn't look back at the blonde, but there was a knowing smile on her lips.

.

Fairy Tail charged forward with everything they could muster. Natsu was gunning down the city street at full speed, only to slide to a halt at the sight before him. As expected, the Royal Army was standing before them…but something was horribly wrong. They all had the black/red aura flaring around their body and the magical power they were exuding was almost frightening. "W-What the…!?"

"Isn't this…" Gray was right beside Natsu, gritting his teeth.

Marisa, Drayden, and Knightwalker all appeared in front of the Royal army…the same aura flowing out of them excluding Knightwalker. Small black marks were visible on their body and their magic power was high. "Hello hello!" Marisa waved, grinning at the shocked look on Fairy Tail's faces. "Are you surprised? We've all been Lambda-fied!"

"You…did what…?" Levy questioned. "But…isn't that…?!"

"It's only detrimental at the amount your dear friend Lucy is dealing with." Drayden explained. "With the little bit of experimentation, we've found the perfect amount to implement into the human body without significant drawbacks, and with large benefits."

"I didn't think you'd stoop so low to work with her of all people…" Erza glared at Knightwalker. The tension between them was still high.

"I'll do what I have to if it means I can return home. But I refused to take part of that experiment…because when I kill you, it'll be with my own power and nothing else." Knightwalker snarled…but then Drayden cut her off.

"Ah…don't get ahead of yourself." The card mage spoke while holding up the two cards of Makarov and Mest. "Besides…they can't afford to make any hasty moves with these two in danger."

"Gramps…" Laxus clenched his hand into a fist. As soon as his muscles twitched, Drayden threatened to rip the card in two and end Makarov's existence right then and there.

"This is as far as you go, Fairy Tail." Drayden snapped his fingers and the lambda-fied soldiers extended their palms, collectively gathering and releasing magic in the form of an enlarged sphere that spanned several meters. The sphere exploded as soon as it was launched forward, knocking Fairy Tail backwards a great distance as a result. "With this increase in strength, Fiore's army is practically unbeatable. If you do somehow make it past them…you'll never defeat us."

"Damn it…" Gray groaned. "That hurt…a lot…"

"I didn't feel it…" Mii stood right back up and stretched…only to see that another one of those spheres was being prepared. She could probably withstand a few of those…but it didn't look good for everyone else.

"Bye bye!" Marisa waved. "This is revenge for Ross! So I hope you feel nothing but agony!" The pink haired woman shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Hold it!" A voice exclaimed, causing all attention to turn to them. When everyone looked they saw…none other than the Princess of Fiore herself: Hisui E. Fiore. She was dressed in her royal garb and beside her were Racer and Angel. "I won't allow this to go on any longer!"

"Oh?" Drayden spoke with a soft chuckle. "If it isn't the little lost princess. Emmeraude was hoping you'd come back…I didn't expect it to be like this, though."

"What are you going to do with those two, huh?!" Marisa leaned forward and poked her tongue out. "You came to die, didn't you? That would upset Emmeraude…but your friends can go!"

"Who are these rude underlings…?" Angel scoffed.

Remarks aside, Hisui shook her head. There was a determined look her eyes and she eventually responded with a knowing grin. "I came to retake my kingdom. I knew that I would be unable to do so alone, and with the limited amount of time, I had to act fast…so I had to gather reinforcements of my own to help the effort."

"Reinforcements…?" Knightwalker was curious, but cautious.

"It's time, everyone!" Hisui exclaimed. From behind her, a number of familiar faces! Those from Sabertooth, Lamia Scale, Quatro Cerberus, Mermaid Heel, Blue Pegasus, and even White Eclipse appeared! The sheer amount of numbers she brought easily leveled the playing field with how large the enhanced Royal Army was.

"YO!" Sting said with a grin, punching his fist into his palm. "We were briefed about the situation. I knew something was wrong the very second Fairy Tail was branded as criminals…they'd never do something so heinous. And when the Princess told us about it…I knew I was right to trust my gut."

"What the…!?" Even Fairy Tail was surprised by how quickly Hisui worked.

"How did she gather so many people so fast?!" Marisa pointed accusingly at the Princess. "That's cheating! There's no way you could have traveled that fast on your own!"

"She wasn't alone." Racer said with a proud smirk. "Don't underestimate the fastest mage in the country."

"Now then!" Hisui pointed at Emmeraude's forces. "My name is Hisui E. Fiore, the rightful heiress to the Fiore throne! I've come to take my country back!"

Drayden understood the situation. Emmeraude's Queenly Majesty was a power and special magic…but in the end, she scarcely had the chance to use it, so of course it would come with some unrefined flaws. _"So…the Queenly Majesty does have one flaw after all. If the ruler or an heir to the throne asserts her authority over the people, it is possible for them to snap the people out of it. Only if she does so directly, however. We cannot allow her to reach that throne!"_ "You'll fall trying…!" Drayden prepared another card, but a funnel of flame interrupted him and he had no choice but to jump to avoid it. "Tch…!"

"Don't forget about us!" Natsu snarled. "We didn't come this far to lose!"

"ATTACK!" Hisui commanded, and the guilds she brought with her just that! The enhanced Royal Army was nothing to sneeze at because of the strength they were given, but the guilds were going to fight back and the destructive battle for Fiore finally began!

Minerva's eyes laid on Knightwalker and she lifted a brow, looking between her and Erza. "This one looks like Erza…I'm not sure how I feel about this…"

"Don't worry about her…" Erza said.

Drayden and Knightwalker were going to retreat back to the castle as the massive battle began. As for Marisa, she wanted to stick around with a devilish idea in her mind. "I'll just create a massive link to bind them all together! Then we just pick off the weakest one and the foundation of their rebellion will all come crumbling down!" A pink magic seal formed along Marisa's palm…but before she could actually go through with her scheme, a bone boomeranged her way. She was able to avoid it but looked rather angry. "What now!?"

The bone returned to the sender – Daryan, and he caught it with a grin. Next to him was Kagura as they arrived a little late to the party. "Hey…we have a _bone_ to pick with you."

"…If I wasn't bound to you, I'd kill you for that pun." Kagura deadpanned but Daryan didn't seem to mind.

"What?! I thought you two drowned!?" Marisa groaned. Couldn't anything go RIGHT today?

"You can't drown a Mermaid." Kagura said while unsheathing her blade. "Now…let's finish what we started."

As the hectic battle began, Hisui rushed over to Fairy Tail with a small smile. "I'm terribly sorry for everything that's happened. If I was stronger, I could have prevented this from ever happening…and if I didn't trust her so much, then I wouldn't have paid the price for it. All I could do to help was managing to convince the other guilds that this country was actually in turmoil with her rule."

"It's not your fault." Levy reassured. "Emmeraude's magic affected you the most since you are the heir to the throne."

"What's important is that we get you back on that throne, Your Highness." Mii spoke. "But then again, you can always sit on Mii~" That's when Mira shoved Mii off to the side and out of the picture.

"Bad." Mira shook her head.

"That actually brings me to my next question…I have a formal request of you, Fairy Tail. Will you assist me in getting to the throne room to confront Emmeraude?" Hisui looked at the guild with pleading eyes. She couldn't do this alone…and she wouldn't have to.

"Count on us." Erza's tone held nothing but firmness.

"We'll do our best!" Wendy remarked.

"Our mission is getting Lucy back, defeating Emmeraude, and getting you on that throne…" Gajeel cracked a smile while staring at the castle. "This'll be fun…"

Hisui's lips curved into a wide smile. She was so very thankful for their support. "Thank you very much…" The princess then shifted her gaze to the palace. For a moment, even with the distance between them…Hisui and Emmeraude locked eyes from afar. "Emmeraude…I'm coming for you."

" _So you are…come, Hisui. I look forward to seeing you once more…"_

.

"You know…" Luke sighed while staring at the number of Royal Guards in their direction. "This would have been a lot easier if we could have grabbed Lucy when we could. I didn't realize she could be so elusive."

"It doesn't really matter now." Cygnus shrugged while entering his God Trigger. "We get to beat people up either way."

"Why did we agree to this again?" Micaiah questioned. "From what I understood, Fairy Tail and Lucy were the enemies…?"

"It was a request from Fiore's rightful ruler…I don't think we could say no to that." Aira said with a soft smile, conjuring up a powerful whirlwind to knock some royal guards over, but they were a lot tougher than she anticipated. "But at the most, all we're able to do is hold off the royal guard here…"

"That's fine." Reve smirked while pointing his pistols forward. "I needed a little target practice anyway."

Calium watched with crossed arms as his children went to work. Of course he was always happy to see them dish out damage, but this time his expression was more serious and Sidney picked up on this. "…It's Fairy Tail, isn't it?" Sidney questioned while standing beside Mary and Calium.

"Yeah." Calium responded with a firm nod. "In reality, this is just their battle. We're only here to help the Princess stage her coup. Fairy Tail's goal is Emmeraude and she knows that too. The only real problem is…Fairy Tail won't beat Emmeraude."

"Of course." Mary said. "She made that abundantly clear that she's in another league during the Grand Magic Games. Fighting her is a losing battle…but I guess we'll see how these idiots do. I'm not lifting a finger." Calium and Sidney were in the same boat. If the others wanted to fight, that was on all them. But these three weren't joining the cause.

.

Sting and Rogue were dealing with some of the guards, both in their respective Drives since their current condition warranted it. "Man…these guys sure are tough now…!" Sting remarked.

"Remember, we're simply trying to incapacitate them!" Yukino gave her warning to the others in case they forgot.

"I will disable them with my various parfume!" Ichiya spun around and undid the tops of several vials, allowing the aroma to travel through the area. The stench did seem to affect the guards in some way as they recoiled for a moment before retaliating with several blasts of raw magic. "Meeeeen!"

Luckily for Ichiya, Minerva decided to show a bit of kindness and erected a wall of territory to protect him from the blow. "You should be careful, little man."

"Saved by such beauty…" Ichiya was about to make a move, but Minerva wasn't having it and simply warped the handsome man to the other side of the city.

"I'm not dealing with that today." Minerva said with a heavy exhale.

"Oh yeah!" Bacchus exclaimed, already drunk out of his mind. The drunkard was weaving through beams of magic coming in his direction, landing various palms strikes with precision speed to knock down the guards that were in his way. "This is WILD!"

"FOUR!" The rest of Quatro Cerberus exclaimed while dealing with guards.

"I'm glad someone's enjoying themselves…" Milliana said with a frown. She knew Kagura was nearby…but she just wasn't sure where she was. And with the city becoming a battleground once more, it was going to be difficult to move about without putting anyone at risk.

Lyon let out a heavy sigh. "Cleaning up another one of Gray's messes…oh well, that's the norm at this point." The dynamic ice maker then gave a grin. "This will just be another chance to show my superiority! Ice Make: Eagles!" With a single motion and one hand, Lyon crafted birds of ice that all moved in a flock, swarming various guards to keep them occupied.

As for Raven and Chelia, the two of them released joint wind arrow that soared through the sky, taking out the foes that threatened Wendy and Cynthia. "Lamia Scale has your back!"

.

Natsu, Gray, Erza, Cynthia, Wendy, Cana, Hisui, Gajeel, Juvia, and even Mii were making a beeline for the Palace! The Exceeds were flying overhead, using their bird's eye view to spot any potential traps before they came into play. "Hey, this is kinda fun isn't it?" Mii said with a smile.

"Why are you here again?" Cana asked.

"I'm being helpful!" Mii responded. Before anyone could really retort, a beam of raw magic soared through the air, aimed for all of them…but more specifically, Hisui. Luckily, everyone was able to evade the beam and watched as it tore the ground asunder before eventually taking down a building in the distance. "Whoa! That was really close…!"

"Too close…" Hisui stared at the destruction. If that hit her...

"Who wants some!?" Natsu turned to see who the aggressor was, only to grit his teeth.

When Hisui turned to look, her eyes went wide with shock! The aggressor was none other than Arcadios! He had the same aura as the Royal Guards and it was clear he was not in control of his own actions. Hisui's aid was under the Lambdafication as well. "A-Arcadios…!? What are you doing!? You must snap out of this!"

"…." Arcadios didn't say a word. Instead he pointed his sword into the sky and a black magic seal formed. The obsidian seal released black meteors of raw magic that proceeded to rain down on the castle infiltration team.

"Protect the Princess!" Erza commanded while changing into her Adamantine Armor, covering Hisui.

"Ice Make: Dome!" Gray threw his hands into the sky, creating a dome of frost to protect everyone from the falling meteors. Their power was unbelievable and multiple explosions occurred, eventually shattering the dome. Luckily Gray was able to protect everyone from being harmed.

But…as soon as the dome shattered, Arcadios moved at unbelievable speeds, zipping past Erza with his blade in hand…and swung it at Hisui. All eyes were wide for a moment before Gajeel's iron arm blocked the hit just before it could take Hisui's life. "Tch…! This bastard's suddenly strong…" Both Gajeel and Arcadios slid backwards and Juvia immediately went to Gajeel's side. "You guys go ahead! We'll take care of this bastard!"

"P-Please don't harm him…" Hisui pleaded.

"Juvia promises we won't harm him too badly. Now go!" Juvia commanded. Juvia and Gajeel were going to keep Arcadios busy while the others got Hisui to the throne room. Thanks to their intervention, they were able to proceed to the castle's front doors with no more interruption.

.

As soon as they reached the front doors of the Castle Mercurius, Natsu reared his arm back as flame blazed around it. "WE'RE COMING IN!" BOOM! An explosion of fire knocked the large double doors down to allow everyone entry.

"Uhm… I understand the situation is dire and we're in a rush, but I'm going to have to ask you to not destroy the Palace in the process…" In other words, Fairy Tail was going to get a bill for this later…she may have liked them, but she couldn't exactly excuse everything at the moment.

"We'll deal with it later!" Cynthia shouted. "Right now we have to hurry!"

"Yeah, let's hurry!" Mii pumped her fist into the air, acting oddly exuberant. But the others weren't able to get past the foyer of the castle as they were trapped in strange hourglasses; all of them except Mii. "Huh?"

"What the hell is this?!" Cana threw some explosive cards, but they didn't have any effect.

"What's going on?" Wendy asked the others. Despite their efforts, they weren't making a dent in the hourglass.

"We don't have time for this…" Hisui kept calm, but internally this surprise intervention was causing a bit of a panic.

Mii glanced around, furrowing her brows in utter confusion. "Everyone but Mii? That's strange…?"

But why not Mii? Because Zell appeared with his book in hand, staring at the angel with a serious visage. "Mii Yggdrassil Koryuji of the 13 Commandants of Pergrande. I am here to carry out your execution."

.

.

Next Time: Confront Your Past!

Chapters until season finale: 6.


	157. Chapter 157: Confront Your Past!

Everyone stared in shock as Zell exposed Mii and her true allegiance. Nobody was certain of that to say except Erza, who spoke first. "Mii…? What's he talking about? 13 Commandants…are those people we faced on the Isle, right?"

"Oooooh! Did I not tell you?" Mii placed her hands behind her head nonchalantly and whistled. "I guess I never did finish telling you my tale. I did say I was part of the Pergrande military…but I guess I forgot to say that I was among their highest ranking officers."

"What the hell…?" Gray couldn't make sense of this. "So then why are you here!?"

"I told you…I came to Fairy Tail because I was looking for someone, and you were the best people I knew to help me with this task." Mii said with a shrug. "Don't act so surprised! I told you about this before constantly. It's not my fault you try to see the good in everyone when clearly there's no good in Mii."

"But…you looked like you were having so much fun with us…" Wendy frowned.

"I was." Mii said before turning to Zell. "But I don't exactly recall that being a crime. I haven't done anything bad! ….Well, that's a lie, just like my life. But hey…why are you trying to execute Mii again?"

"Orders!" Zell responded while flipping through his book.

"Hey, wait a minute…" Natsu narrowed his eyes. "That's the guy from the border fortress! So he's in on Pergrande too!"

"Correct." Zell bowed. "My name is Zell, a new Commandant for Pergrande since you wretches felled my old superiors. But I'm not here for you…I'm simply here for Mii. The daughter of the ancient hero and leader of the angels – Yggdrassil."

"Huuuuuuuuuuuh?" Mii tilted her head, stifling a laugh. "Daughter of the ancient hero? Surely you jest! Such a legend would never have a daughter as disgraceful as I am! I can't even wield that dumb sword; I had to get someone else to do it for me!"

"Wha…" Erza's jaw dropped. Was Mii talking about the…

"Mii…" Cynthia mumbled. Clearly Mii had some pent up emotions that she never let anyone see.

"Yeah, that's sad and all…" Cana really did feel for Mii, father issues and all that. But they really didn't have time for this. "But what does this have to do with us? Are you working with Emmeraude too?!"

Zell shook his head. "Not at all. I plan to deal with her next…but it seems that as the comrades of this traitor, it's only right you watch her demise. If she really cared about you then…" With a snap of his fingers, the hourglasses that trapped everyone shook violently before the Law of Regression occurred, reverting them to children to severely hinder their magic capabilities! It was then that sand started to fill the hourglass quickly. "She'll have no problems saving you before your time runs out."

"What is this…?!" Hisui had to bring her clothes closer to cover herself.

Mii narrowed her eyes, tapping her foot impatiently at the dirty ploy Zell. "Well…I see you've adapted pretty well into Pergrande tactics. You should leave them out of this, though. You just want Mii, right? I'm pretty sure I haven't broken any Pergrande laws…but whatever. If you wanna kill Mii so badly, try your best. I'll have you know, I'm somehow annoyingly persistent."

Zell flipped through his book, giving Mii a sinister grin. "We'll just have to see what your former comrades think about this! Do you remember them? Because Time never forgets." Zell snapped his fingers and on that cue, Xen, Lucius, Lex, and Wes all appeared. They were of course memories from time, but their power was the real deal.

"Mii, watch out!" Erza shouted.

"Maybe I should just leave you guys in there…show how much I don't care…" Mii let that linger in the air for a moment before laughing to herself. "Nah, I got this…" Mii said as her wings spread out from her back and she armed herself with Purple Pot. "No need to worry, I'll get you guys out of there. This fight doesn't concern you, so it's a little unfair that you're stuck…but hey, life isn't fair I guess."

"I don't feel very good about this…" Cana said with a major sweat drop.

.

.

"1…2…3…GO!" Daryan exclaimed. On that cue, both he and Kagura ran side by side towards Marisa. The two of them were more in tune with one another than before, so they weren't getting in each other's way like before. Daryan was first to strike, throwing his bonemerang forward just like he did before, only this time he coated it in flames to give it a more threatening presence.

"That didn't work before!" Marisa took a leap to the side to avoid the bone, only see that Kagura was rapidly closing the distance between them. "Whoa…!" Luckily, Marisa was able to avoid the incoming slash by jumping back, and she returned fire with a dark pink beam of magic. Thanks to the Lambda boost, her power output skyrocketed and the beam slammed into Kagura's chest, pushing her backwards.

"Tch…." Kagura took the hit, but Daryan felt it as well. The two of them recoiled for a moment due to Marisa's raw power. "She hits harder now…"

"Oof…probably because that aura…" Daryan rolled his neck. "Hey, about that other tactic we discussed?"

"…I suppose." Kagura nodded, keeping her gaze on Marisa.

"And what exactly do you two intend to do to me?" Marisa snickered. "You two are a bumbling pair. Unless you've forgotten about your restriction, you can't even be more than five feet apart." Dark blue blades of Magulity magic formed around her, all of them shooting towards Kagura with malicious intent. It didn't matter which one she attacked, they'd both crumple after enough damage.

Unfazed, Kagura sprinted forward, using her Gravity Change to decrease her center of gravity and thus make her faster. She slipped past the blades and prepared to strike, even though Marisa was more than five feet away from Daryan. But just then, Daryan pushed his hand forward, extending the bones from his fingers to stay behind Kagura. Since it was technically 'him' still behind her, the distance didn't matter and Kagura landed a fierce slash against Marisa's side, causing the woman to stumble backwards. "There."

"W-What…?!" Marisa held her side, growling at the two of them. "That's not fair! How did you do that? You were supposed to fly backwards!"

"It's simple." Daryan said while walking to Kagura and returning his bones to normal. "We can't be more than 5 feet apart…however, I can extend my bones a fair distance. Since the bones are still technically me, she's not going any farther away. Pretty clever, right?"

"What the…" Marisa took another look at Kagura and Daryan. Unlike before the two of them were actually on the same wavelength. They weren't exactly in sync, but they were working together which was far better than their bumbling attempt before. "You two…your emotions are different. Do you actually like each other now!?"

"Don't go that far." Kagura corrected while extending her sword once more. "Now, surrender or fall."

Marisa's brow twitched in annoyance. Emmeraude was counting on her for her plan to come to fruition…. "I'm supposed to help Lady Emmeraude…but here I am, being halted by some idiot and an emotionally constipated woman! How dare you stand in the way of my goals!? I'll make you wish you wish you were never born!"

.

Gajeel pointed his iron arm forward, crafting a green magic seal before him. "Not sorry, but you have to be put to bed. Iron Dragon's Lance: Demon Logs!" The magic seal unleashed multiple lances of iron, all of them racing towards the infected Arcadios. They did promise Hisui they wouldn't hurt him too badly…at least they would try and avoid to. Gajeel was opting for the quickest resolution possible, but he should have known it wouldn't be that easy as Arcadios performed a simple slash, cutting through all of the iron lances and event sent his own wave of magic back. "Gnk…!" Gajeel held his ground, his iron scales really coming into play to keep his endurance high. "Damn…!"

"He's so much stronger than before…" Juvia narrowed her eyes before extending her arm, raising her body temperate to scalding hot! "Water Cane!" The water mage whipped her arm about violently to keep Arcadios at bay.

"…Get out of my way…" Arcadios grumbled, using his blade to parry Juvia's attempts to strike him. Of course these weren't his real feelings, but even the smallest Lambda infection had varying effects on people. The royal guard shifted his body and actually cut through Juvia's water body, causing her to recoil in pain.

"Ngh…! H-He cut through Juvia's Water Body…" Juvia rubbed her arm, grimacing at the cut on it. "It must be the effects of that…virus…" She deduced. The entire royal guard was so much stronger with just a tiny taste of the Lambda Virus, and her thoughts wandered to Lucy for a moment. Even though she was considered a love rival in Juvia's eyes…she was concerned. Lucy had been holding the real thing inside of her this whole time.

"He's only going to be a problem if we let him be one!" Gajeel sprinted forward and swung his leg out, morphing it into an iron pole. The extended limb caught the knight off guard and slammed into his side, forcing him to crash into the side of a brick building. "Now!"

Juvia acted on that cue, taking to the air with water swirling around her palms. "Water Beam!" With both arms extended, a powerful, high pressurized beam of water soared through the sky until it landed against Arcadios, pushing him backwards across the stone street against his will.

"Hng!" Arcadios swung his sword to completely destroy the beam of water before it did any more damage to him, but that seemed to be a part of the plan as Gajeel used that time to close the gap between them, grinning as his fist was reared back.

"Iron Dragon's Hard Fist!" And with a mighty swing, Gajeel's iron knuckle cracked Arcadios' chest plate while sending him flying backwards. The knight tumbled along the ground before eventually coming to a halt with his blade. That was when the iron dragon grit his teeth in annoyance. "I don't even think we did any damage…"

"No way…" Juvia clenched her hands into fists. "This virus…is too powerful." Arcadios then swung his blade once more, releasing a pitch black wave of raw magic that collided against the two Fairy Tail mages, sending them flying backwards before landing. "Ngh…! That…hurt…"

"No kiddin…" Gajeel said with a disgruntled groan.

It was then that Levy and Pantherlily arrived on the scene, both of them planning to fight. "We're not going to let you do this alone!" Levy exclaimed, getting into a writing position.

"That's right. This is a group effort." Pantherlily had his enlarged sword at the ready.

How could Gajeel say no to these two? A smile slowly stretched along his lips and he simply let out his signature laugh. "Gihehe…well, when you put it like that, why the hell not? Besides, we're gonna need the extra firepower to make sure he stays down…"

.

"Attack!" Zell commanded, and the timed memories of Xen, Lucius, Wes, and Lex all swarmed Mii at once! Considering how tough these Commandants were on the Isle of the Dragons, it stood to reason that everyone else was very worried about Mii's wellbeing. Wes was the first to start off, strumming his guitar to create pillars of water under Mii.

"Dance water dance!" The obnoxious guitarist exclaimed. Multiple rising pillars of water exploded under Mii, but she was fast!

The angel deftly avoided the rising pillars by using her wings to 'glide' along the floor, grinning all the while. "You always were a little off note, Wes…" Mii remarked, but as soon as she evaded the last pillar of water, she was immediately met by Lex, whose raging aura skyrocketed, in turn boosting his power in proportion to that! "Uh-oh…"

"SHOW ME YOUR STRENGTH!" Lex roared, slamming the blunt side of his axe-blade into Mii's stomach. With his rising power, Mii was easily flung into the air and there wasn't anything she could do about it.

"MII!" Erza cried out. She was trying to muster the strength for a sword…but with the Law of Regression and the sand piling up, that was too tall an order for her at this point.

Before Mii could even flip to recover, Xen met her in the air with black ice wrapped around his hands. "Foolish mortal!" SLAM! A fierce hammer fist was aimed at Mii's back, rocketing her right back to the ground where she landed on her face.

And to cap it all off, Lucius ran his hand through his hair – the action causing a twister of pink petals to form around Mii as she stood up. "An ode to your beauty, fair Mii." His fingers snapped and each individual petal exploded violently, causing the castle to tremble.

"I-Is she okay…!?" Hisui asked with widened eyes. She recalled these induvial on the Isle quite well despite spending much of her time sick and under Lucius' control. They were strong.

"All too easy." Zell dusted his book off with a grin…but his grin faded when he heard a yawn.

As the dust settled, Mii was still standing. Her body was cut and bruised, but she didn't seem to mind. "Is that it? I was expecting something with a little more oomph, you know?"

"What the…? How are you still standing!?" Zell questioned.

"Awww…did no one inform you? I don't feel pain." Mii shrugged, twirling Purple Pot around once again. "But you know…you guys are dicks. If you were going to tag team me, why could it have been in a more enjoyable way? Oh well…you lost your chance now."

"Don't just stand there! Destroy her!" Zell commanded.

"RAAAAH!" Lex yelled and his aura increased even more, further increasing his physical strength! The male swung at Mii once more, but to his surprise she caught his blade mid-swing, only sliding back a little bit due to her own raw power. "What!?"

"Ah, Lex, did you forget? Or were you trying to not remember? I was always stronger than you." Mii pivoted on her heel and swung Lex right into Wes, firing off an explosive bullet from Purple Pot right after that. The ensuing explosion blew Wes and Lex away with force.

"Prepare to face the reaper's might~" Lucius hummed while drawing his scythe. All he needed was one clean blow and the rest was history!

Mii turned her head at the incoming Lucius and leapt forward. She remembered that Lucius' scythe never actually caused someone harm; it just put their life on a countdown with each successive hit. With an elegant spin, Mii evaded the scythe and brought her heel to Lucius' chest, kicking him away whilst releasing an explosive bullet to blow him into a wall. "Always such a show off. It kinda sucks that you're handsome…"

"Ice Bellow!" Xen exhaled, releasing a large funnel of pitch black ice towards Mii with the sole intentions of freezing her to the core. The floor it traveled over became frozen solid just to give the impression of what Mii was dealing with.

Mii dropped Purple Pot, exchanging it for Dragon Hadlar. The large shotgun unleashed a large bullet that combated the Ice Bellow. The two attacks struggled for a moment before eventually exploding, creating a cloud of smoke in the castle foyer. "Angel Feathers!" From her wings, rainbow feathers began shooting out, slicing and dicing Xen before they exploded to knock him back. After the explosions, Mii landed on her feet and grinned; even though she was technically surrounded, she was having a fun time. "Come on boys, is that all you got?"

"No way…" Gray's jaw dropped at Mii's display of strength. Xen was a tough opponent, especially in his God Arc. But here was Mii, not only making him look like a fool, but with three others who were equal in strength.

"Is she playing with them?" Cana asked as the sand rose higher. "Come on, hurry it up already!"

"Oh, right…!" Mii almost forgot that the others were in danger.

Zell grit his teeth. The rumors of Mii's strength were true…but seeing it up close was a completely different experience. "She is indeed strong…but her comrade makes a good point. Let's hurry this along, shall we? Haste!" Another time spell. Clocks appeared around Xen, Lex, Lucius, and Wes, the hands on them spinning clockwise. Once both hands were aligned, the speed of time's memories were increased! "You know, for someone who doesn't care whether or not they die, you sure do know how to fight for your life."

Lex and Wes were faster than they should have been and Mii realized this. "Shit…" She grumbled as they already closed in on her just before she could take a shot at them. Lex's blade and Wes' guitar slammed into her body, sending her flying backwards and crashing right into the hourglass that held Erza. There was such force Mii rebounded off the glass and cracked it. The angel regained her composure to fire off a shot at the two Commandants, but they dodged. Mii landed and faced Zell with a coy smile. "Well, you're wrong about that. I'm not fighting for my life." Xen attacked from above with an ice cold punch! Mii had to drop her gun and use both hands to halt Xen's momentum, but his ice was so cold her hands started to freeze over. At this rate they'd break off…!

"Water Gigs!" A powerful, rising pillar of water carried Mii and Xen into the air before it exploded. Mii caught the worst of it and flew into the air. Wes grinned and strummed his guitar once more. "How's that for off tune!?"

Mii barely managed to catch herself in time…but the actions of the four commandants were so fast, even she couldn't defend herself properly from them all. "Petal Blizzard…" Lucius hummed contently. A vortex of petals slammed into Mii, carrying her back down to the floor before they all exploded violently to deal additional damage to her frame.

"Come on…is that it?!" Mii said…only to see that Lex was now coming down from above with his weapon raised high over his head! He was going to crush her skull like a bug! Mii brought her hands up, clasping them onto the blade just before it could reach her head. This was probably the first time anyone saw Mii struggle with anything physically. "HA!" Mii pointed her leg out, releasing yet another bullet from her heel to knock Lex away. "I'm taking this…" She hopped onto her feet and slammed the blade into the ground, resulting in an earth shattering explosion that knocked all parties away.

"Mii's really strong…" Wendy remarked…but it was easy to tell that even Mii couldn't exactly last forever against the visions of her former comrades. While she wasn't feeling any pain…she did feel exhaustion.

But to bluff, she stood up straight and laughed. "Come on…I can do this all day. Try as you might…you can hit me with everything you have, but I won't feel it."

Zell's face wore nothing but shock! _"How…how can a single individual be so strong!? Anyone else would have crumbled by now! How can I kill someone that doesn't feel any pain? She'll take all the hits in the world but still avoid anything aimed at a vital spot…come on, Zell. She has a weakness…everyone has a weakness…!"_

"Are you done wasting my time…?" Mii pointed Purple Pot at Zell, her aim trained on him. "Because we all have something more important to take care of…I'm past all this."

" _Past? Of course!"_ Zell cleared his throat, now speaking to the rest of the group as the sand slowed to a halt so they could watch his diabolical plot. "Comrades of the traitor…are you aware of this one's past?"

"I already told them about how much of a bad person I am. For some reason they don't budge." Mii shrugged.

"What's that have to do with anything?" Natsu grumbled.

"Ah, that's right." Zell flipped through the pages of his book. "20 years ago, a 7 year old angel betrayed heaven itself…all of their secrets were leaked to King Ashnard. In order to silence the humans, the angels went to war with the Pergrande Kingdom before they could utilize this information that they should not have had. This event was dubbed the Holy War of Pergrande. The motives of this traitor were unclear…but in the end, this was the result." By snapping his fingers, Zell used his Remembrance of Time to recreate the desolated landscape of a past battlefield. Many wounded angels surrounded a young red head and all of them scorned her.

" _You filthy angel! You did this to us! You betrayed us!"_

" _We should have known better than to trust you!"_

" _You bastard angel! This is why you were abandoned!"_

" _You're not welcome here!"_

" _You're a disgrace!"_

The young girl had tears streaming down her cheeks. She tried to wipe them away, but they just kept coming as she tried to explain herself. _"N-No…! I'm sorry…I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! I didn't know it would turn out like this! I-I had to…I…!"_ The angels didn't want to hear it…so they started to attack her out of anger. The little girl let out nothing but constant cries of pain as she was tossed around.

As Mii watched the scene, she increased her grip on Purple Pot to the point where the weapon started to break. "You…what are you trying to do exactly by showing me this?"

"It's not for you." Zell explained. "It's for your comrades…so they can see that you're nothing but a filthy traitor with absolutely no loyalty."

"They already know that." Mii scoffed. She tried to remain calm, but her body trembled as she relieved her worst memories. She should've shot Zell by now…but her body wasn't moving. She was petrified. It wasn't even the thought of what the others were thinking of her right now…it was just watching her life play out in front of her again that had her shaken.

"Is that…the bad thing Mii said she did…?" Cynthia asked the others.

"She's probably been leaking Fairy Tail secrets too…you never know." Zell shrugged and the scene changed. To prove a point, Zell used the Remembrance of Time to make the Fairy Tail members forcibly remember the Fukomakura incident. Even though that time was erased from their minds…time never forgot. "With the Remembrance of Time, I am able to keep a record of all events within the timeline; even if time it pulled back from its original flow."

The overflow of information had Natsu and the others completely stuck as they tried to process it. That strange dream he had…was real? "What…?"

"What's your point?!" Gray shouted.

"I want to make the point that I can also replay events from history…" As he did that, the scene shifted to the recreation of the battle against Ophelia. "These replays cannot be changed for they have already happened…thus, what has been said and done is reality." Now, the scene changed once more to a destroyed city, alight within a sea of flame. A lone male stood amidst all the carnage, his back turned to conceal his face. But Mii…she recognized him immediately.

"K-Kogoro!" Out of instinct, she started to run to him, only to stop as he seemed to walk farther away.

"So…Mii did this, huh…?" A heavy sigh came from Kogoro as he walked off, nothing but disappointment in his tone. "I thought she was better than this…but I guess I was wrong. In the end…she'll never change." The scene faded and Kogoro still remained in the center of the palace. He was nothing but a memory of time now, and Mii knew exactly what that meant.

"…" Mii dropped her gun and fell to her knees. That faint glint of life in her eyes dulled and she let out a dry laugh. "Hahaha….so it was all pointless, was it? Everything I've been doing…? He…he thought the same as everyone else…and he's gone now too, isn't he?"

"I don't like that tone…" Hisui tried to glance at the others. "I…I think she's giving up…!"

"Not on my watch!" Natsu tried to punch the hourglass, but his tiny body wasn't strong enough to cause a dent. The others tried, but to no avail as well. Erza was the only one with a little success…the crack in the glass did cause the Law of Regression to revert slowly, but her body wasn't changing back fast enough to give her heavy firepower.

"You see? It's all pointless." Mii sighed while staring down at the ground. A black rift formed under her body, slowly pulling her into the abyss.

"Since you see things that way…would you care to be erased from time? Time will never forget you…but those around you will forget you existed. I think it's for the best, since you've caused nothing but pain to those around you." Zell tilted his head as Mii sank without much resistance. "Everything you've worked for…it was all pointless. Honestly, I feel a little bad doing this…but orders are orders. You understand."

"Mii!" Erza didn't have time to wait anymore. With what magic her growing body possessed, she entered her Giant's armor and began to punch at the confining hourglass. Slowly but surely she was making progress, but it wasn't fast enough. "Don't just stand there! Fight back!"

"What's the point? Everything I've ever tried for is gone now…I would just be better being forgotten. I can't do anything right. I destroyed my own home, the only person who I thought cared about me hated me to his grave…I can't wield that stupid sword despite it being birthright, and I couldn't even kill you. I'm just a failure and my father realized that, which is why he cast me out too."

"The world could use less people like her, don't you think? She has no parents or home that would ever take her back." Zell stated. "Even you at Fairy Tail can see her worthlessness, right?"

"She's not worthless!" Natsu yelled, catching everyone off guard. "She's a part of our guild!"

"That's right!" Wendy added on. "Even if she's inappropriate at times…she's still one of us!"

"Did you say you weren't fighting for yourself, but someone else?" Erza asked as she started to make leeway, eventually shattering the glass that confined her. She then started to race towards Mii, removing her Giant's armor to reach the demoralized angel before she could sink any deeper. "What you did before joining Fairy Tail…it doesn't matter! Your past doesn't matter when you're here with us! You may not be able to overcome your past alone…but as long as you bear that mark on your back…your pain is our pain!"

"…." Mii was unresponsive.

"Listen to her!" Cynthia banged on the glass. "I was the same way! I thought all I would ever do is hurt people…but Fairy Tail took me in. My past did come back to haunt me, but they did everything they could to rescue me! If it wasn't for Wendy or the others, I wouldn't be here right now."

"We're here for you, you idiot!" Gray yelled.

"I don't know what it is with you and dying…but when you die, that's it!" Natsu raised his voice to get his point across.

"You're overbearing at times…but that doesn't mean we want you gone!" Even Cana was getting in on this. At the end of the day, Mii was a part of Fairy Tail after all.

"Together, we can overcome your past!" Erza was unable to progress any further. The time rift that was pulling Mii down had a barrier that prevented her from getting any closer, but she still did extend her hand out for Mii to grab. "You've done a lot of things, both good and bad…but at the end of the day, you are a Fairy Tail mage! And everything we've experienced with you…we don't want to forget it! You told me you enjoyed living! And I won't let you die so easily! You said you wanted to help Lucy and were serious about it. Mii, we are with you no matter what! That's what it means to be a Fairy Tail mage! You have to keep living…and just trust me, because I trust you."

"Trust….?" There was that word again. It made her feel sick to her stomach every single time she heard it. Trust only led to pain…and Mii never wanted to feel pain again. But…there was a small part of her that didn't want to give up just yet. Maybe it was because she'd grown attached to them…the way they laughed, fought, and enjoyed one another's company. And as Mii fought the idea…she…wanted to… "I…still hate you guys with every fiber of my being, but…" Mii slowly extended her hand to reach out to Erza's and grab onto it, a bright light emitting as soon as she made that contact. "I…I don't want to leave you guys yet either!"

"Gaaaah!" Zell had to cover his eyes from the bright light. "W-What is this light!?"

As the pillar of light died down, Erza found herself leaping backwards from it. Mii's appearance changed drastically; her rainbow wings shone brighter, her skin was radiating with light and some strange angelic markings found their way along her skin. The angel found herself staring at herself with widened eyes…just as everyone else was looking at her. "Huh…? What the…? This is cool! I'm bursting with power!"

"Mii?" Erza's voice was a little quiet. The sheer amount of raw magic Mii was letting off surpassed almost everything she'd felt up to this point in her life.

Mii turned around, giving Erza a warm smile. "Thanks. This is the second time you've saved my life. I hate this debt I'm starting to owe you." The angel decided to test her Angelic Transformation a little bit and extended her hand to the hourglasses containing everyone else. A beam of light shot forth and cleaved through the material easily, freeing everyone and reverted them back to normal. "Oh…that was strong. Mii likey a lot."

"Who the hell do you think you are!?" Zell was angry! Everything was going so well!

"Mii?" Mii turned around, hands on her hips with a rare, but serious visage. "My name is Mii Yggdrassil Koryuji, S-Class mage of Fairy Tail. And you're gonna see what I can do when I get serious."

The pressure Mii released was horrifying. Zell glanced to the time version of Xen, Wes, Lex, and Lucius and pointed frantically at Mii. "Don't just stand there! Kill her!" On that command, the four Commandants all rushed at Mii with full intention of finishing her off.

"This one's for Mii!" Mii raised her hand into the sky, an angelic magic seal forming in the sky and her wings spread out as she ascended a little into the air. "Mystic Angel Art: SHINING BIND!" Several rays of angel magic shot out in all directions, eventually converging into a gigantic beam that slammed into all five of the Commandants. The attack was so powerful that just for a moment; all of Crocus could feel the earth tremble. As the light died down, all five commandants were sprawled on the ground in defeat. Xen, Wes, Lucius, and Lex faded away while Zell just laid on the ground with his eyes white and jaw wide open. Mii landed, standing over Zell with a rather smug grin. "Don't mess with Mii or my friends, got it?"

"Hell yeah!" Natsu pumped his fist into the air with Mii's victory.

"We knew you could do it!" Cynthia said while clasping her hands together.

"I'm pretty amazing, aren't I?" Mii smugly rubbed the bottom of her nose with her index finger. It was then her transformation faded and she blinked a few times before tipping over backwards. "Oof…ouch…."

"Are you okay?" Gray had some concern after what Mii went through.

"Ah…yeah…totally…" She wasn't. "I…I'm out of juice…so I think I'll just lie here until I can move. You guys go on ahead…I'll catch up…maybe…"

"Don't be late." Erza said with a soft smile.

"Nice job…" Cana gave Mii a nod and the others could finally move on.

Mii laid on the ground, staring up at the ceiling with a bit of a smile on her face. "Huh…so that's what it's like to trust someone…" Turning her head to the side, she coughed up some blood, largely due to the blows her body took along with accessing that level of power. "Maybe trust isn't so bad after all…"

And from around the corner, Zelos was watching the entire thing. There was a grin on his face while also shaking his head. "So…you've finally moved forward, huh, Mii-chan? Good for you."

.

Higher and higher. The group was met with surprisingly little resistance as they climbed the castle. This only raised their suspicions but they had no choice but to move forward. Eventually they came to another set of double doors…but there was someone standing in their way at the end of the hallway. Erza Knightwalker was the next obstacle to their climb to the throne room. Erza came to a halt at the front of the group, staring down her Edolas self. "Knightwalker…"

"Erza…" Knightwalker pointed her spear at Erza and Erza only. "This door has been modified so that it will only open if I am defeated. If you wish to ascend any higher…than we are to have one final battle to determine the better half. Understand?"

Erza glanced back at the others. They clearly knew to stand back since this was her battle. Erza Scarlet took several steps forward to stand equal distance away from Erza Knightwalker. Ever since Knightwalker was brought to Earthland, her goal was to kill Erza…that remained true even after meeting Jellal. All for the sake of going home. There wasn't much Erza could do but comply. This was the closure she needed anyway. "I understand." A blade was summoned and pointed at her counterpart. The final bout between Erzas was about to begin.

.

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Next Time: Erza and Knightwalker, the Final Bout.

Chapters until season finale: 5


	158. Chapter 158: Erza and Knightwalker

Miles away from Crocus, Ace, Tia, and Heartless watched the action. "Man…look at them all having fun…" Ace said with a sigh. "I wish I could get in on that action."

"Don't even think about it." Tia said while shaking her head. "You are not in the condition to be fighting like this."

"I agree. No funny ideas." Heartless backed Tia up, overruling Ace 2-1.

"The last time you two had funny ideas you brought back Joker…" Tia scoffed, taking a shot at the both of them. But the woman's gaze slowly shifted to the castle. "I hope Lucy's okay…she's been at the center of all of this for so long…." Tia did despite the situation…but their orders from Queen Vena were clear: they were not to get involved any more than they already have. All they could do was hope everything turned out okay.

.

.

The capital shook from Mii's Shining Bind. Even though nobody could tell what kind of attack was released, they could feel it. Yukino stumbled around, staring in the direction of the Palace. "I-I can't even begin to imagine what sort of attack was used…but it was very powerful…"

"No kidding…" Angel said while trying to keep her footing. It was some sort of strange instinct she had to respond to Yukino…but the two of them still weren't exactly on the best of terms, largely due to Angel's own mentality on the matter.

"Ah…" Yukino slowly approached Angel, glancing at the cut on her arm she received from the fierce fight going on. "S-Sister…you're injured…"

Angel pulled away from Yukino immediately, refusing to look in her direction. "I'm not your sister…you shouldn't be concerned with someone like me." Once again, Angel rejected Yukino…or rather, she was rejecting the idea of being Yukino's sister after all the horrid things she did. "I'm fine. Besides, we've a battle to fight."

"…" Yukino frowned as Angel pulled away. No matter how many times she tried to reach out to her older sibling, she was continuously rejected. As much as Yukino wanted to talk about this, it just seemed like they never had the time whenever they were in the same place with one another. But for the time being, Angel was right – they did have a fight to focus on. "Right…"

.

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Absolutely no time was wasted between the two Erzas. Both of them lunged forward and their weapons collided as soon as they met in the middle of the hallway. Sparks flew from the collision off steel kissing steel and the both of them were in an immediate deadlock. "I told you we'd finish this one day…and we're going to right now whether you like it or not!" Knightwalker barked at her other self.

"I'd rather we do this when I'm not in a rush…but you're not giving me much choice. So I'm going to have to end this as soon as possible." Erza grit her teeth, trying to push back against her Edolas self. But as fate would have it, even after all of this time, the two of them were still equals.

"We'll see about that, won't we?" Knightwalker's spear changed to the Explosion spear, immediately unleashing powerful explosion that shook the hallway and even blew Erza through a wall. There was a slight smirk on Knightwalker's face, but as the dust settled it was shown that Erza used her Flame Empress armor at the last second to mitigate the damage. "Always so persistent."

"How ironic, coming from me." Erza stated before pointing her fiery sword forward, releasing a blast that was akin to Natsu's own roar. The blazing blast of flame ripped through the floor while traveling towards Knightwalker.

"Blue Crimson!" Knightwalker's spear changed into two composed of fire and ice. The ice lance was pointed forward, colliding with the blast of flame to end in a large explosion.

Erza used this smoke to her advantage, switching to her Flight Armor to temporarily gain the advantage in speed. "Sonic Claw!" Two sharp blades were in the woman's grip. She sped past Knightwalker, landing a few solid slashes along the woman's body.

"Tch!" Knightwalker growled in annoyance before changing spears once more, this time to Silfarion to keep up with Erza's speed. The two Erzas were moving at incredibly high speeds, their weapons clashing against one another with such force shockwaves boomed out!

All the others could do was watch, but Hisui was not only feeling impatient, but worried as well. "Are you certain about this?" She asked the others in reference to letting Erza fight this battle alone.

"As much as I don't like leaving her alone out there…" Gray began. "This is for the best. After encountering her in the Village of the Sun…this has been weighing on her mind for a while; she said that she wanted to settle things with Knightwalker on her own. I just wish it wasn't now of all times."

"This would be better if the door ahead wasn't locked…" Cana took a swig from her flask, only because she was feeling extremely irritated at the moment. "Isn't there some other way upstairs?"

"Couldn't we just blast a hole through the ceiling?" Natsu suggested while looking up.

"I could make a latter, too…" Gray and Natsu were seriously contemplating ways to advance in the castle while Erza fought Erza.

Listening to this…Hisui had a minor sweat drop on her forehead. But she could understand the need for haste, but… "With Erza fighting Erza…a fight between those two could already cause the castle to fall. I don't think we need any more destruction being caused here at the moment. We're only halfway up…any more damage and the entire building could collapse."

"She's probably right…" Cynthia said while staring at the interior. "It looks nice…but I can feel the structure weaken with each blow the Erzas trade…"

Knightwalker cut Erza off, shifting her spears into Blue Crimson once again. Before Erza could react, two blasts of fire and ice in the shape of dragons were blasted in Titania's direction. These two 'dragons' had a firm grasp on Erza's arms as they pulled her backwards into a nearby wall. Upon landing, the Knight pointed her spear forward once more time and switched it to Mel-Force. "HA!" The spear released a powerful vacuum wave that consumed Erza, merging with the fire and ice to create an unstable twister that blew Erza through several walls.

"Erza…!" The others cried out in worry.

Knightwalker continued to go on the offensive. Blue Crimson was chosen once more, but only the fire lance was utilized. "Blazing Stars!" Several orbs of flame shot forth from Knightwalker's fiery lance, all of them honing in on Erza with the intention of exploding.

Erza barely had any time to recover after the combination attack. She was still recoiling but by the time she lifted her head up, spheres of flame were coming right at her. "Tch…" Erza fought through the pain as she normally did, standing up to don her Purgatory armor. With the gigantic mace in hand, Erza swung it with all of her might. The result was a gigantic burst of wind exploding from the pure, raw power of Erza's swing. This was enough to return the spheres to their sender.

"Runesave!" As annoying as she found it, Knightwalker knew that Erza was an extremely formidable foe. The beam of magic sliced through her own attack before it could hit her, thus clearing path for Erza to strike. Both women lunged forward without pause, their weapons colliding against one another. The result was a deafening shockwave that nearly blew the spectators over! Windows were shattered in the process of these two Erzas dueling it out.

"Waaaaah!" Wendy cried out, having to hold onto Cynthia to prevent from being blown away.

"I wish they took this outside…!" Hisui yelped.

"Come on Erza, kick her ass!" Natsu cheered, absolutely unfazed by the destruction or aftershocks being caused.

The stalemate wasn't ending anytime soon, so Erza took things into her own liberty and kicked Knightwalker's side to knock her backwards. The woman then changed to her Heaven's Wheel armor, conjuring multiple swords at her disposal. "Dance, my blades!" The swords rapidly began to spin around Titania's body, aiming to slice and dice her opposition.

"Cannon spear!" After stumbling from Erza's kick, Knightwalker quickly regained her balance and shifted spears. The cannon spear released multiple bursts of magic that shot down the swords in rapid succession. Erza immediately found herself on the defensive, using her two swords to deflect the blasts of magic. Using this brief window, Knightwalker's explosion spear came into play. The knight unleashed an explosion to push off the ground, rapidly approaching Erza to slam her legs into Erza's for a flying drop kick that easily pushed Erza into the wall.

Erza hit the wall hard, but landed on her feet, letting out a soft exhale. "You've gotten much stronger…but I will not lose."

"I'm just getting started." Knightwalker spoke with an evil grin. They were both still even after all this time…but Knightwalker wanted to break free of being in Erza's shadow. Just then…the door that Knightwalker spoke of opened up, causing everyone to turn. Drayen applauded and the door closed immediately before anyone could try and force their way through.

"You two are spectacular!" Drayden said with a grin.

"Get back, this is my fight and you know it!" Knightwalker growled.

"We'll take care of him!" Natsu sprinted forward, but was halted by a gigantic, transparent card that split the current floor in half. "Oi…what do you think you're doing!?"

Drayden approached Knightwalker with a card in hand, giving a friendly smile. "Now then…you two are going to be here for a long time at this rate. So, will you finally take the offer and use the tiny bit of Lambda's power Emmeraude extracted? I believe it would help you in this duel immensely."

"I refuse." Knightwalker kept her back turned and focused on Erza. "Now leave. This is my fight…and after this fight, I'm going home."

"Hmmm…" Drayden lifted a brow. He knew Knightwalker would easily trounce Erza. "We are still comrades in arms…so forgive me for not respecting your wishes, but this is in everyone's best interest." Drayden tossed a card at Knightwalker's back, using his copy and paste effect to replicate the same effects of the Lambda card he used on the royal army and Arcadios.

Knightwalker's eyes widened and her body began to spasm from the sudden surge of magic going into her body. As a being from Edolas, another world that was without magic…it was only natural that her body had a very violent reaction to this. "AAHHHHHHH!" All those violent and negative thoughts swirling around in her head only amplified the power output and soon black markings started to form along her body and her eyes. Even though it was just a little bit of Lambda's power, the effects on her were much greater, but much more dangerous.

"W-what's going on…?" Hisui questioned as a red and black aura erupted from Knightwalker.

"Hey, what did you do to her?!" Gray yelled.

"I gave her a little increase. I know she didn't want this buff…but I think it would serve her better. We're comrades in arms after all, following under the same leader. I only wish for her to achieve her goals through any means necessary. Play nice, now…if she doesn't kill you all first. By the way, make sure to get rid of the Princess when you're done…Emmeraude won't do it and has tasked either one of us to do so." With that, the door was forcibly opened by Drayden and closed again, once again locking so that it would only open when Knightwalker was defeated.

"I don't like this…" Wendy took a step back. Despite Natsu and Gray's efforts, the wall Drayden erected wasn't going down and just reflected their own force at them to push them back.

"Damn it…" Cana grumbled. Now even if there was another way to get up to the next floor, it was sealed off. Their one trump card against Emmeraude was Hisui herself…and that was made clear with Drayden's words and attitude.

Knightwalker looked like she was struggling with herself, staggering around as the aura only grew more intense. "Agh…kill…I will…kill you all…starting with you!"

.

Amidst the fight with Marisa, Kagura ended up coming to a halt from a bad feeling in her stomach that wasn't the result of her scar. In turn, Daryan also came to a halt with a befuddled expression. "H-Hey, what's wrong!? Why are you so antsy all of a sudden!? It's making me antsy too and I don't like this feeling!"

"It's because she knows you're both about to die!" Marisa threw her arms down, releasing a plethora of darkened pink blasts to rain down on the pair. Kagura and Daryan did their bests to avoid the blasts by deflecting them, but they weren't able to get all of them. So they ended up taking double the damage since they had to deal with the pain of the other as well.

"Gah…." Daryan groaned. "This girl is a pain."

"I agree…" Kagura extended her palm, using her Gravity Change to push Marisa far, far away, through a few buildings so they could gain space. "…I didn't mean to slow you down." The mermaid's gaze then went to the palace, where she could visibly see multiple explosions occurring at about the halfway mark. "I just have a bad feeling about Erza…and I hope she's all right."

"Ooooh…that explains it…" Daryan nodded. "I'm sure she'll be fine! I didn't expect you to be such a worrywart."

Once again, Kagura had half the mind to cut him down…if only he wasn't attached to her senses. But the time for chit chat was over as Marisa returned; looking flustered and upset more than anything else.

"STOP. DOING THAT!" That pink haired female yelled before releasing a storm of sensory blades, all for the duo to deal with.

.

The pressure from the palace was felt even from the city below. Gajeel briefly turned his attention to the palace with wide eyes. "What the fuck…? Who is that!?" Considering Knightwalker didn't have a magical presence until this very moment, it was understandable why no one could discern that it was her to begin with.

Pantherlily, however…he could kind of tell who it was, and this only worried him. He glanced back at Gajeel with a serious expression. "Gajeel…I have to go there too. It's important."

Gajeel could sense Pantherlily's seriousness. It was rare to see such an expression, but Gajeel knew that it was something Pantherlily had to do. "That's fine. Do what you need to, we can hold him off." He was referring to Arcadios, who was being kept busy by Juvia and Levy.

"Thank you." Pantherlily nodded and his wings spread out, now making a beeline for the floor of the palace where all the fighting was. Beside him were Happy and Carla, who also planned on getting in on the action one way or another.

.

"RAAAAAH!" Knightwalker aggressively dove towards Erza with her explosion spear. Erza donned her Flame Empress armor once again, but this time the explosion released was not only twice as powerful, but the properties of Lambda were imbued in it…resulting in Erza flying back with shattered armor and she hit the wall violently.

"Gah…!" Erza cried out, but that was the result she expected. She didn't want to use her Adamantine Armor just yet, for she knew that she would need it later…but at this rate, she may have had to use it now if she wanted to come out of this fight alive. Shaking the blow off, she donned her Flight armor with her Lightning Spear and Water Sword. Multiple crescent blades of water were sent towards Knightwalker, exploding against her and sent droplets of water flying in every which direction which in turn got both Knightwalker and the floor wet. "Knightwalker! You have to snap out of this power! This isn't you!"

"SHUT UP!" Knightwalker shrieked in both rage and agony. The cannon spear was used to shoot at Erza with her fast movements. The Knight's aim was horrifyingly accurate and Erza had to constantly shift her location to avoid being struck. "I didn't need this! I didn't want this…! But…AGH!" This power of Lambda's…it was tearing Knightwalker apart…literally. Her body wasn't meant to handle this sort of power.

Erza continuously avoided Knightwalker's shots before getting in ample position. Erza sprung off the wall and pointed her lightning spear forward. "Lightning Cyclotron!" A seal appeared before the tip of the lance, releasing a continuous stream of blue lightning that collided against Knightwalker to zap her for massive damage!

"She got her!" Cynthia cheered.

But of course it was too early to celebrate. Knightwalker forced her body to move despite the high voltage shock and her spear changed to the Gravity Core spear; a black hole formed at the tip of her spear, violently sucking in everything in its radius. The only reason Natsu and the others weren't being pulled in was due to the wall Drayden erected that ironically kept them safe…but Erza wasn't so lucky. The lightning she released was inhaled into the spear and she wasn't having so much luck either. The woman was slowly being dragged across the floor while even that was breaking apart. "Die…die…die!"

"Agh…!" Erza changed into her Giant's armor and punched a hole through the floor, using that to keep herself steady as Knightwalker intended to inhale everything before shooting the black hole right at Erza! This was her chance! Erza changed armors once more into her Rabbit Armor and sprang to the ceiling just as the black hole exploded violently; Titania brought the red and black twin blades into one sword and let out a battle cry as she swung the blade right for Knightwalker's skull! It was a direct hit…but as the blood trailed from Knightwalker's skull, Erza's eyes widened as Blue Crimson was pointed directly at her chest. "…!"

Before Erza could move again, twin blasts of fire and ice were released point blank range. These blasts spiraled for added damage and carried Erza into the ceiling where they exploded! Erza let out a cry of pain but was unable to do anything as the speed of Knightwalker's spear was so much more threatening and another Mel Force blast sent her flying back into the magic barrier. "You will…die!"

"Erza…!" Cana slammed her hands on the barrier, but to no avail. "Wendy! Can't you use your support magic to help!?"

"I'm trying…!" Wendy really was. "But…my magic can't get past this barrier."

"That's so unfair!" Natsu growled. "First that guy steps into the fight and then gives her an advantage she doesn't want!"

"Not to mention…" Hisui stared at the way Knightwalker looked…she was clearly in pain. "I don't think it's good for her. It looks like her body is tearing itself apart because of it. I don't think the integrity of the castle is going to hold under all this stress…"

Despite the damage dealt to her, Erza was going to keep fighting. Knightwalker was in pain and suddenly this battle became more than just settling their differences. "Knightwalker…" Erza stood back up, exhaling heavily from the bruises, cuts, and other marks on her body. The woman changed armors once more, this time to her Morning Star armor. "I won't let you suffer like this!" Erza sprinted forward, allowing her blades to charge with energy. Erza preformed a feint, faking Knightwalker out with a horizontal slash only to use it to point her swords forward. "Photon Slicer!" The beam of energy overtook Knightwalker, pushing her back down the corridor until slamming into the door! Erza didn't stop at one; she fired off another one for extra damage!

"I never asked…for you to help me!" Knightwalker roared as Rune Save came into play. With one clean cut, the following Photon Slicer was easily cut through and the magic particles scattered everywhere. Black and red sparks began to dance around Knightwalker's body as the Lambda effect began to take its toll, but she wasn't going to fall to a knee. "I just…want to go back home…at this point…I don't care what I have to do…" Now, Knightwalker brought forth the strongest spear in her arsenal – Revalt: the Saint Spear. Combined with the nasty aura of Lambda, the presence this mere weapon had was frightening. "….I…" Her voice faltered.

Erza had no choice but to fight fire with fire. Another golden glow wrapped around her body and the injured woman appeared in her Armadura Fairy armor. A nostalgic clash, but one she also couldn't afford to lose. "Fairy Burst!" With her blades charged with energy, Erza lunged forward at Knightwalker with everything she had!

"That armor won't beat me again!" Knightwalker declared as her spear was lunged forward. Considering the power between them…as soon as they clashed, the entire castle started to tremble violently! A large explosion nearly leveled the entire building, causing the lower floors to collapse in some areas. Knightwalker and Erza were thrown back across the ruined corridor; Knightwalker hit the door while Erza hit the barrier again, but received the worst of the trade as her armor shattered and she was heavily damaged…but Knightwalker took the hit just as hard as she did. "Gah…." Knightwalker stabbed her spear into the ground and used it as a crutch to stand up. The last time they had such a clash, her spear broke…

"Ngh…" Erza sat up, one eye closed and blood dripping from her mouth.

"Are you okay!?" Wendy asked with so much concern her voice trembled.

"I'm fine…" Erza said with heavy breaths. The woman stood back up, changing to her Clear Heart armor, equipped with the Demon Blade: Crimson Sakura. Although her will to use it wavered as she saw Knightwalker continue to struggle. "Knightwalker…"

"Erza…" Knightwalker growled. She almost wanted to drop her spear, but at the same time her body clung to it. "…This power…it's not meant for everyone…it's not meant for me of all people either. It's tearing me apart and I can't bear it…this pain…set me free from it…"

Erza's eyes widened at that request, as did everyone else. "E-Excuse me…?"

It was then that Pantherlily, Happy, and Carla arrived on the scene….because there was a gaping hole in the palace due to the fighting. Pantherlily was surprised to see Knightwalker in such a state. "Knightwalker!"

"…?" Knightwalker turned to Pantherlily. She almost didn't recognize him…but maybe that was because she felt her mind slipping into an inconceivable darkness. "Pantherlily…? Is that you…?"

"What in the world happened here…?!" Carla asked. Unfortunately they weren't quite able to get to the others trapped behind the barrier.

"That card guy who took Gramps and Mest planted a Lambda card on Knightwalker and she's not doing to hot…" Cynthia summarized the situation as best she could.

"…She's acting just like Lucy…" Natsu grit his teeth. This despair…

"I can't do that." Erza shook her head. "I refuse to kill you! You said you wanted to return home, didn't you? I don't want to stop that! You can fight this power!"

"You want to die?!" Pantherlily never expected to hear that from Knightwalker of all people. "Knightwalker, you're much stronger than that. The Knightwalker I know would spit this power out and step on it!"

"It's because…I'm from Edolas…" Knightwalker's body was starting to move against her will, but she tried to keep herself in check. "Emmeraude warned me of this when I used this power…which is why I refused. But that man…he forced it onto me for this fight…and I can't seem to get rid of it…and I won't last long with it inside of me anyway…"

"Enough!" Erza put her foot down. "You're me! I know you can fight through this! We may have our differences…but in the end, we are the same. And I won't stain my hands in your blood…it wouldn't feel right. You want to go home, don't you? Think about the people waiting for you!"

"I'm sure the King would be more than happy to see you return home after all this time. Edolas is where you belong…just as I belong here." Pantherlily added.

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Knightwalker screamed and the aura flared around her body again. This time it was clear to see that her body was tearing apart as blood spurted from her body, causing all eyes to go wide. "If it's this bad for me…then imagine how your Lucy feels! She's gotten worse since Emmeraude got her hands on her…and my body isn't even listening to me. I'm fading out…and I don't want to lose myself." Knightwalker slowly started to approach Erza, her legs soon carrying her into a sprint. "If you want to stop Emmeraude and save your Lucy…you're getting through me one way or another! If you don't stop me, I will kill you!"

"Knightwalker!" Pantherlily tried to intercept, but she was too fast for him to catch up with!

"ERZA!"

Knightwalker drew her spear back with murderous intent. The rage in her eyes wasn't her own, but it was uncontrollable to her now at this point. "ERRRZAAA! IT'S ME OR YOU!"

"…!" Erza's eyes widened and everything occurred in slow motion. She could honestly see that Knightwalker was going to try and kill her if she didn't do something! Even though it happened so slowly, it also went by in a flash. Knightwalker stopped in her tracks…blood leaking from the sword piercing her chest. Knightwalker's spear was just centimeters away from the space between her eyes.

"…." Knightwalker coughed up a large amount of blood before her body slowly crumpled to the ground, the aura steadily fading away from her body. "…I knew you'd do that…"

"W-what…? But I…I would never…" Erza's body began to tremble and she knelt down.

"Can we get out of this thing!?" Cana yelled.

"I can heal her…!" Wendy blurted out, although that didn't mean much when the barrier wasn't letting them out. Even with Pantherlily's help, it wasn't budging.

"Because you're me…." Knightwalker coughed. "You recognized the danger…because if you didn't strike back, I would have put your friends in danger. I would have killed them…and you would never have been able to save your Lucy…" As Knightwalker spoke, her body began to shine.

"But…" Erza wasn't sure what to say. She just said she refused to take Knightwalker's life and yet.

"He was right…" Knightwalker mumbled. "Your Jellal…"

"Y-you met him…" Erza felt the tears welling up in her eye.

"Despite everything….I have to admit that you are the better Erza." Knightwalker said aloud, another cough escaping her. But there was a halfhearted smile on her lips. "I wanted nothing more than to beat you…but even when I started to suffer, you were concerned for me. That compassion for others is something I fully haven't grasped yet…"

"What's happening…? Why is she fading…?" Carla asked quietly.

"Because of Emmeraude…" Knightwalker explained. "She put the one way lacrima back inside me…and after I was done here…I was to go back to Edolas…but I didn't think I'd go like this…curse that man…" It was all Aiden's fault…if it wasn't for him; she wouldn't have had to go through any of this. She hated him until the very end.

"Knightwalker…" This scene saddened Pantherlily…he didn't want to see Knightwalker go like this, because in the end, she was still a former comrade of his.

"Pantherlily…you've done well in this world, haven't you?" Knightwalker kept that small grin on her lips. "I'm happy for you…protect your new comrades with everything you can…" Knightwalker then turned to Erza. "And you…don't get upset over this…this was the best outcome for me. This world doesn't need two Erzas…"

"But your world needs you!" Erza choked out. "Why did you chose to work with Emmeraude!?"

"It's too late for me…but you can still save your world." Knightwalker's body started to dissipate into golden fuzz as the lacrima began to send her back to Edolas. "Because she not only offered me a way home…but I can also relate to her. She was forced into a circumstance that didn't benefit her at all…but unlike that man, she didn't use me. She wanted to help me return to my world…my king, and the people I now swore to protect."

"…." Hisui glanced to the side. It was hard to say anything bad about Emmeraude when she was earnestly helping someone like Knightwalker…but in the end, her methods were still wrong.

"Emmeraude is at the throne room with Sophie and your Lucy…I suspect you will have to fight Drayden before you can reach them...but you can defeat her. I'm certain of it…good luck, Erza…Fairy Tail…and stop your crying, damn it…" Those were Knightwalker's last words as she finally departed from the world of Earthland…and the world of the living.

As the tears fell from Cynthia, Wendy, Pantherlily, and Erza…the barrier was finally let down and they could move forward. Natsu was first to approach Erza and put a hand on her shoulder. "…Are you okay…? We can keep moving if you need a minute…"

Erza remained silent at first, but she wiped the tears away and stood up. "No…I can keep moving. She would have wanted me to do that…" Despite the damage done to her body, she wasn't going to stop yet.

"I'm…so very sorry…" Hisui lowered her head. "If I didn't let Emmeraude trick me, none of this would have happened. She would still be alive…nobody would be hurt…"

"It's not your fault, Princess." Gray said with a firm nod. "Someone who has resort to these tactics to get what they want are the worst kind of people. Her subordinate isn't that great either." The door finally opened and led to another part of the castle…they were getting that much closer to the throne room.

"I still need to face her." Hisui said with a firm nod. "I can't give up yet…"

"We're right behind you." Cynthia stated. Happy and Carla followed behind…but Pantherlily stayed for a bit. He wanted to take a moment for his fallen comrade. Once he took his time, it was back to the battlefield in the city, he knew the others could handle the rest.

.

Higher and higher. The damage to the castle's lower floors did slow them down a little, but the team had to keep going. There was no interruption for a while…which was strange since they knew Drayden was lurking around somewhere. Or would they encounter Sophie next? The thoughts of their next opponent swirled around in the minds of everyone, but they had to keep moving. Eventually they finally came to the doors before the throne room…and Drayden was there waiting for them. "Ah…so Knightwalker fell. How tragic…I tried to help her, but alas…"

"You killed her, you bastard…your own comrade…" Natsu clenched his hands into fists so tight the veins were visible.

"Ah ah…I didn't kill anyone." Drayden wagged his finger…before snapping them. "But I will in a minute." Multiple cards formed under Natsu, Gray, Erza, Cynthia, Cana, Happy, Carla, Wendy, and Hisui! "This is where your progress ends."

"Cana!" Erza flung her sword at Cana, slicing through the card before it could trap her. As for the others…they were trapped just like Mest and Makarov. These cards floated around the final hall before being plastered to the wall for display.

"Oh?" Drayden lifted a brow while staring at Cana. "She opted to save you? That's strange?"

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Cana asked while staring at her trapped friends and family. "Release them this instant!"

"I can do no such thing…" Drayden placed his hands behind his back and started to pace around. "Lady Emmeraude is a wonderful person…I don't understand why you all fail to see that. As such, you've forced her hand in ways she didn't want to use." Dradyen then glanced at the card of the trapped Hisui. "As of right now, Emmeraude has two weaknesses…Sophie…and the Princess. Emmeraude already harmed Hisui once; I doubt she could do it again. So…it falls upon me to erase anything and everything that poses a threat to the ruler of the new world."

"You're crazy if you think I'm going to sit by and let this happen!" Cana had her deck of cards at the ready…and so did Drayden.

"Unfortunately for you, I doubt you can beat me in this state…" Because just like everyone else thus far, Drayden also had his powers amplified by the minor Lambda boost earlier. "But we can make a deal since you seem like the gambling sort of girl. If you win, which you won't, I'll release your friends and you can challenge Emmeraude only to die…but if I win, you and your friends become a permanent part of my collection. Either way you lose…so pick your poison."

.

.

Next Time: Fairy Gambit

Chapters until season finale: 4


	159. Chapter 159: Fairy Gambit

The tension was high. Cana was the only one who managed to escape Drayden's card trap thanks to Erza. Now she was the only who could save the others. They were so close to the throne room…! She couldn't let their progress be shut down like this! "I'm only going to ask this one more time…let them go." The brunette's ice cold glare pierced into the soul of Drayden, but the male didn't even budge at this threat.

"I will do no such thing." Drayden refused. "You all are getting dangerously close to Emmeraude and I can't allow that."

"So you're worried that we can stop her?" Cana had a sly smirk despite her irritation at the situation.

"Not at all." Drayden clarified. "As I said before…you can either die here, or die to Emmeraude. But you're not worthy of making her exert herself. She's come too far to be pestered by the likes of you. All you had to do was do as she asked, but no…you had to be difficult!" The black and red aura flared around his body. Drayden wasn't one to take risks or chances…not when his lady's ambitions were on the line! He was going to do everything in his power to ensure that Emmeraude's dreams would come true. Just to add the pressure, the cards that held everyone rapidly began to deteriorate. "You don't have much time…if those cards vanish, they will be erased!"

"Gnk…!" Drayden's aura was so fierce that Cana had to bring her arm up to shield her eyes from the sudden wind it picked up. "I don't care what her aspirations now…! She's harmed my comrades and destroyed my home! There's no way she's getting away with this with just a slap on the wrist! And I'm going to make sure they move on!" The time for talking was over; Cana had to fight. Even if she was outmatched, that was never a reason for a Fairy Tail mage to give up. They fought no matter the odds and without a second thought.

"You brought this upon yourselves!" Drayden's deck of cards split apart, all of them circling around him. "The first one to run out of cards loses. As a card mage, you're only as strong as the cards are in your deck. Unfortunately for you, you already lost!" A card flew from Drayden's deck, landing on the ground. The card then stood up and expanded several feet in height and width, now falling towards Cana with earth crushing force.

"…!" Cana dove to the side to avoid the card as it crashed down. The impact left a strong impression on the ground. As soon as Cana rolled to a stop, she threw several cards in Drayden's direction. "Take this!"

The cards were set to explode and Drayden could sense that. Several cards formed in front of him to shield him from the ensuing explosions. As soon as the explodes faded, these cards began to float around Cana, circling around her with multiple copies of Drayden around them. "Can you even see through this simple card trick? Which one is the real me?"

With his voice echoing around her, Cana felt rather annoyed. "You think these little tricks will work on me? I'm insulted." Cana played one card down: the Prayer's Fountain! The streams of water spread out in all directions, slicing through the cards with ease. A steam of water struck the real Drayden and pushed him backwards with a grunt of pain. "Don't underestimate me!" Three cards were combined within Cana's hand into one and she swung it forward, creating multiple ice bullets that soared towards Drayden with the intention of freezing him solid.

"I don't think so." Drayden extended a hand, a card forming in front of him to not only block the incoming Icicle spell, but also imbue the blank card with the spell! It was then two more cards formed in a triangle formation with the symbol of fire and lightning on them. "Tri-Arrow!" The cards released a triangular blast of ice, fire, and lightning, all aimed at Cana!

"Oh crap…!" Cana didn't have time to dodge, so the combination of elements exploded and sent her flying backwards. With the boost Drayden had thanks to the Lambda effect, his attacks hit much harder than they normally would and Cana felt it. The card mage rolled along the floor before coming to a halt, already bruised, burnt, and even a little frozen after that last one. "Damn…that hurt…" But she couldn't afford to slow down now. Two cards were drawn; the 'heaven' card and a wind card. Just as her previous cards, the merged into one and she waved it horizontally, releasing an ascending blast of air that shattered the floor, racing towards Drayden that finally pushed him back once it hit. "Got him!"

Drayden scoffed at Cana's attacks, eventually letting out a soft laugh. "I hope you don't think you're actually doing anything with those attacks. I haven't felt a single one." The man began to walk forward in a slow manner.

"You're bullshittin' me…" Cana spat. "I know you'll feel this one…" Drayden was unaware of the trap Cana laid out! The cards of Heaven, Reverse Death, and Mountain were conjoined and placed directly under his feet, multiple copies circling around him. "Summoned Lightning!"

"What?!" Drayden glanced around at the trap Cana played! Before he could react, multiple bolts of green lightning proceeded to zap him! The card mage grit his teeth in pain before the attack finally settled down, smoke wavering from his body. "Hm…that one stung a little."

Was he really not kidding?! He shrugged off all of Cana's attacks so far…and to make matters worse she really didn't have much time left before everyone was killed off in those stupid cards. "Don't get so cocky…I'm not finished yet! I'm going to protect them!"

"Of course you are…" Drayden then tossed a six-sided die into the air. It rolled around before landing on 6, where several black beams shot forth and honed in on Cana.

Cana grit her teeth and sprang to the side to avoid the incoming beams…however one managed to pierce right through her side and she let out a cry of pain. The landing was rough, but both feet were planted on the floor and she panted heavily from the deep wound. To make matters worse…she started to stumble around? "What the…hell did you do?"

"Die has a variety of effects. Some are good…some are bad…for you anyway. This time it's decided to drain your magic away rapidly. In a few minutes you'll fall to the ground, unable to fight anymore." Drayden explained. "Not that it would make much of a difference. Do you understand the power of Lambda now? This is only a tiny taste of its power…and it's granted me so much strength! Your friend has been a wonderful specimen of refining Emmeraude's expierment…"

.

.

BOOM! An explosion forced Kagura, Daryan, and Marisa backwards. All three of them were very battle damaged. Kagura and Daryan had the worst of it since they were hurting twice as much, but they just needed to make one final push! "Oi…you can keep going, right?" Daryan questioned.

"Of course I can. You better not slow me down after all that talk." Kagura gripped her sword and pushed off once more with Daryan beside her. They had to work carefully…if one slipped up, they'd both pay the price.

"Your emotions…they're running rampant!" Marisa's blank/pink aura flared around her body and she extended her hand. A barrage of thin, yet potent beams of magic was released towards the two mages. Both of them were capable of deflecting the beams before any major damage was dealt, but when it came time to strike, Marisa avoided their attacks and blasted them both in opposite directions…and when they got too far apart, their bond forced them to crash into one another! "Oh! I felt that one…haha…"

"Ouch…" Daryan laid on the ground with swirls in his eyes, comical dragons circling around his head. This wasn't what he had in mind when being face to face with Kagura.

"We're slowing down…" Kagura said, somewhat annoyed…but Marisa's damage output was much higher with the Lambda boost. Not to mention that she was feeling Daryan's pain and vice versa.

"We need to slow her down…" Daryan grumbled. He had an idea…but it was hard to work out with the way things were going. Marisa was too mobile and Kagura's gravity only worked so much on her.

"HA!" Another beam of magic was unleashed from Emmeraude's subordinate. The duo had no choice but to use their weapons to defend against such a massive blast, but its force was so strong it was pushing them back! If this broke through, they'd likely lose. Marisa was aware of this and grinned widely. "This is the power of Lambda! This is just a fraction of Lady Emmeraude's research! She worked so hard to ensure this project would succeed…all for the sake of her mother. Why do you people interfere!? She wants to create a world where people are happy and are free from tyranny and strife!"

"There are better ways to go about that than taking what's not yours!" Daryan responded.

"You don't understand a thing!" Marisa fired off more Magulity blades, but was surprised that neither party dodged! They were both having a hard time holding their ground, so if they let up for even a moment they'd be goners. So the blades landed true, intensifying their pain and they started to slip. "She's working to create a better world!? What's so bad about that? Sometimes people have to get hurt, but the ends justify the means. You wouldn't even be in this situation if that Lucy girl didn't get involved!"

"That may be so…" Kagura's gravity came into play around her and Daryan, increasing their weight so they wouldn't lose their ground that easily. "But…to trick the people…to throw others away when they aren't needed…that isn't the kind of person I want to associate with. I also don't take kindly to someone destroying my sister's guild simply because it inconveniences them…so Emmeraude can try all she likes, but she won't win my favor."

"Hell yeah!" Daryan said with a firm nod. "I don't know what you see in her…but that doesn't matter to us. Because we have a country so save from a wrongful ruler!"

"You're not even a resident of this country…" Kagura grumbled.

Marisa's brow twitched in annoyance. Emmeraude was only doing good! That's what Marisa saw, and the fact some small relationships stopped everyone from seeing how great Emmeraude was angered her. "Then…I'll just get rid of everyone who opposes her rule! Starting with you two!" The beam of magic grew in intensity. Kagura and Daryan weren't going to last at all at this rate.

Daryan still had a smirk on his lips despite this. This was exactly the kind of situation he wanted to be in. "Now! Arise!"

From the ground, multiple skeleton soldiers rose up to grasp onto Marisa's body. Some of them stayed buried in the ground while the others started to grab at her! "What the hell!? Let me go!"

"Ah ah!" Daryan chuckled. "Your magic works great on living creatures…but how about the undead!? If you wanna blast them off, you'll have to take your aim off us, and we're gonna finish you! But if you don't, they'll cut you down! It's your choice!"

"You idiot, don't tell her the idea…" Kagura groaned.

"But it's cooler that way! It's our trump card!" Daryan whined. If Kagura could step on his foot with heavy gravity, she would.

"No no! Get them off of me!" Marisa squealed. Nobody in their right mind would enjoy having undead, grimy skeletons grabbing at them! So as a result…she had to pull back and cancel the blast to destroy them!

"Now!" Kagura ordered. Once the blast dissipated, Kagura and Daryan sprinted at Marisa with their weapons at the ready. As soon as they got close, the two of them performed an X slash; Kagura with her blade, and Daryan with his steel clad bone. The impact was strong enough to knock the wind out of Marisa, who took a step backwards from the blow as there was now an X shaped gash on her chest

Daryan then pivoted on his heel, his cheeks inflating as bones, fire, and iron began to swirl around his mouth in a miniature vortex. "Roar…of the Skeletal Iron Flame Dragon!" Exhaling, a vicious torrent of said magic was released towards Marisa that consumed her body whole, carrying her across the city and even into another building!

" _No…this can't be…I…lost to these two…? How did they…work so well together? They were so…awful before."_ Marisa's body hit the ground and she started to fade in and out of consciousness, the aura fading as the boost started to wear off. _"I'm sorry…I failed you…Emmeraude…"_

[Flashback]

A year of the Pergrande military tryouts and somehow Marisa made it through…although her credentials weren't exactly the greatest. While she made it into the military, it was clear that her skills weren't going to be suited for the pure power that Pergrande specialized in. But there was one person who did take her into their unit…the Commandant Emmeraude. Marisa was a little shy and confused. "…So…why me?" Marisa questioned. "I'm not exactly strong…I can just fight well without magic."

"And?" Emmeraude quirked a brow. "That seems good enough to me. Plus it seems as though your magic is a Lost one, yes?"

"It's sense magic…" Marisa admitted. "But…I can't do anything with it. All I can do is sense people's emotions…but that doesn't do much good. I haven't even refined it…I don't know how I got through the entry exams."

"Because you're strong." Emmeraude explained. "Anyone who makes it through that rigorous exam is a strong person, even if you did make the bare minimum. Pergrande does know strength at a first glance…but we tend to focus more on pure power. But…that doesn't mean your magic is weak."

"It's true." Drayden piped up. Ross wasn't here, because this was before Ross had passed the exam. It was just Drayden at the time.

"You can sense emotions, can't you? So, what am I feeling right now?" Emmeraude tilted her head curiously. Marisa was apprehensive at first but eventually answered.

"…You're…happy?" The pink haired female seemed confused. "About me?"

"Of course!" Emmeraude smiled. "Anyone who comes into my unit is a part of a little family. It was just Drayden before…but I don't do so well with boys. I was hoping I could add a girl into the mix soon, and here you are. I'll help you refine your magic and you'll be one of the strongest mages in the army."

"R-Really?!" Marisa's eyes gleamed. This was…really the first time anyone offered to help her. Everyone always thought she was some sort of weirdo for being able to tell how people felt. "Then…I'll do my best to help you! What is it you're trying to accomplish, Emmeraude?"

Emmeraude tapped her chin, circling around Marisa while speaking. "Well…I haven't quite gotten my hands on it just yet…but I'm researching a way to enhance the power of our soldiers. Once I find that way, I aim to create a perfect world where my mother can live without having to worry anymore…and I also wish to ensure that the world stays safe from the dangers that plague it. It may seem like much…but this world is terribly shaken with danger and I want to do everything in my power to protect it." She wasn't going to mention that she had plans for the throne…at least not yet.

"Okay. Then I'll help you out." Marisa nodded. "My life is yours, Emmeraude. I don't know why…but I already know I can trust you with it." The two shook hands…and their partnership began. That was the day Marisa trusted Emmeraude, the woman who gave her a chance, with her life.

[End flashback]

Marisa had a sad smile at the memory as her eyes closed. She was ultimately defeated and the bond between Daryan and Kagura finally broke, setting them free from one another.

"Woo! We did it!" Daryan held his hand up for a high five…but Kagura left him hanging. "No high five…?"

"…Daryan." Kagura actually said his name for the first time.

Daryan was in such shock, he pointed at himself with a confused expression. That was the first time she actually acknowledged him!

Kagura leaned in to Daryan's ear, pressing the tip of her sword against his chest. "That conversation we had goes with you to the grave, do you understand?"

"…Yes." Daryan said with comical bullets of sweat.

"Good." Kagura let out a sigh and proceeded to walk off. "Now get out of here…you shouldn't be involved anymore, and Gaia will throw a fit if she finds out you helped. They can handle the rest." Of course she meant Fairy Tail.

"Ah…yeah…right…I should get going…" Daryan nodded several times, giving Kagura a wave. "Ah…I'll see you around, right?"

"…." Kagura glanced back at Daryan for a moment…and decided, that with everything they had to go through in the span of a few hours…the least she could do was wave goodbye in return, although it was brief. It was then that the rest of Mermaid Heel found her and started to gather around.

"There you are! We were so worried! We didn't hear from you all day!" Milliana whined.

Daryan had a slight smirk as Kagura waved at him. "Heh…" But he couldn't stick around any longer. Despite how much he wanted to help, it was time for him to return home.

.

.

Cana was still struggling against the likes of Drayden. Every time she fired off an attack, it didn't do much damage if any at all…and to make matters worse, her magic was draining fast and so was the time everyone else had. A card rose up from underneath Cana, lifting her into the air against her will with a forceful strike to the chest. "Gah!" It hurt, but she couldn't give up now! "Sun's Strength!" More cards from her arsenal! The cards Cana sent were all wrapped in flame, exploding on contact against Drayden's body. But as the smoke cleared, he was still mostly unharmed! "No way!"

"It's useless!" Drayden then fired off multiple cards of varying elements at the fairy. "Elemental Burst!" Each card erupted in a different element. The explosions hurt Cana as she fell to the ground, landing hard on the floor with a loud crash. "You can't hope to stop me! I've devoted every ounce of my life for Emmeraude's cause! You can't hope to beat me!"

Cana coughed up some blood. It was true, she was outmatched by Drayden largely because of that damned Lambda boost…but if you thought for a second that she was going to stay down because of that, it was best to think again! Despite the heavy damage done to her body, Cana stood back up, her hair disheveled and all, but she wasn't going to give up! She reared her arm back to throw more cards but…she ran out. "…Ah…"

"HA!" Drayden laughed as an infinite number of cards began to surround him. "A card mage is only as good as the deck they wield, and it seems like you're all out of cards. Do you understand now? Nothing in this world can defeat my resolve for Emmeraude! She will achieve her dream and you won't stop me! You can't even use magic anymore."

Cana panted heavily, sneering at Drayden's words. Mavis was right…Emmeraude did have resolve and it spread to those that willingly followed her. But Cana wasn't going to give up. "That's a lie. I know I can beat you."

"…Pardon?" Drayden lifted a brow, holding back a laugh. "How do you intend to do that?"

"I wouldn't ever lose to someone who throws away a companion to die." Cana's tone grew colder. Even though she didn't know Knightwalker all that well…she could see how badly Erza was hurt by it all. That was more than enough of a reason for Cana to act on Knightwalker's behalf, too.

"I didn't throw her away I simply tried to help. The process of her returning home was sped up too, wasn't it?" The callous tone Drayden had only pissed Cana off even more.

Cana gripped her jacket and threw it off, revealing the Fairy Glitter tattoo on her right arm! She had this ever since the incident began earlier in the day and she was saving it for the right moment. "Honestly…I was hoping I'd use this to blast Emmeraude in the face…but now is the time to use it. You said a card mage is only as good as the cards they wield, right? Well, a good card mage also doesn't reveal their trump card until the very end!"

"What the…?" Drayden began to sweat; he could sense the power emanating from that tattoo. "That…you can't use that! You don't have the magic for it! If you use it, it'll tear you apart and kill you." He calmed down after that…there was no way anyone would take a risk like that.

…But Cana simply grinned. "My friends are in danger, and you have the nerve to tell me what I won't do to protect them?" Cana extended her arm out, letting out a battle cry as a bright halo of magic rapidly began to constrict Drayden. "I don't care if you outclass me by miles on end! Anyone who puts my nakama in danger or makes them cry…they're all going to pay!"

"W-What's going on?!" Drayden attempted to escape from the binds. "I can't move?!"

A golden aura flared around Cana's entire body, causing the ruined castle to tremble violently from the power she was letting off. This was everything she could muster and even more, all for the sake of defeating the enemy in front of her! "Trump card isn't just one of my own…this is the trump card of Fairy Tail!"

"NO! Stop this!" Drayden's aura flared, but it was quickly drowned out by all the light.

"Gather! O river of light that guides the fairies! Shine! In order to perish the fangs of evil! Fairy Glitter!" Cana thrust her arm forward, the halo finally closing in around Drayden. In the next few seconds, the area was enveloped in a massive pillar of light that completely destroyed the ceiling overhead. The entire area trembled violently in response to the strength of the spell.

Drayden's eyes went white as he proceeded to fall backwards. The aura around his body faded away and he hit the ground hard and sank to the depths of unconsciousness. The power of Fairy Glitter completely overwhelmed him. _"Emmeraude….my apologies…I could not keep…my deal…"_ With this…the sense link placed for both Marisa and Drayden shattered with their defeats.

[Flashback]

Dradyen and Emmeraude sat across from one another at a table. He was the first one to join Emmeraude's unit, but he still had some issues with it. "Let's play a game of cards."

"Why?" Emmeraude questioned. "I mean…I don't mind playing a game for a little bit, but I have to get back to my research quickly, you understand don't you?"

"It won't take long." Drayden shuffled the deck and proceeded to hand out cards. Once they were ready, the game began. "I just want to learn more about you. I can do that by seeing how you play."

"I see…" Even though she didn't say it, Emmeraude was fascinated by this. So she played the game accordingly. In the end…Drayden managed to win. "Oh…I see. Well…that was my first time playing…honestly, that was very refreshing. I didn't get to play many games like that when I was younger."

Drayden began to collect the cards, a satisfied grin on his face. "I see…my hunch about you was correct. You are a good person."

"Hm….?" Emmeraude lifted a brow. "What makes you say that?"

"I watched your eyes as you played." Drayden explained. "You're a thinker…you also care a lot about the people around you, such as your mother. Your eyes say that you want to change the world…but you're unsure how yet."

Well, this was the first time someone got such a read on her. Emmeraude chuckled softly and nodded. "I can't say you're wrong. But if you'll work with me to find out what it is I can do to change this world for the better…that would mean the world to me. You're the first person outside of my mother that I wish to be able to rely on for my goal."

"I don't have any type of sad story or something like that…" Drayden said. "I just like to gamble and make bets. You said you saw my potential, right? Well…let's make a deal. I'll follow you to the ends of the earth if you promise you can change this world so no one has to fight anymore. That sounds like a hell of a bet to me, don't you think? Think you can hold your end of the bargain?"

Emmeraude stared at Drayden before shaking her head. "…You're a strange man. But I accept your deal." The two shook hands. "Your support means the world to me, Drayden. I promise you that I will change this world for the better so that no one has to suffer anymore. Finding people I can count on…that is the first step."

[End flashback.]

With Drayden defeated, Cana fell to the ground and heaved heavily. The recoil of Fairy Glitter in her condition was far too much…but luckily the others were freed from their card prison and Wendy was able to heal Cana just in time. "Cana-san…I'm so glad you're okay…!"

"Me too…" Cana exhaled. "That was tough…you'll have to move on without me for now…"

"I wish we saw what happened…" Cynthia said while rubbing the back of her neck. "But thanks, Cana. You really saved us."

Cana gave a grin, ruffling both Cynthia and Wendy's hair. "Make sure to get a few hits in for me, okay?"

"Okay!" Both girls nodded.

"Master…Mest, are you okay…?" Erza approached Makarov and Mest. The two of them were out of it for being trapped so long, but they seemed to be okay.

"I'll be okay…she's strong…" Makarov warned.

"Very…" Mest nodded. "But…I managed to wound her. That should make her a little easier to take care of. But I can't help anymore…"

"You have to rest." Wendy said firmly. "Your wounds are all pretty bad…"

"Oi…" Gray turned his attention to the Exceeds. "Happy Carla…can you keep an eye on em?"

"Aye!" Happy saluted.

"We'll be just outside…so if things get rough in there, call for us." Carla nodded.

Natsu stood in front of the throne room doors, feeling tense for some reason. He knew what was behind those doors and he was ready…but there was a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. "…Are you guys ready?"

"Let's do it." Erza nodded.

"I'm ready." Gray added.

"Us too!" Wendy and Cynthia spoke in unison.

Hisui remained silent, but gave a firm nod. Her heart was racing from the idea of confronting Emmeruade after all this time, but she had to do it. "…I'm prepared to take back the throne."

"Then let's do this." Natsu said as fire erupted from around his body.

.

.

The throne room doors were punched open. Natsu was the one leading the charge with Erza, Gray, Cynthia, Wendy, and Hisui behind him! Emmeraude was there waiting, one leg crossed over the over and a smile on her face. In the seats next to her were Sophie and a mysterious hooded figure. "Welcome…I'm so glad to see that you could finally make it." Emmeraude applauded with a condescending smile. "I could feel the vibrations of your struggle all the way from here…"

"Where's Lucy!?" Natsu asked! He looked around, but he couldn't see her…but he _knew_ she was in this room.

"Emmeraude!" Hisui stepped forward with a determined expression. "You will stand down from that throne now! It is not your right! I…I can't believe after all this time, you were simply using me. Was this your plan all along! Were you going to throw me away when you were done!?" All things considered…Hisui did still somewhat think of Emmeraude as a mother. Even if it was due to the implanted memories, the hurt tone she had was genuine.

And Emmeraude could sense that. She frowned for a moment before letting out a sigh. "I wanted to keep you away from the violence that was going to ensue. Harming you was the worst thing I ever had to do…"

"And what about the people that followed you?" Gray scowled. "They all fell for your stupid ambitions!"

"…" Sophie's lips curled into a frown as the flung insults at Emmeruade's goal. But she was told no matter what to not attack.

As for the strange hooded person…they didn't make a sound or even budge. But it was clear they were watching the conversation with some interest. "…"

To that…Emmeraude's eyes narrowed to death glare. Her magic aura slowly formed, but she didn't move from her spot. "This is why I never liked guilds. They're always so pretentious…"

"Pretentious? You're one to talk." Erza fired back. "You're taking something that doesn't belong to you and acting as though it was yours to begin with."

"And who made the decision it wasn't mine?" Emmeraude retorted. "This entire battle is occurring all because of your sense of self-righteousness and entitlement. All you had to do was follow my orders and you could be living happily right about…but no, _**you**_ decided that I was unfit to rule, and now, here you stand before me after taking down my precious comrades. What makes you so different from me that what I do is wrong? I want to change this world for the better! Do you all see how the world works? Tyrants and people who don't know how to rule…people who simply lust for power, depriving the world of the love it deserves. Is it so wrong that I want to change that? To make a world where the people don't have to worry? A world where my mother can live in peace? I want the people to love me for bringing prosperity to their lands."

"I don't care what your goals are!" Natsu barked. "You hurt our family and destroyed our home! That's enough of a reason for us to take you down!"

There it was. That attitude Emmeraude despised so much. "So…you put your own guild in front of a better world? Do you even know why I spared you all with that explosion earlier? Because I laid eyes on that green haired woman clutching her child when I made my demands. In that moment…I changed my mind. I couldn't kill a crowd with a mother and child in it. The father was there too…but I care not about them."

"Is she talking about Bisca and Asuka…?" Wendy whispered. The others seemed to think so.

"But…King Ashnard isn't going to change his mind about you, Emmeraude." Hisui explained. "You aren't also doing this for him…are you?"

"Absolutely not." Emmeraude sounded disgusted. "The story I told you probably got hazy when I stabbed you…but even though I'm his bastard daughter, it only fuels my want to overthrow Pergrande's King."

"T-That guy is her dad…?" Cynthia had wide eyes. Why did dads tend to be such assholes…well, most of them in her experience.

"It doesn't change anything." Erza glared at Emmeraude. "We have to stop her here."

Emmeraude lifted her hand up, causing multiple chains to shoot from the furthest wall from the throne and wrap around Hisui's body. These chains were sharp and Hisui learned this very quickly as she tried to struggle against them, but to no avail as she was pinned to the wall. "Ah…! R-Release me!"

"I can't do that." Emmeraude shook her head. "My plans are too close to fruition to be ruined now. Even if I tried to enforce my will on you…your spirit upon seeing your friends hurt would break through it. So I have to keep you restrained until this battle is over."

"I've had ENOUGH of you!" Natsu bellowed as fire exploded around his being. He was the first person to rush at Emmeruade to finally bring this long battle to a start.

"You may have taken Ross from me…and defeated Marisa and Drayden…but there's one more person you must do battle with if you wish to stop me." Emmeraude nudged her head and the robed figure leapt forward and clashed with Natsu.

"…!" Natsu was pushed back but landed on his feet.

The figure landed and the hood came off…to reveal Lucy. Her eyes were still red, the black markings were all over her skin…and she wore a sultry smile while staring down the others who were in complete and absolute shock. "Hey guys~" Her attiude was also much different than before; there was no despair in her eyes…there was actually no emotion in her eyes as she stared them all down.

"L-Lucy!?" Everyone shouted in unison.

"What happened?!" Wendy asked in a frightful tone.

"She and Lambda attempted to challenge me earlier…it was adorable actually. When I threatened your Master and other idiot, she struggled with Lambda and they both fell unconscious. They actually awoke not too long ago…but it seems as though their consciousness ended up fusing into one. I didn't expect this outcome…but as it turns out, she listens to me fairly well since my Queenly Majesty had such a wonderful effect on Lucy during her battle with the Ozwell. So…allow me to introduce you all to Lambda-Lucy Heartfilia." Everyone was on guard as Lucy slowly approached them, a fierce black/red aura flaring around their comrade. "I wonder what would happen if you tried to separate them…would Lambda die? Would Lucy die? Would they both die? I wonder…would you even take that risk to begin with?"

Lucy extended two fingers, a dangerous amount of magic radiating off of them. "I want to die…but first…I want you all…to be waiting for me…" Lucy's tone was completely flat…devoid of any emotion…yet there was a sick, twisted smile on her face. Lucy reached the final stages of despair at long last…but she did so with a smile. The others? Well…they weren't expecting this – that was for sure.

Natsu…he stared at Lucy with a determined visage. She slipped away from him twice now…and he wasn't going to let it happen a third time. "This is where we end it. Lucy…this time we're going to save you!"

.

.

Next Time: Finale Part 1: Your Will to Live


	160. Chapter 160: Your Will To Live

Lambda-Lucy. After many months of having Lambda inside of her, their consciousness finally fused together. Now the person standing in front of them was a disgusting combination of their beloved comrade and Emmeraude's creation. Everyone was horrified at this, but they also couldn't back down. Emmeraude was sitting back with a content smile on her lips. "Oh, and one more thing…I'm also broadcasting this across Fiore. I want everyone to see the selfishness of the Fairy Tail guild…how they'll put one person over the better world that I aim for. To show the people that guilds truly aren't there to help them when the chips are down…they only help as a byproduct of their reckless actions. Now Lucy…go and make sure they're waiting for you in the afterlife." Along with this, a series of chains appeared around the throne room doors, locking them tight to prevent entry from the outside. "We don't need any more distractions."

"Mhm…" Lucy nodded slowly and lifted a hand into the air. A black and red sphere of raw magic formed within her palm and she immediately hurled it down. "It would be so much better if you didn't fight me…after all, I just want to be with you in the end."

"L-Lucy-san, stop…!" Wendy cried out, but her pleas fell on deaf ears as the incoming sphere ended up exploding. Even though everyone managed to dodge it, the explosion's radius was large and sent them flying in separate directions. Wendy landed hard on her side with a small grunt of pain, but when she looked up…Lucy was donning her Cancer Stardress, both blades preparing to skewer her. Wendy was petrified, because the image of Lucy trying to kill her was one she never thought she'd have…!

Luckily for Wendy, Erza was quick to act by intercepting the incoming stab with her two blades. Even though two of her armors were broken in the battle against Knightwalker, she still had plenty to use. "Wendy, get back!" Erza exclaimed and Wendy did just that to give Erza some space. "And Lucy! You have to snap out of it! We know this isn't you! You're being controlled!" Both girls aimed another slash at one another, but Lucy's power was much higher than Erza's and she ended up getting knocked away. "Gaaaah!"

Gray scowled while staring at Lucy. Harming his comrade left a bad taste in his mouth, but they were going to save her in the end. So he swallowed that hesitation down and did what he had to do. "You need to chill out! Ice Make: Geyser!" Gray's hands met with the floor and a glacier of ice instantaneously erupted under Lucy's feet to freeze her solid. The glacier did freeze Lucy over for a short time…but only a few seconds as the ice instantly shattered. "Gnk…!" Lucy then recklessly tossed one of her blades at Gray, forcing him to leap to the side. Even though he managed to avoid being stabbed in the chest, the blade still ran through his side for a deep cut, leaving him grimacing from the blood leaking. "Ah…"

Lucy was prepared to toss her second sword, but that's when Wendy slid to a halt behind her with her cheeks inflated. "Sky Dragon's ROAR!" Wendy exhaled, releasing a powerful hurricane from her mouth. Lucy was barely able to keep her footing against the intense wind pressure, sliding backwards as the wind sliced into her.

"Wendy…" Lucy grumbled while taking slow, heavy steps forward to stop the sky dragon from roaring.

But, that was when Cynthia was the one to appear behind Lucy since her back was turned, red flames protruding from her mouth. "I'm sorry!" Cynthia apologized before releasing her Omega Fire Dragon's roar at Lucy's back. The two roars sandwiched Lucy in the middle, merging into one fiery twister before erupting violently, kicking up cloud of dust and debris. "D-Did we get her…?" That was wishful thinking, for Lucy's whip wrapped around her waist, while a tendril wrapped around Wendy's.

"HAAA!" The dust instantly cleared as Lucy was now seen in her Taurus Stardress for added strength, although she was cut and bruised from the combination attack. She brought both Wendy and Cynthia together to crash into one another violently before swinging them into the ground with such force the floor nearly gave way. The tendril protruded from her back, courtesy of Lambda's powers. "You two, take a nap…"

"LUUUCY!" Natsu roared from above with flames blazing viciously around his body. "Snap out of it!" With a spin, Natsu put forth all of his momentum into a destructive fiery punch aimed at Lucy, but Lucy countered with a raw power punch of her own. The two collided and the result was a shockwave booming out with such force to blow both of them backwards. Natsu slid across the floor and immediately opened his mouth. "FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!" A blazing funnel shot forth from the salamander's mouth, razing any decorative touches on the floor.

Lucy slid to a halt on a knee, placing one hand forward as the black and red aura flared around her body. Natsu's roar was 'consumed' by this aura as Lambda did feed on magic to fuel itself. But that roar was immediately shot back to the sender, mixed in with Lambda's magic. "HA!"

"…!" Natsu's eyes widened and he had no choice but to cross his arms to soften the blow. His own roar exploded against him, and while the heat didn't affect him, Lambda's power did. With a cry of pain, Natsu was sent flying into the sky against his will. To make matters worse, Lucy released several magic draining tendrils to follow Natsu and skewer him…and with his current positioning, he wasn't going to be able to dodge!

"I think not!" Erza, in her Heaven's Wheel Armor, flew through the air and sliced through the tendrils before they could hit Natsu. Since the tendrils were technically an extension of Lambda itself, Lucy felt the pain and recoiled slightly. Erza saw this, and as much as it pained her, she couldn't stop. Dozens of swords appeared beside Erza all before violently raining down on Lucy.

"Ngh…" Lucy hesitated for a moment before changing into her Sagittarius Stardress, taking aim at the incoming swords with arrows imbued with darkness. The collision of weaponry caused a chain of explosions in the air, shaking the castle to its very core. When the dust settled, Lucy took a breath and the damage dealt to her was simply…healed off. "Come on…I know you guys can hit harder than that. Are you…holding back on me?"

"No way…" Cynthia grumbled. "She just voided all that we did…! It's like when she got stabbed…she shrugged off that wound like nothing."

"It's Lambda…" Wendy's brown eyes were trained on Lucy, who was simply waiting for them to attack. "I think it heals itself and the body it uses…"

"So what are we supposed to do?" Gray questioned. He was already running low on ideas since they were fighting one of their nakama, and they all knew that Lucy never asked to be put in this situation.

"We punch it out of her!" Natsu was sticking to his plan.

"Oh please…" Emmeraude shook her head. "Such barbaric tactics won't do you any good. I should know…I made Lambda into what it is, after all. If you try too hard, you may strain her body too much and she'll die for sure."

"Is this some game to you?!" Erza barked while getting back to her feet. She was still a little winded from the Knightwalker battle, but she refused to allow that to slow her down.

"Not at all." Emmeraude shook her head, watching the battle with an amused smile. "I'm just watching your resolve. You want to save your friend so badly at the cost of a better world. Is there something wrong with me taking a little enjoyment in your plight? As I said before…I gave you a way out, but you refused to take it. And guess who's suffering because of it? Not me…not even you…but her."

Hisui on the other hand was trying her hardest to break free of the chains Emmeraude bound her in. The others couldn't even look away from Lucy for a moment without her attacking them. "Come on…move….!" Hisui pushed her body forward, but each time she moved the chains cut deep into her body and she had to recoil backwards and lose all of her progress. "D-Darn it…"

.

.

"This is…this is awful…!" Tia clenched her hand into a fist. Emmeraude was truly testing the limits of her patience, and if it wasn't going to cause an incident, she'd punch the woman in her face. "She's just using Lucy to make a point!"

"A powerful one at that." Heartless had her arms crossed while staring at the screen. "You know…if she wins here, it won't look very good for guilds elsewhere. I don't think her goal is to make every guild in the world seem barbaric like they used to be in days of old…but it certainly won't put them in a good light. She's bold…broadcasting this clash to the entire country. Because win or lose…this news is going to spread across the continent."

"There's no such thing as bad publicity ." Ace stated with furrowed brows. He hand one hand on Tia's shoulder to try and calm her down, and it seemed to be working to a small degree. "The difficult part…is that if you lay her motives down on paper, they're good. She wants to change the world for the better, but this one selfish guild refuses because they didn't listen to her in the beginning. A group that does anything to prevent the world from becoming a better place all because they were inconvenienced along the way. That's all this country is going to see…and pretty much every country after this. I gotta hand it to that woman…she's crafty. She's thought down every step to the last detail."

"She's a bi—witch." Tia spat. She had enough self-control to restrain her language, but watching something so horrible to the woman she deemed her first real friend…it made her stomach churn in disgust. "Come on, Fairy Tail. Kick her ass into next week!" The woman exclaimed at the top of her lungs – even though no one could hear her except for Ace and Heartless. But their thoughts were one and the same.

.

.

"L-Lucy-sama…!?" Yukino's eyes widened at what the screen had on display for those in Crocus. Lucy really was putting forth all of her effort into defeating her own comrades as Emmeraude watched.

"Whoa…she could use some rest and relaxation…" Angel tilted her head. The severity of the situation did set in for her, but such a remark slipped out.

"She…looks awful…" Evergreen spoke with a hushed tone. Considering not many people had actually seen Lucy since Team Natsu departed for their Village of the Sun mission, it was no surprise those at Fairy Tail were the most shocked.

.

.

"Lucy, we don't want to fight you!" Erza exclaimed one more time, but it didn't look like her words were reaching. All Lucy did was cock her head to the side curiously…her stare was still devoid of life, but the smile on her lips betrayed her expression.

"Oh, but don't you see…she wants to fight you." Emmeraude hummed. "Can't you see it in her eyes? The final stage of those brought to despair by Lambda's negative effects crave nothing more than the sweet release of death…but it's so cute that in these last moments of despair, she wants to bring her comrades along for the ride. I suppose you could say she never stopped thinking about you all…she's this way because of you, you know."

"Shut up! You're the one that did this to her!" Natsu roared as fire exploded around his body. For a moment, Emmeraude was all he wanted to focus on. The fire dragon sprinted forward despite the cries of the others telling him to stop. Natsu leapt high over Lucy and flames exploded around his body, a fist reared back as he aimed to punch Emmeraude from above.

The Queen merely sighed. They did this song and dance before. "You want to do this again…? It'll end very badly for you, just as it did last time."

"FIRE DRAGON'S….!" Before Natsu could even finish, Lucy wrapped her whip around his ankle and flung him clear across the room, violently slamming him into the wall on the opposite side. "Guh…!"

"Are you ignoring me again, Natsu?" Lucy tilted her head curiously.

"L-Lucy…please be calm…we're trying to save you!" Cynthia pleaded. "We really don't want to fight you like this, it's not right! We know that you're not yourself…trust me, I know how this feels more than anyone. But that's why I know we can help you, just like you helped me!"

"…" Lucy narrowed her eyes, taking a cautious step back at Cynthia's words.

"The real issue…is getting that thing out of her…" Gray remembered Emmeraude's words. But that didn't give them any clues on how to do so without hurting Lucy.

"It's not going to be an easy process." Emmeraude shifted one leg. "She and Lambda are bound rather tight due to being together for so long. Protos Heis can separate them, but she's long since passed the stage where she'd live the separation due to how their interaction works. But…if you were to remind her how important she is to you and give her a reason to not want to die…perhaps that could work?"

Nobody liked the idea of following Emmeraude's orders, especially since she was clearly playing with them. But Team Natsu didn't have any other options…how ironic since they were so determined to make their own options earlier. But they weren't going to let Emmeraude dictate how they did things! "Lucy…we know you're still in there somewhere. We're your comrades, and we're going to reach out to you no matter how hard you fight back." Erza stated. "We've done it countless times in the past…you can even ask Mii. Despite her feelings for the guild, she still took my hand when I reached out to her. There's no reason you can't do the same."

"No…no…." Lucy shook her head a few times while taking more steps back. "Do NOT touch me…!" Several tendrils shot out of Lucy's back and into the floor. The throne room ruptured violently before a widespread explosion occurred, knocking everyone off their feet. "Just…let me…go…"

"L-Like hell we'll leave you behind!" Gray struggled to get to his feet, but he stood once again. "After all we've been through? There's no way in hell!"

"R-Right…! You're important to everyone…we won't leave you like this!" Wendy said with a nod. Her breathing was a little heavy from the damage they just received, but she wasn't going to slow down.

"You're going to live!" Natsu recovered from the previous blow, standing in front of the others with a determined stare. "I promise! We're all going to live and make it through this! We're going to beat Emmeraude, but we need you to come back to us first!"

"Ngh…" The black and red sparks continued to dance along Lucy's body. The words of her comrades that she held so dear did get into her heart. But at same time, she couldn't accept those words in her condition. As a result, a piercing scream was let out and the defense mechanism of her body caused a beam of raw magic to shoot forward violently.

Erza stepped forward, donning her Adamantine Armor just in the nick of time! She was saving it for a moment like this and protected the others from the powerful beam, although she did slide back a great deal. "We're not doing anything without you, Lucy!"

"Yeah! We're going to save you, just like you guys saved me!" Cynthia's words held firm. "Aren't you the one that told me that no matter what happens…we'll always be family? Those were your words!"

"….." Emmeraude simply watched. This was, without a doubt, the most cliché and cheesiest thing in the world. However…to deny that it was working would be a fool's thing to do. Guild's truly held their members close to one another…too close, really.

Lucy brought her arms to hold her sides, letting out a choked cry of pain as the aura only intensified around her. The tears were streaming down her cheeks and it was clear that she was in agony. Her response was to push the others away at any and all costs. "It hurts…so much…! I can't take this pain anymore…I just want it to end. It's been like this for so long…"

Natsu frowned at Lucy's disposition. The part that hurt him the most was that there was nothing he could have done about her condition the entire time…until now. She slipped away from him before, but not again. He decided that this was where they'd finally set her free from the curse of Lambda. As such, Natsu began taking slow steps forward. "Lucy…we're here for you. I know you've been trying to protect us this whole time…trying to shoulder that burden by yourself must have been hard…"

"STAY AWAY!" Lucy's aura exploded once more to push Natsu back, but he held his ground this time! "I…I'm only going to hurt you!" She fell to her knees after, keeping her head down.

"That's never stopped us!" Natsu yelled while still walking forward. Lucy did try to step back, but Emmeraude gave her a little push forward with her heel.

"We will help you!" Wendy was also very determined to help save Lucy. "You just have to trust us! Even if you do hurt us…we'll take any scar as long as it means you're back with us safe and sound!"

"Yeah!" Cynthia added. "After the way I acted when I was Rose…you guys still did everything you could to get me back and welcomed me with open arms even after everything I did. If you think I'm going to give up on you after that, you're out of your mind!"

"We're not leaving anyone behind!" Gray exclaimed.

"You're as precious to us as anyone else. Not just us….but there are other people who want to see you again, Lucy." Erza still had her guard up just in case Lucy had another outburst.

"You have to make your own happiness, isn't that what you said once?" Natsu was still walking forward. Lucy was really trying to push him back, but he refused to budge. "I know that you don't want to be anyone's puppet…! That's why you have to trust us when we say we're going to get you back!" Now in front of Lucy, he knelt down and stared directly into her red eyes. "We're going to save you…but on one condition. You have to proclaim your will to live! Because we won't let you die!"

"…!" Lucy's eyes widened at Natsu's words. "I-I…."

Wendy did recall something Emmeraude told her before. Healing magic was one way to separate Lambda from Lucy…the reactions Lucy had to her attempts earlier were stuck in her mind. It wasn't the best method, but it was all they had! Wendy rushed over to Lucy's side, her palms emitting a soft seafoam light. "T-This might hurt a lot, and I'm sorry in advanced…but this will help…!"

"Gnk…AAAH!" Lucy let out a piercing scream as Wendy's magic began to work. She wanted to lash out at them, but Natsu held down her arms to prevent that. The sparks around her body dancing wildly and the room even began to tremble violently. "I…I….!"

"You can fight it, Lucy! We're right here with you!" Cynthia cheered.

It hurt so much. Wendy's magic felt like it was ripping her in half and the only thing that kept her grounded was Natsu. But she did try her best…Lucy thought to all of the people that did want to see her again…the people that she'd live for. There were those at Fairy Tail of course…there was Tia, her parents who she knew would hate to see her join them so soon…there was Mii…how could she promise not to let Mii die if she did so herself?! The people trying their hardest right now to save her…those were the people that she promised to live for. "I don't…want things…to end like this…" The aura around Lucy intensified, but this time a golden hue was mixed into it.

"Hey, look at that…" Gray pointed to the area around Lucy. She was never truly alone, because she had her spirits with her! All of them started to appear in a circle around Lucy – Loke, Aries, Gemini, Taurus, Sagittarius, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn…and for a brief moment, even Aquarius was there! All of her spirits and former spirit were there.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!? Getting all depressed like this after I leave?! I should drown you, you brat!" Aquarius' growled.

"…!" Lucy briefly turned in the direction of Aquarius' voice. She hadn't seen her in so long since her key was broken.

"Yeah, actually…everyone gets to drown for taking so damn long!" Aquarius had her vase at the ready, preparing to swing it and flood the throne room…but the gate was then closed. She, along with the others vanished, but they didn't have to say anything.

That caused the faintest of smiles to appear on Lucy's lips. What was she thinking…? "I….I want to KEEP ON LIVING! For all of you!" The golden aura that was Lucy's began to outshine that of Lambda's. It was so strong that one could see Lambda's form slowly exiting Lucy…it was still stuck inside her, but it just needed that little push. Lambda, for a brief moment…resembled a small child.

"There it is!" Erza pointed at Lambda. "But…how can we pull it out!"

"Like this!" Natsu reared his arm back, lightning and flame blazing around his entire limb. "I told you I was gonna punch you of her body, and I meant it! SO GET OUT YOU BASTARD!" Natsu swung his arm at Lambda and a vicious explosion occurred on the spot. Lucy released a shrilling cry of pain as the ties between her and Lambda were finally severed. The process hurt like hell…but Lambda was finally out of her body thanks to Lucy remembering why she wanted to live…and the persistence of her friends and family. After the explosion, Lucy ended up falling forward…but she landed right in Natsu's arms with her eyes closed.

Natsu smiled at Lucy and let out a relieved sigh. The black markings on her body were gone at long last. "How do you feel?"

Lucy slowly opened her eyes…and they were back to their usual brown color. "…Alive." She said with a half chuckle. When Natsu set her down, she stumbled for a little bit, not being used to having her body be itself in quite some time. "I-I'm really sorry…for everything…"

"It's not your fault…" Gray reassured Lucy. "We're just glad to have you back…now let's free the Princess and…"

Emmeraude applauded their performance. She grabbed everyone's attention and cut off their little reunion. "Bravo! Bravo! You really did it, you saved your friend!"

"Now that we have Lucy back, you're next!" Natsu pointed at Emmeraude, feeling confident that they were slowly tearing Emmeraude's plan down bit by bit. "Your plans are falling apart now! Once we beat the shit out of you, the Princess is going on that throne!"

"They really did it…" Sophie was…rather amazed by the situation. This entire time she believed Lucy would have to die in order to extract Lambda…but Fairy Tail managed to do it with the power of their bond; one of the few things that could severe Lambda from its host in the first place. Speaking of Lambda…it was just lingering in the air after Natsu's punch and Sophie wasn't sure what to do about it.

"Are you so sure about that?" Emmeraude's eyes glanced up at Lambda before she extended her arm out. "Because as far as I'm concerned…everything is still going according to plan." Emmeraude used her magic signature to draw the unconscious Lambda to her…and that's when everyone realized what card she had lying in wait.

"Wait, don't…!" Lucy took a step forward to try and stop Emmeraude, but her legs buckled and she nearly fell forward.

"We got it!" Natsu and Gray exclaimed in unison. The both of them lunged at Emmeraude to try and stop what she was doing, but by the time Lambda reached her it was too late. A pillar of black and red magic shot forth and pushed everyone away. The pillar broke the ceiling and towered high into the cloudy sky with a deafening roar.

Lucy stared in horror at what just happened. "Oh no…."

"E-Emmeraude…!?" Hisui's eyes were wide at what she witnessed.

"I have to thank you for finally returning my precious Lambda to me." Emmeraude's voice rose as the roaring of the pillar died down. As the pillar faded, black and red wisps of magic flowed around Emmeraude's being, and only one of her eyes were red. She even floated a little off the ground…and the wound that Mest inflicted on her earlier? It was healed thanks to Lambda's passive healing properties. "It was quite the task, having to ensure that she stay alive all this time so you could pull it out of her."

"W-What are you talking about…?" Lucy panted heavily. The raw power Emmeraude leaked was enough to make everyone hesitate for a moment. "You…kept me alive?"

"Of course." Emmeraude nodded, a diabolical smile crossing her lips. "If I wanted you dead, I would have pursued you when you fled to Hargeon. But I had a much better idea…I wanted you to see for yourself the trouble you caused when you decided to interfere with my plans. In order to ensure your comrades thought they had a chance to free Lambda without my dear Sophie, I had to inform them of ways to do so…and it seems the little healer had that stuck in her mind all this time."

"…!" Wendy had a shocked expression. "D-Did I….?"

"You all played right into my hands this entire time. There were a few unexpected hurdles along the way…but thanks to you, I finally have the power that I've been searching for. Lambda has been weakened and put into a state of slumber thanks to your efforts, now making it much easier to control. You may kneel before me now. I have the power of both a queen and a goddess…there is nothing you can do you oppose me now. If you apologize for standing up to me, perhaps I'll think about forgiving you. I want to be a merciful ruler after all." A dark green aura exploded from around Emmeraude's, the sheer presence briefly instilling fear. How could one person be so powerful now!?

"You talk way too much…" Natsu clenched his hands into fist, fire and lightning erupting around his body. "We've told you this before but we don't give a damn who you are! Anyone that hurts Fairy Tail is going down! This is your last stop, Emmeraude!" The reunited Team Natsu all had the same thoughts, getting ready to fight despite the strength Emmeraude was giving off.

Emmeraude only smiled as all of them were prepared to fight her. Emmeraude held her hand forward, palm extended as a sly smile crossed her lips. "So…you will resist until the bitter end, all because of your guild pride. I expected you to do this…which is why I will take joy in crushing you all under my heel. You'll be the first I officially crush for the cornerstone of the peaceful world I want to create."

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Next Time: Finale Part 2: My Kingdom.


	161. Chapter 161: My Kingdom

Emmeraude's power was easily felt throughout all of Fiore. Even though Ace, Tia, and Heartless were all at a fair distance away from Crocus, they could spot the rising pillar of darkness coming from the palace from afar. Tia's lips curled down into a scowl as her body trembled without her knowledge. "W-What is…that power? That's…not right…"

"…I…I don't like this…" Ace kept calm on the outside, but at this point even he was more than a little worried about Fairy Tail. This kind of power was unlike anything he'd ever felt before…coming from a human no less.

"…This situation is going to get much worse before it even begins to get better." Heartless was the only one who wasn't so bothered by this…or rather, she was just unable to show it. In a way, her calmness did keep the others grounded, even if it was because she was incapable of showing any other type of emotion.

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"Whew…" Calium whistled at the magic power rising into the air. "Now that's quite a substantial boost compared to before…"

"They don't stand a chance." Sidney said, bluntly.

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"A ruler must fight for what is theirs…their people, their throne…and they cannot allow foolish usurpers like you to stand in the way of their dreams." Emmeraude's voice was calm as she stared down Team Natsu. "If you wish to stand against me, then you will fall. I cannot make this anymore clear – you don't have a chance at beating me."

"Let me support everyone!" Wendy threw her arms out as a soft light shrouded her, Cynthia, Lucy, Erza, and Natsu. "Ile Arms! Armor! Vernier!" Now that the real fight was beginning it was time to go all out! Wendy's support was going to play heavily into this battle as she increased everyone's offense, defense, and speed for the coming battle!

"We'll see about that!" Natsu was the first one up. Emmeraude was finally going to pay for her crimes! "Roar of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" Natsu threw his head forward, releasing a massive blast of fire and lightning directly towards Emmeraude. Now that Lucy was back on their side, there was no longer any reason to hold back and he showcased his destructive capabilities.

"You fool. You're too weak to stop me." Emmeraude held her hand out, creating a pitch black sphere of darkness within her open palm. Just as she did with attacks before, the sphere completely absorbed the attack and grew in size before it was returned to the sender. It touched the ground and exploded violently, sending everyone off in different directions. "The Grand Magic Games served as useful information. Thanks to overseeing that event, I know exactly how all of you fight…I know your moves, your tactics…and yet, you only know the slightest thing about my combat abilities. Do you really think you can win when I know everything you can do?"

Cynthia and Wendy flipped, giving a nod to one another before entering Dragon Force together. "You may have seen us fight…but you haven't seen all of us fight together!" Wendy exclaimed while rushing Emmeraude down with Cynthia. The duo aimed a series of punches at the Queen, but she was easily able to block them with little effort. Considering how fast the both of them were, it was impressive to see her fend them both off so easily. To make an opening, Wendy attacked first while lifting her hand, clawing at Emmeraude as a fierce trail of wind following her hand. "Sky Dragon's Claw!" And Emmeraude brought her arm up to block the hit, but Wendy did succeed in tearing through her clothing at least.

As soon as Emmeraude moved to block, Cynthia slipped behind the woman with red fames blazing around her leg. "Talon!" The omega dragon aimed her fiery leg at Emmeraude's head, but her free arm was capable of blocking the hit. "…!"

"It won't work." Emmeraude's aura flared once and the two girls were sent flying back next to one another. A parting gift was delivered in the form of a powerful beam of darkness to follow them.

"…!" Both Wendy and Cynthia crossed their arms, having no choice but to block the attack. They were more firm than usual and held their ground to the very end. Once the attack finally subsided, both leapt in opposite directions to reveal Gray, all the devil slaying markings spread along his body and he already had a bow and arrow at the ready.

"Ice Devil Zeroth's Destruction Bow!" Just as Wendy and Cynthia leapt out of the way, Gray released the bowstring and let the icy arrow fly!

"…!" Emmeraude was genuinely surprised at how fast they acted when together. The arrow landed and an icy explosion occurred as soon as it hit. But when the explosion died down, the ice on Emmeraude's left side thawed instantly and she showed no sign of damage. "That was underwhelming." The Queen chuckled before pointing her finger at Gray…then at the ground.

"Wha…?" A bright white light flashed at the ground underneath him and the floor suddenly erupted in Crash magic, sending Gray flying backwards with a shout of pain.

"Gray…!" Lucy exclaimed in worry before gritting her teeth. This situation was her fault and she needed to rectify it somehow! Luckily she wasn't alone in this endeavor anymore and had two golden keys at the ready. "Gate of the Golden Bull! Gate of the Scropion, I open thee! Taurus! Scorpio!" With the chime of a bell, Taurus and Scorpio appeared before Lucy as she changed into Stardress: Scorpio.

"We are!" Scorpio exclaimed.

"Moo! You are looking even lovelier than usual, Lucy-sama! Your body is nice!" Taurus spoke with hearts in his eyes.

"We don't have time for this!" Lucy exclaimed cheeks flushed since Taurus could never take the hint. The celestial mage pointed at Emmeraude and yelled; "Attack!"

"Your wish is my command!" Taurus let out a mighty moo before lifting his axe and sprinting forward.

Lucy and Scorpio stood side by side, pointing their stingers forward. "Sand Buster!" Spirit and key holder exclaimed, unleashing a mighty torrent of sand that gathered around Taurus' axe. Wendy and Cynthia joined in, releasing their respective roars to make the mighty sandstorm that much stronger! Sandstorm Axe: Dragon!

"MOOOOO!" Taurus had some qualms about attacking another nice body, but anyone who threatened the most important nice body to him was going to pay. With every out of strength he could muster, the physical monster swung his enhanced axe directly at Emmeraude's chest! …But she stopped it with one hand. Taurus' strength was noted as Emmeraude had to firmly hold her ground to ensure he stopped moving completely. "H-Huh!?"

"Interesting unison raid…but it won't be enough…" Emmeraude's grip on the axe tightened before she completely shattered it. Taurus was left with his jaw dropped before Emmeraude kicked him into Lucy, Scorpio, Wendy, and Cynthia, a beam of darkness following after to explode and send them flying.

"G-Gate close…!" Lucy said weakly, closing the gates of Taurus and Scorpio to prevent them from being endangered.

Next was Erza! She donned her Flight Armor, speeding around Emmeraude in circles to try and confuse her. "Oh come now…your speed doesn't faze me…" Emmeraude chuckled while keeping her eyes on Erza…and when the timing was right, she threw her hands forward, crafting two chains to wrap around Erza and pull her forward!

That was the plan…but Erza was actually waiting for this moment! When the chains came forward, she threw both of her blades out to allow them to be pulled. With this opening, Erza sprang forward at high speeds and used the momentum to change into her Giant's Armor at the last second with her fist reared back. "HAAA!"

And at this moment, Natsu bounced off the wall, spinning around with fire and lightning surging around his leg. "TALONS!" He screamed at the top of his legs. Erza's gigantic fist punched Emmeraude square in the jaw, while Natsu's leg hit the back of her head! Two direct hits that forced Emmeraude's body to contort in response…but the short lived victory didn't last long.

"Was that a breeze?" Emmeraude remarked before placing both hands against the two mages and released a burst of Crash Magic. Natsu and Erza were both sent soaring backwards and Erza's armor was broken in the process.

"I…I have to move…!" Hisui tried to struggle against the chains once again. Even though they were cutting into her very being, she was slowly and steadily making her way through them. The damage dealt to her body was unbearable, especially since she wasn't used to this kind of pain. But that was no excuse to helplessly sit around and watch as this went on!

Lucy narrowed her eyes before glancing at Gray, already running towards him. "Gray, throw me!" The blonde demanded as her Star Dress shifted to Taurus.

"Right…!" Gray already saw what Lucy was aiming for and reared his arm back. "Ice Make: Vambrance!" The large gauntlet of ice appeared along Gray's arm, and Lucy's foot landed right within his hand. It was at that moment Gray threw Lucy forward with everything he could muster. "HA!"

Lucy flew forward at incredible speeds! Emmeraude saw through this ruse, but the moment she went to take a step, she found that someone had an iron grip on her ankles. "Hmmm?"

It was Virgo! The maid spirit had no intentions of letting Emmeraude go either. "Grip secured, Princess. Kick away."

"Taurus…LUCY KICK!" Lucy spun around to add to her momentum, swinging her leg at Emmeraude's chest where a deafening shockwave boomed out from the hit! Lucy stayed in the position, sweating as Emmeraude's face had yet to chance. "…Please tell me that hurt."

"Not at all." Emmeraude shook her head, a smile creeping onto her lips. "I'm surprised you're even trying to fight. We both know you're in no condition to be doing so." Two chains formed in Emmeraude's hands; one latched onto Lucy while the other one forcibly pulled Virgo from the floor. The Queen then spun then around, violently dragging the both of them along the walls.

"Lucy!" Erza donned her Black Wing armor immediately and flew into the air, slicing the chains before they could do anymore damage to Lucy and allowed her to fall to the ground safely. Titania then shifted to her Heaven's Wheel Armor once again, creating a multitude of blades in the sky, this time by the tens of dozens. "Heaven's Wheel!"

Emmeraude prepared her chain-whip sword, swinging elegantly at the incoming blades. Not even Erza's assault was going to get through that easily as every sword that was deflected was broken apart by the crash magic. Eventually the whip sword knocked Erza back down into the ground as well. "This is just a pathetic showing at this rate…"

"Blistering Heatwave!" Wendy and Cynthia exclaimed as they swung their arms down. The result was a powerful wave of heat slamming down onto Emmeraude! The wind's crushing force aimed to keep Emmeraude pinned in place while it fed the flames, which only caused them to get more intense with each passing second! Even Emmeraude started to sweat from the heat emitting from the attack.

Now Natsu and Gray were to attack once again! Natsu pulled his arm back with the elements of fire and lightning blazing wildly around them. "Lightning Flame Dragon's…FIRING HAMMER!"

"Ice Devil Zeroth's ICE HAMMER!" Natsu threw his arm forward, releasing an unrelenting torrent of fire and lightning towards Emmeraude. In the mix was Gray's own Devil Slaying in a similar fashion; the three elements swirled together to create a destructive unison raid that hurtled towards the Queen.

Emmeraude stood calmly as the incoming torrent approached her and held one hand out to 'catch' the unison raid before it touched her. By simply closing her hand, crash magic broke it and the girls' unison raid apart as though it were nothing before her. "Useless…" But before she could say more, Natsu and Gray were already in front of her with their fists clenched and prepared with their respective elements.

"TAKE THIS!" Both of them yelled while slamming their fists into her face! The impact was strong enough to actually make her stagger back a single step, but that small victory was going to be their last one.

"I've had enough of this farce!" Emmeraude yelled before her aura expanded. It was so strong Natsu and Gray were actually damaged as they were thrown back. Natsu crashed into Lucy and Gray crashed into Erza.

"Damn it…!" Natsu growled. "Nothing we do is working!"

"Are we even doing any damage…?" Cynthia asked the others while panting heavily.

"No…." Lucy shook her head. She could speak from experience after all. "Even if we did manage to harm her, just look…" One look at Emmeraude's skin told the tale; not a single scratch was on her. "Lambda's healing is too fast…I'm positive we haven't hit her hard enough yet."

"Then we just keep going until we do!" Natsu was determined to put Emmeraude down.

Emmeraude, however…had other plans. She floated into the air and extended one arm out, a sinister smile painting her purple lips. "As much fun as this was…I simply can't afford to play around with you anymore. There's nothing you can do to stop me." As Emmeraude spoke, a black magic circle formed on the ceiling. The raw power emanating from it caused the castle to shake and tremble. "It's time to draw this to a close…Decisive Saber." Black bolts rained down from the seal, violently destroying everything they touched. Despite their efforts to try and avoid this attack, Team Natsu ultimately succumbed to Emmeraude's strength and a massive explosion scattered them across the throne room, all of them heavily damaged from the attack. Wendy's buffs wore off at this point, and it was probably the only thing that kept them from falling unconscious. Emmeraude landed on the ground, rather pleased with her work. "Oh my…did I overdo it?"

"N-No…" Hisui's eyes were wide in terror. This couldn't be happening! "Move…! Move…!" She told herself. Her struggle was working slowly…but it wasn't fast enough.

"Now then…" Multiple emerged from Emmeraude's back, all of them wrapping around the Team Natsu members and lifted them to the air, violently pressing them all against the wall. She was going to make use of Lambda's magic drain and pull every ounce of etherano from their bodies. "It's time I take what's mine…" And the process was anything but pleasant. Wendy and Cynthia were forced out of Dragon Force with how fast Emmeraude was draining their magic.

"A-AAAAHH!" Those were the screams of everyone as Emmeraude proceeded to drain away their magic.

"This is what we call checkmate." Emmeraude said. "You all did well, I admit. But there's nothing you can do anymore. If you want to blame someone…blame the person you tried to save." Her eyes cut at Lucy once more.

"I…I never meant to…" Lucy choked out, but it was difficult to speak as her body grew weaker with each passing second.

"Then you shouldn't have. If you left me alone, then you'd still be living a happy life with your guild mates and they wouldn't be suffering because of you. You're at fault for everything!" Emmeraude yelled, increasing the rate of drain on Lucy. Lucy let out a piercing scream because of this. "You took everything I worked on…and now you're going to pay for it with your life."

"Stop it…!" Natsu growled, attempting to move, but found it extremely hard to do. "Take my magic instead!"

"Awww…that's so cute. Your plea of desperation is music to my ears. Where's that bravado from earlier!?" Emmeraude heeded Natsu's wish, but it was just on everyone. She was enjoying the magic she was getting from all of them.

"D-Damn it…" Gray tried to pry the tendril off of him…but it was no use. He didn't have the strength.

"I-It hurts…" Wendy said weakly.

"I-I won't let her…do this…" Cynthia's usual determination was failing her. Flames ignited around her body, but all she could manage was a weak roar that only burned Emmeraude's clothes a little.

"Don't give up! We can…make it out of this!" Erza brought her hand up, managing to bring a single sword into her hand.

"Ah ah…" Emmeraude gave a disapproving mother's look and a chain emerged to snatch and throw Erza's blade elsewhere. "I can't have you doing that. Just relax…and sleep."

"Please, stop this!" Hisui cried out, feeling the tears well up in her eyes. "I…I asked them to do this…they needn't suffer for my request! Emmeraude, please!"

Hearing Hisui's desperate cries did tear Emmeraude's heart a little…but she still shook her head. "Unfortunately, I cannot. Anyone who stands to oppose me and my vision of a peaceful world must die. These four will be the example of my kingdom…" Because she wasn't going to kill Wendy or Cynthia…she didn't have the heart to do that. But she could deal with them in other ways.

"Please…" Hisui looked down. She felt utterly powerless…and she was the rightful heir to Fiore!

"This is…the way it has to be." Sophie remarked from her seat. She hadn't moved at all during the fight.

Emmeraude was just about finished draining their magic. A few more moments and everything would have been finished…but several bullets from above sliced through the tendrils and everyone fell to the ground. Since the tendrils were an extension of Lambda and Emmeraude, she recoiled and stared in the sky. "Who dares?!"

Above was Mii, in her usual form, but she had Purple Pot in one hand and her wings were extended. "Oops…I hope I was interrupting something important."

"M-Mii…?" Lucy weakly stared up at the sky, a faint smile on her face.

"Koryuji…you still live?" Emmeraude had an annoyed tick mark on her forehead. It was rare and showed that even she could be affected by Mii's annoying presence.

"I know, right?" Mii laughed before pointing her pistol forward. "All jokes aside…I'm gonna need you to not touch them anymore, got it?"

"I don't take orders from you." Emmeraude spat before more tendrils shot out of her back, along with chains violently shooting from the ground. "You have a knack for getting in people's way, don't you?"

"It's what I do!" Mii hummed while nimbly flying around to avoid the incoming tendrils. As her wings flapped a strange glittery light fell down onto the others. "Come on, Emmeraude! I thought you were better than that!" With an opening presented, Mii fired Purple Pot and released a powerful bullet at the Queen's direction. Unfortunately, Emmeraude swatted it away with little effort. This continued until…well, Mii ran out of magic. Fast at that. The empty 'click' of Purple Pot signified how much trouble she was in. "…Oh."

That pause allowed Emmeraude to finally pin Mii to the wall with various chains and a tendril. "There, you nuisance. Stay there for a moment will you?"

"Ha! Sucks for you…you're not getting any more magic out of me." Mii poked her tongue out. "I already gave it all away."

"Pardon?" Emmeraude quirked a brow. It was then that a moderate blast of heat struck her side, getting her attention if not anything else. "What now!?" When turning, the Queen saw all of Team Natsu weakly standing up. "What…but you shouldn't have anything left!"

"Weren't you listening? I just gave them some!" Mii poked her tongue out again. "You weren't gonna sit there and let me do it…so I had to fly around and donate it to them discreetly. I mean…I'm already no good, so I can at least try and be helpful…haha~"

"It doesn't matter how strong you are…we're going to take you down!" Natsu roared and they all started to sprint forward.

"You…you're all nuisances!" Emmeraude yelled…even though she felt something strange inside of her, she was going to attack relentlessly. Multiple chains and tendrils shot forth, all of them attempting to pin Team Natsu down again for good this time. As this happened, Hisui once again tried to free herself, breaking through the chains faster than before. It was now or never!

"Wendy! Cynthia!"

"On it!" Wendy and Cynthia slid to a halt, both of them inhaling and releasing a roar of wind to push the others forward. "GO!"

With the momentum increase, Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Erza all sped up, ducking and weaving to avoid the incoming chains and tendrils. Natsu almost lost his footing, but Gray and Erza managed to keep him from falling. "We're not done yet!" Gray said with a smirk.

"Go get her!" Erza exclaimed while throwing Natsu forward all her might along with Gray!

"I'm on it!" Natsu roared as lightning and flame blazed around his entire body, lunging head first towards Emmeraude. "Secret Dragon Slayer Art: Crimson Lotus: Exploding Lightning Swordhorn!" Natsu slipped past all the chains and tendrils and finally slammed his skull right into Emmeraude's stomach, where a fierce explosion occurred. The explosion forced Natsu to fly backwards and even Emmeraude was thrown back slightly, her stomach exposed with a large burn mark as Natsu's attack tore through her clothing.

Lucy was there to catch Natsu before he flew back too far, giving a wide grin. "Nice hit!"

"You…" Emmeraude wasn't pleased at this turn of events. "You worms! Why won't you stay down!?" The wound on her stomach healed, but that didn't stop her anger. She lifted her hand up, her anger generating a large sphere of crash and darkness magic above her. "I will kill you all."

Now! Emmeraude was distracted and Hisui broke free of the chains! She bit her tongue to keep from crying out as the chains ripped into her arms and legs, but the throne room was right there! She had to start running for it. _"This kingdom…it doesn't belong to you…!"_

Sophie wasn't blind to this. She pointed her arm forward, gathering magic within the red gem of her gauntlet. She wasn't going to shoot Hisui, more so at her to keep her from moving. "Shotstaff blast…" Sophie fired…but just as she did, Mii ripped her arm from the chain and tossed Purple Pot at Sophie with so much force that she ended up falling from her chair in a daze. "…?!"

"No no no, bad girl~" Mii grinned.

"This kingdom…does not belong to you!" Emmeraude was finished charging her attack, only to take things a step further. She was using her Queenly Majesty in combination with Lambda's magic drain to forcibly drain the residents of Fiore of their magic; those who were mages anyway. It only fueled her power!

"It doesn't belong to you either!" Hisui's voice caught everyone's attention. She was standing in front of the throne with a serious visage. The blood leaked from her wounds and she was dizzy…but she stood as proudly as a princess could in this situation. "You are not the ruler of the Fiore! Neither am I yet…but I – Hisui E. Fiore am heiress to the throne of this country! Didn't you say…that a ruler has to fight for their country…their people and their ideals!? I am doing just that! This throne right now…this kingdom…IS MINE!"

"NO!" Emmeraude dropped her attack and attempted to stop Hisui, but…it was too late. Hisui sat upon the throne and a pulse boomed out across Fiore. The odd power nearly flung everyone backwards, but the Princess sat firmly upon her throne.

"This throne…doesn't belong to you…" Hisui panted heavily, feeling her consciousness slip away. "I can't…let you have it…no matter the reason."

"Tch…" Emmeraude's body quivered in anger for a moment…but it was fine. A soft exhale passed her lips and she turned to Team Natsu once again. "I'll deal with her in a moment…right after I deal with you pests."

"We're not finished yet." Erza narrowed her eyes.

"You…You…!" Emmeraude stomped her foot on the ground…only for a strange sensation to overcome her. The black and red aura flared around her body but it was out of her control this time and she was lifted into the air. "W-What the…?"

"I don't like this…." Lucy mumbled.

" _You…will not get away with…trying to control me…"_ Lambda's voice came from Emmeraude's mouth, giving a shock to everyone. It regained consciousness during the fight at some point and was biding its time for the perfect strike. Now was the best time.

"You damned organism! Just sit back and let me control you!" Emmeraude shouted. "You've lost!"

" _I have…been bested by you. You've taken me and used me how you see fit…and I no longer have the strength to fight back However…"_ As Lambda spoke, Emmeraude's body spiked in magic pressure. The levels were dangerously high and the entire palace began to shake. _"I will destroy you…and everything along with it!"_

"I-It's going to self-destruct using her!?" Mii's eyes widened. "That's insane…! I know I wanna die but I don't wanna go out like that, it's so lame!"

Sophie finally shook off the impact from Mii's blow earlier. When she looked up, her eyes widened at the immense power Lambda was drawing forth. Was it really trying to destroy Emmeraude and everything?! Sophie's eyes widened and her pink aura flared for a moment before she lunged forward, slamming her fist into Emmeraude's back. "NO!"

"Ack…!" Emmeraude coughed from the impact and fell to the ground. Since she and Lambda weren't bound nearly as long as Lucy, Lambda came out rather easily. "S-Sophie…!"

" _I WILL…DESTROY ALL…HUMANS!"_ Lambda was just a black and red sphere of magic now. Black lightning crackled as it violently prepared to explode with or without a host. With the power it was gathering, it was really going to wipe Crocus off the map for good this time…with no regard for human life.

"I won't let you!" Sophie rushed forward, placing both hands on Lambda as her aura counteracted its own. The two were in a fierce deadlock, pink and black bolts of lightning striking down as the palace trembled.

"Sophie..?! What are you doing…?!" Emmeraude was recoiling from Sophie's unexpected hit. "It's dangerous…! Please come back!"

Sophie shook her head. "No…I can't do that. If I let Lambda do what it wants to…you could be hurt, or worse. Them too…I know you want to protect the Princess as well…If I stop now, it will blow up."

"But…!" Emmeraude felt the tears welling in her eyes. Because the only thing that could stop Lambda like this now…was Sophie…at the cost of herself. "I didn't program you to do this!"

Sophie then turned her head to Lucy. "…Lucy. I'm really sorry about how everything went down…I was only trying to help you but…it didn't come off that way."

"You tried to kill me…" Lucy had some bitter memories…but after learning about what Sophie was meant to do, she could see that the girl really was trying to help her. The way she was programmed just made that difficult. "But…why are you helping us now?! At the cost of…"

"Because…you taught me something important during the Tartarus incident." Sophie explained, having a flashback to that moment after the battle with Franmalth. Even though she supposedly left, she was actually peering around a corner, listening in as Ruika gave her request to Natsu and Lucy about Tobias. "Back when you accepted that one girl's request to save her friend…I didn't understand it at all back then…but I thought about it some…and I gathered that it was important to cherish the lives of others. And right now…the most important person to me is in danger and only I can save them."

"Sophie…" Wendy felt…a twinge of sadness.

"You…wanted to be my friend, right?" Sophie kept staring at Lucy. "If…if things didn't turn out the way they did…I'd happily be your friend, Lucy. You didn't deserve what happened…and I was only following my purpose in life. Maybe…maybe if we meet again, we can be friends?"

How…sweet. Lucy felt the tears falling from her eyes at Sophie's question. Compared to their previous interactions…this one was just as genuine. "Of course…"

"Sophie!" Emmeraude called out to her daughter again.

" _RELEASE ME, PROTOS HEIS!"_ Lambda yelled, its form trembling within Sophie's grip as the two of them shone bright.

"We're going down together, Lambda! Because it's my mission to stop you!" Protos Heis exclaimed proudly. "Mom…" Sophie glanced at Emmeraude, a soft smile appearing on her lips. "Thank you so much for creating me. You gave me a life and a purpose…and I wanted to follow you until the very end. But…I can't as long as Lambda exists. It's too dangerous to let roam around anymore…it's trying to kill you and everyone else that I hold dear…tell White Eclipse that I'm really sorry for leaving them so selfishly…"

"But…my dream…I wanted to have you at my side…" Emmeraude whimpered. Her strong persona was gone when her daughter was putting herself at risk.

"…You're strong, Mom." Sophie said with a widening smile. "You got so far without me…or Ross…Drayden, or Marisa. Even though they feel the same way as I do…you can accomplish your dreams on your own. We all put our faith in you…because we believed in the world that you wanted to create. Our hearts will always be one, Mom. Thank you for everything. Maybe one day…" Sophie had a smile on her face as a bright light enveloped both her and Lambda. This light was visible all the way from the palace and the two of them disappeared into light. Sophie's light gently rained down on everyone while Lambda was no more. The two of them were just…gone.

.

With Lambda no more…the effects that came with it vanished as well. The royal guard all returned to normal and passed out. Arcadios' aura faded away and he fell on the spot in front of Gajeel and Levy. "….."

"…" Gajeel stared at the castle, then the screens where the transmission cut off. That final explosion was enough to cut the signal, so now nobody had any idea of what was going on inside the throne room at this point.

.

Everyone was in a state of shock over what happened. Sophie really sacrificed herself to protect everyone, and the light that spread out over everyone was warm and friendly. Emmeraude was on her hands and knees, the tears falling from her eyes. Why…? Why was everything falling apart when she was at the peak of success!? Lambda even sapped over half of the magic she had when trying to blow itself up. It…it wasn't fair…everything she worked for…everyone she worked with and held dearly…they all…

Erza stood up, gathering the magic to muster one blade in her hand, pointing at the downed Emmeraude. "…You've lost the throne…you've lost your followers…and you've lost Sophie now. Now is a good time to stop…you've lost, Emmeraude."

"Please stop, Emmeraude…" The exhausted Hisui pleaded. "It's not worth it anymore…I don't want to see you suffer like this…"

Emmeraude's tears hit the floor. Erza and Hisui's words were heard…but she didn't heed them. Ross…Marisa…Drayden…Sophie…they all put their lives on the line for HER dream…a dream that they all believed in. To give up now? No… "I…I WILL NOT STOP!" Emmeraude yelled as her emerald aura exploded and threw Erza back. She only had less than half her magic power…but there was a determined fire in her eyes as her hair wavered from the aura she released. "They….they all put their faith in me. They followed me so far and I lost some of them along the way. To stop now…would be to spit on their sacrifice! I would never do such a thing to those I held so dearly! They were my family and I'd do anything for them as well! So I will NEVER stop! I WILL keep going! I will make my perfect world for their sake too! My lifelong ambition…it's for everyone! For them and for my mother! YOU WON'T STOP ME! I WON'T LET YOU!" Even with less than half of her magic…Crocus still trembled under her might.

"Damn it! She just doesn't stay down…!" The wounded Gray didn't have much in his tank either like everyone else…but damned if he'd stay down!

"That's fine…this is…where we finish this!" Natsu yelled. This was it. The true final battle up ahead: Emmeraude's lifelong ambition vs. Fairy Tail's unwavering will. "In the name of Fairy Tail…we're taking you down!"

.

.

To be continued in the Final Chapter: The End of An Era.


	162. Finale: The End of An Era

Emmeraude still had the strength to stand even after everything that happened. In truth...she was unharmed largely thanks to Sophie's sacrifice. The sacrifice of those she cared for were fueling her in the moment she came to despair. All she wanted to do was make a world where she could ensure that the people could leave in peace and without worry, a world where her mother could rest easy…yet these mages. Fairy Tail stood in her way…they would continue to stand in her way. This was all their fault. "You…you all kept standing in my way…I won't stand for it anymore." Emmeraude's magic was severely weakened thanks to Lambda…but she still had enough magic to put up a fight! Her outfit was in tatters, but she didn't have a scratch mark on her whereas Team Natsu was clearly running on fumes. She could beat them…she had a reason to fight.

This was it. The final battle. Team Natsu was saved by Mii earlier, who donated all of the magic she had left to ensure they could stand up and fight! Entering Dragon Force was difficult for both Wendy and Cynthia as their scales flashed on and off, but everyone was putting everything forward to fight Emmeraude. "We're going to finish this here and now!" Natsu roared! His flames still blazed…there was lightning, but it was significantly weaker than before.

"Let's go!" Erza donned her Clear Heart armor and Demon Blade: Crimson Sakura. With such little magic power remaining on her end, it was better to shed all defense and just go all out with offense. They didn't have time to worry about anything else!

"You rats…you will pay for all you've done!" Emmeraude's aura flared once again, the intensity of it succeeded in pushing Team Natsu backwards. "Everything I've worked for…I will not have it robbed by you!"

"Ngh…! She…She doesn't feel as strong…!" Cynthia pointed out.

"Then we can win!" Gray's devil slaying markings were only partially along his body, but it was enough. "Ice Make: Freeze Lancer!" He was the first one to attack, releasing a large plethora of ice lances flying forth at all angles to strike the former queen.

Emmeraude crossed her arms in preparation for the attack. Not only was she running with less than half her magic…but she was feeling extremely sluggish and vulnerable after Lambda's attempted mass suicide. As such, the lances struck her arms and she stumbled backwards a little bit, hissing quietly in pain. "Damn you, Lambda….you spiteful creature…"

"HAA!" Natsu yelled while appearing in front of Emmeraude. "Iron Fist of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" Natsu swung his blazing fist at Emmeraude's chest, but she managed to defend herself at the last second, skidding across the floor from Natsu's raw power. This time there was a burn mark on her skin that wasn't fading away so easily. This caused Natsu grin, because he held firmly onto the belief that they would hurt her. "You can be hurt now…that means we can beat her."

"I won't lose to you gnats!" Even though she was substantially weakened, her strength was still something to be wary of. A sphere of darkness shot from her hand and exploded against Natsu, sending him flying back with force. After that harsh landing, even he was going to need a little time to recover.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried out.

"Oooh, that looked painful." Mii already pried herself from the chains, but she was out of magic and couldn't do anything else. So she watched over Hisui to make sure the Princess didn't pass out or bleed out from her injuries. She saw Virgo still lying on the floor and a thought briefly crossed her mind…but that was all thrown out the window when the maid returned to the Spirit World.

Wendy and Cynthia were next, both of them sprinting forward. Dragon Force was flickering on and off for them, but the speed was still present and what made it could. The two of them slid to a halt, bringing their arms back to gather magic for another unison raid. "Twin Wave!" Both girls exclaimed while throwing their arms forward, releasing a spiraling beam of wind and fire that cut across the air and raced towards Emmeraude.

"This attack again?" Emmeraude lifted a brow and extended one arm forward, releasing a beam of Crash magic to destroy the Twin Wave before it could even reach her. But as soon as the attack was broken apart, Wendy and Cynthia used their speed to latch onto both of Emmeraude's arms with their own, holding her down firmly with the little strength they had left. "You…release me!"

"Not happening…!" Wendy shouted. "Lucy-san, now!"

Lucy was in her Sagittarius Stardress, already having gathered more than enough magic to shoot at Emmeraude with the golden arrow pulled back. She too was still reeling from having Lambda removed from her body, so her aim was a little shaky, but that's what she had Wendy and Cynthia for. "Take this!" The arrow was fired, a golden streak of light blazing across the throne room while racing towards Emmeraude.

Emmeraude could tell that Cynthia and Wendy weren't planning on letting her go, and in her weakened state she couldn't push them off in time. So she did the next best thing: chains emerged from the ground and stabbed into the girls' sides to keep them pinned together. "You girls are stubborn…admirable, but you're going to pay the price for it!"

"That's fine…!" Cynthia spoke with a confident grin. "We can take it!"

"We wouldn't be here if we were afraid to fight!" Wendy added as Lucy's arrow closed in. It did explode against all three of them. Wendy and Cynthia caught the worst of it and were sent flying, but against Emmeraude it was a direct hit that caused her to recoil.

But she didn't recoil for long. A chain shot from her hand and stabbed Lucy's leg. With all the strength she could muster, Emmeraude flung Lucy from the floor into the nearest wall. The crushing force caused Lucy to cry out from pain. "And have another!" However, before Emmeraude could follow up, Erza once again interrupted her by slicing through her chain.

"You will leave them alone!" Erza proclaimed before lunging at the former Queen once more.

"You pest…!" Emmeraude growled as her chain-whip sword formed in her hands once again. She swung this blade out to counter Erza's slashes, the two of them having fierce close combat. Emmeraude briefly gained the upper hand as her blade did end up cutting into Erza, but Erza was never to let a wound slow her down! "Why won't you stay down?! What are you fighting for that drives you to keep fighting!?"

"For the people of ours that you hurt!" Erza exclaimed as she managed a slash along Emmeraude's side. It was a direct hit, but Emmeraude's chain wrapped around Erza's blade to restrain her movement, and for a moment Emmeraude actually punched Erza in the face in retaliation.

"You still cling to that foolish guild pride!? Your wounded pride drives you this far?! How selfish are you to not care about the world outside of your own guild!?" Emmeraude landed a fierce kick to Erza's chest to push her back slightly.

"We would never lie down and do as you say!" Erza regained her footing, swinging her fist to Emmeraude's cheek for a bruising impact! "You're someone who takes things by force…things that don't belong to you! It doesn't matter what you're after, if you cross us, you will regret it!" Titania then swung her fist upward, landing a fierce uppercut on Emmeraude's chin.

Emmeraude was forced back, coughing up some blood from Erza's strike. Having enough of the woman's words, two hands were placed forward, a sphere of darkness and crash magic enveloping Erza and shot towards the opposing wall where it exploded. Erza let out a scream of pain as she was forced back. "So anyone who crosses you is the villain, and your petty pride will make you do anything to stop them…" As if she was one to talk about pettiness, but the cookie that was crumbling around her was not in her favor. "

"Ice Devil Zeroth's Blade!" Gray came in from above, using his Ice Make to make this frigid blade similar in size to his Excalibur spell. The ice devil swung this large blade down violently onto Emmeraude, but she clapped her hands on the sword to prevent it from crashing onto her. "Damn it!"

Emmeraude's legs buckled for a moment, but with her crash magic she was able to destroy the blade and left Gray in a free fall. A chain shot from her hand to stab into his chest and pull him forward harshly, where he was promptly blasted away by darkness magic and he hit the wall. "Enough..!"

Cynthia lunged forward, her flames flaring differently than usual. She swung her fiery fist against Emmeraude's chest, though the hit was blocked and the former queen received a harsher burn than usual. "Ah…got you…" The result of Cynthia using the curse power in her body was that her arm was severely burned as a result.

"You…" Emmeraude's body suddenly lit up in flames and she let out a surprised yelp of pain. "W-What…what was that…!?"

"I didn't use everything in my arsenal at the Games…" Cynthia said with a tired and painful smile. "I held a little back…because I was worried…but I can't do that right now. What you just got hit by…was my Curse. Touch me…and you burn!"

"Cynthia, are you okay!?" Wendy asked while glancing at her burnt arm.

"Totally fine…" Cynthia said with a nod. "I-I just don't know if I can do that again…but if we hit her with everything we have…I think we can win…"

Emmeraude panted softly, growling as she took a step forward to the two girls. "You two…I truly don't wish to bring you too much harm…but you…you two are forcing my hand…" A black light formed on Emmeraude's hand and she pointed it down. This caused an explosion of darkness to appear underneath Wendy and Cynthia, sending them backwards from the power behind it; after an attack like that; they were both struggling to get up. But right after she did this, the entire throne room started to darken. "What…?" It was all Lucy's doing! She was in her Star Dress: Aquarius, hands clasped together as a bright light exuded from her body.

"Survey the Heavens, open the heavens.

All the stars, far and wide, show me thy appearance.

With such shine."

As Lucy began her incantation, star-like lights began appearing around Emmeraude and the entire area. Emmeraude was aware of this spell and she knew that Lucy was absolutely not allowed to finish casting it. "You're not going to!" A beam of darkness magic was unleashed directly for Lucy, but Erza stepped in with her blade and cut the beam in half! "You…!?"

Erza was now donned in her armor of Nakagami, giving Emmeraude the death glare. "You won't put a hand on any of my comrades anymore!" Titania exclaimed while pushing forward, the charge being led by this spear.

"Get out of my way!" Emmeraude fired off a massive beam of crash magic to put Erza down, but Erza's spear pierced through it! It was a struggle, but Titania refused to back down as this battle reached its climax. The spear was a representation of the magic Erza had left, and it was rapidly being burned away by breaking through Emmeraude's attack.

"Oh Tetrabiblos…

I am the ruler of the stars…

Open thy malevolent gate…"

Erza finally reached Emmeraude and the two began another sequence of close combat. Erza rapidly stabbed at Emmeraude with her spear; however the chain-whip sword continued to be a nuisance. – Until Erza cleaved right through it, using her armor's ability to dispel magic at the right moment to leave Emmeraude vulnerable. The moment her weapon was dismantled, Erza struck! "Nakagami Starlight!" With all the force and magic she could muster, Erza thrusted her spear forward with brute force, several gleams of light following her swing as she brought forth every last drop of magic for a piercing blow that even left Emmeraude reeling.

"Ngh…!" Emmeraude felt the spear slash her stomach, causing her eyes to go wide in pain.

"Oh 88 stars of heaven…

Shine!

Urano Metria!"

The stars twinkled for a brief moment before a pitch black blanket covered the throne room. In the next instant, all of the lights shone brightly before erupting at the same time, causing massive damage to Emmeraude's person. Lucy used up all she had with that attack and it showed. The toll on her body from just having Lambda removed after so long caused her to fall over onto her side, breathing heavily as sweat dripped from her face. "J-Just a little more guys! Push!"

As the light died down, Emmeraude was seen hunched over, panting heavily as one hand was brought to her bleeding side. They were…actually making her bleed! "I won't be…put down so easily…"

"Wendy!" Cynthia and Wendy were up for one more strike. It was now or over, and they refused to succumb to their injuries yet!

"Right!" Wendy nodded, the two girls inhaling to gather all of the magic they had within their mouths.

"Roar of the Omega Flame Sky Dragon!" Both exclaimed, exhaling in unison. A torrent of wind and flame shot from their oral cavities, flying towards Emmeraude at violent velocities. The combination was unable to push Emmeraude backwards, but the slicing winds and fierce flames that complimented one another were successful in adding more damage onto the former queen's person.

Emmeraude swiped her hand, releasing a wave of crash magic to break apart the unison roar. She was far beyond mad at this point. It didn't make sense to her how or why they continued to fight with such vigor despite barely having the strength to continue on! All because she made an example out of them? She hardly at the time to catch her breath before Gray was up next. "Ice Devil Zeroth's DESTRUCTION FIST!" Gray swung a heavy right fist for Emmeraude's face, coated in an armament in devil slaying ice.

Emmeraude was narrowly able to block Gray's punch, but she could feel the chilling sensation freeze her arm over. It hurt a lot, and if she wasn't feeling so weak, she would have been able to easily deal with it. But that was the problem…her entire body was suffering the side-effect of Lambda just as Lucy was. And finally came Natsu, rebounding from that hit earlier with fire and lightning blazing wildly along his arms. "THIS IS IT! CRIMSON LOTUS: EXPLODING LIGHTNING BLADE!" With that cry, Natsu swung his arms in a counterclockwise rotation, releasing an unrelenting torrent of fire and lightning that was so strong it ended up completely destroying the ceiling and most of the back wall of the throne room, shooting out into the distance for miles on end with the destructive power he packed behind it! After putting nearly everything in his tank out with that attack, the salamander fell onto his hands and knees, gasping and panting heavily as Emmeraude was covered by a cloud of smoke. "Got her…." That was it. That was everything Team Natsu could put out in their condition.

And as the dust settled…Emmeraude was still standing. Her body was burned, cut, bruised, and frozen…but the woman panted heavily, still standing firmly on both legs, hissing quietly in pain. "As I said…you…will not defeat me…"

"No way…!" Gray's eyes widened. "She took all of that and she's still standing?!"

"That cannot be…" Erza was going to prepare another strike…but she wasn't going to be pulling off anymore miracles today. She burned through her magic and fell to a knee, reverting back to her Clear Heart armor. "How could she have withstood all of that?"

"Even after that…" Lucy managed to bring herself to a knee, brown eyes staring at Emmeraude. The woman looked so exhausted, but clearly she wasn't finished yet.

"W-What do we do?!" Wendy asked.

"We hit her…harder…!" Natsu said, though his profuse coughing didn't exactly inspire confidence. "I can hit her…one more time!"

"I will not fall!" Emmeraude proclaimed while placing her hand on the floor, a white light starting to extend throughout the entirety of the castle. An eruption of crash magic occurred, taking out over half the palace while the throne room floor finally caved in excluding the spot where the thrones were located. Large chunks of debris fell to the lower floors as Emmeraude essentially leveled the entire building, and everyone was now in a free fall to the bottom. The issue was that Team Natsu was free falling below Emmeraude, who was gathering as much magic as possible in one hand for an attack to finish them off in their weakened state. "This is for Sophie!"

"Natsu!" Lucy cried out.

"I know…I won't…!" Natsu landed on a piece of rubble while staring up at Emmeraude. He only had one chance and he had to make it count! It helped that she was directly above him, allowing flames to cover his body in the shape of a phoenix before he pushed off, lunging forward as he took the form of a destructive arrow. "Crimson Lotus, Exploding Phoenix Blade!" Natsu slammed right into Emmeraude's stomach, riding his upwards momentum through the broken castle and even carried the woman high into the sky over the room! Emmeraude's eyes were wide from the impact as Natsu used every ounce of magic he could currently muster. Yes, currently. Even though he was certain he had nothing left…he could still feel something deep inside of him that he just couldn't muster.

"A-Ah…you…" Emmeraude recoiled from the piercing blow, feeling herself beginning to slip away from consciousness…but no! She couldn't! Not yet…she was so close! Natsu's momentum was so strong he ended up above her once she slipped away from his strike. Using this to her advantage, Emmeraude forged a chain to wrap around Natsu as they descended, her free hand pointing down to where the others were still falling. "That wasn't enough to stop me…! Like I told you before, you're too weak to do anything to me…!"

"Shit…!" Natsu struggled from within the chain, but it was no use. He couldn't do it. Emmeraude was still just…too strong for all of them. Even after all of this.

"You don't even have any magic left to use. Because of your weakness, your friends will now…pay the price!" Emmeraude pointed her hand down, beginning to unleash a large sphere of crash and darkness magic. Because of how weak she was feeling, this sphere's descent was slow and menacing, breaking apart everything it touched. The castle itself was being swallowed by this darkness, and Team Natsu was going to be trapped inside of its wake soon enough.

Weakness. There was that word yet again; only Emmeraude was the one who continued to call him that. Too weak to save Lucy, too weak to finish her off…and now too weak to save his comrades!? No…! He would never be that weak. That was pathetic. The last time he felt weak, Igneel died before his eyes. He'd never feel that weak again…he'd never feel like he couldn't protect his comrades! There was still some magic left…it was deep inside, perhaps the remainder of what Igneel left while he was still inside of him! _"IGNEEL! LEND ME YOUR STRENGTH!"_ Those words echoed in Natsu's head as he did his absolute best to do what he always did: use tomorrow's magic today. With a loud battle cry, intense flames exploded around him! These flames were far hotter than anything he'd showcased to Emmeraude thus far. It was the same intensity during the final battle on the Isle; Flame Dragon King Mode. It wasn't a lot…he wasn't sure how he was tapping into this potential, but it was everything he needed in this moment.

"W-What is this…!?" Emmeraude thought she had everyone figured out…but never would she have expected Natsu to have a wellspring of power within him! Even though she didn't know it, this roaring blaze may not have been much, but it was far stronger than anything she was prepared for from him.

"The magic of tomorrow…for today!" Natsu roared as the heat he let off actually incinerated Emmeraude's chains. The son of Igneel reared his arm back, gathering everything this burst of power granted him! This was it – it was now or never! Natsu's finishing blow! "Flame Dragon Kings Demolition Fist!" Natsu swung his arm down against Emmeraude's skull, using the momentum to take her back down as they fell from an astronomical height. The flames were so hot, they burned through Emmeraude's attack and they flew right past it. Natsu let out a loud roar as the two finally hit the ground, where a vicious explosion occurred. The flames were so hot the remaining structure of the castle proceeded to melt over. After such a blow, Natsu found himself thrown backwards, tumbling until he landed near the others, who were barely able to get onto a knee. A thick cloud of smoke lingered around Emmeraude's point of impact, all remaining silent as it cleared to reveal…that she was down. Emmeraude's eyes were closed and she laid face down underneath some rubble.

Natsu panted heavily…wearing a victorious smile. "We….we did it…." At best, this battle was just a narrow draw for them.

.

Emmeraude floated about in darkness. She wasn't unconscious just yet…but she was steadily slipping away. _"How…could I be…taken down by this lot…after I came…so far…?"_ Everything she ever wanted…was it really going to end here? After waiting and fighting for so long, her life's ambition ends…here…?

" _You can do it, Mom! I believe in you!"_ Sophie's parting words rang in her head.

" _I'll follow the path you believe in."_ At that moment, she remembered Ross' words.

"LADY EMMERAUDE!" Marisa and Drayden exclaimed from nearby. They were both still heavy wounded from their fights, but when Emmeraude was down…that's when she needed them the most. They slipped away during all the tremors and destruction, now supporting their lady when she needed it!

"Don't give up! You can do it!" Marisa exclaimed. "You believed in us…and this is when we believe in you! You've come so far; don't let them keep you down! They can't even stand up!"

"The cards are still in your favor, my lady! You mustn't give up on your dream!" Drayden exclaimed.

"Damn it…! We let them get too far!" Cana had Mest and Carla right beside her.

" _I'll be waiting for you, Em. If I lost you, I don't know what I'd do. But I trust you."_ The words of Emerald, her mother, echoed in her head. Those words…that voice…the reasons she came so far.

Emmeraude's fingers twitched and slowly…very slowly, she began to get back up. "I will…I will not…FALL HERE!" The woman finally made it back to her feet, her emerald aura exploding with vigor. She still had power left and she was going to use it! Emerald chains shot up in various locations, pinning down Team Natsu to keep them from moving, but in their condition that wasn't exactly an issue anyway.

"Sh-She's still fighting…!?" Lucy cried out. This looked extremely dire.

"I don't think so…!" Cana was going to resort to attacking Emmeraude, but Drayden still had enough magic to release a card and push her and Mest back with a small explosion. "Ugh!"

"We won't allow it!" Drayden and Marisa stood in front of the Fairy Tail mages protectively.

Emmeraude stomped on the ground, causing darkness and crash magic to merge together once more, turning the surrounding area completely white. Any attempted magic used in this field was going to be destroyed upon usage. This was it, her strongest spell and she intended to bring down not only the usurpers, but every single person within Crocus excluding Drayden and Marisa. "KILLING FIELD!" The area trembled violently as several buildings started to break apart.

But…before the attack could truly begin, Hisui landed in front of Emmeraude with her arms extended, protectively standing in front of Team Natsu. Thanks to the injured Mii she was able to make it in time. "Emmeraude!"

"…!" Emmeraude's eyes widened as Hisui appeared before her.

"Princess no! It's too dangerous!" Erza exclaimed with a choked cry.

The Princess shook her head at Erza's warning. "A true ruler fights for their people, no matter how dangerous it is. If you truly with to continue with this attack…then so be it. But after everything that's happened…do you really want to be responsible for the deaths of a mother…a child…and me? I know you were holding back to avoid hurting those people…but will you do it now? Do the ends really justify the means? Will you…kill me to get what you want?" That last bit was voiced with genuine hurt. Hisui still felt betrayed about being stabbed, but if Emmeraude truly meant that she didn't want to hurt her again…she was banking her trust on that.

Emmeraude remained silently, feeling Hisui's words and presence tugging at her heart strings. "…Is this supposed to be a joke? You, using my feelings about you against me?" She said with a dry laugh. But…it did seem to work, unfortunately. Emmeraude was strong in many ways…but her one weakness was her maternal instincts. No matter what happened, she still thought of Hisui as a daughter. As such…that was enough to disarm her, thus cancelling the attack and falling back against a piece of rubble. The adrenaline in her body flushed out of her system… "So…this is how my dream ends…?"

"It's not over yet…!" Marisa turned around. "We can start anew somewhere! We can take over Joya…! Midi! Anything! We won't let your dream die! You have to see your mother again too, don't you!? It's been years…we can't let you…agh…" Her injuries from her battle against Daryan and Kagura acted up and she fell over, panting heavily just to stay conscious. "After all you've done for us…I…I don't want to see you fail…."

"N-Neither do I…." Drayden exhaled, taking a step forward before he too fell over. "Your dream…became our dream as well..."

Emmeraude felt herself smile at her comrade's words. They truly meant the world to her…if only she didn't have to lose them along the way. Emmeraude took a glance up, seeing Hisui kneeling in front of her. "…What?"

"…I just want to let you know…that I understand the world you tried to make. I…I can't say I can forgive you for what you've done. But…I want to make a peaceful place, too." Hisui said with a soft smile. "Your dream was never a bad one…but we could have helped you if you approached from a different angle. I…I always wanted to help you."

"…." Emmeraude remained silent at the Princess' words. She then glanced over Hisui's shoulder, staring at Lucy as she sat up. A scowl immediately forming on her lips. "Lucy Heartfilia."

"H-Huh…?" Lucy stared at Emmeraude, feeling her heart pound against her chest.

"I hate you." Emmeraude spat. "This…all of this is your fault. It's your fault I lost Sophie…it's your fault I lost Lambda…it's your fault that my dreams were ruined…it's all your fault. All because you had to interfere with my plans…and you, Fairy Tail. All you had to do was peacefully comply with my orders…yet you resisted me at every step."

Lucy's eyes were wide at the words aimed at her. She did feel like a majority of this was her fault…even though the others were to likely say otherwise. But if she hadn't done what she did…maybe Sophie wouldn't have had to die. "…" She wanted to apologize out of instinct, but the words just couldn't seem to come out. Why was she going to apologize to someone who harmed her family?…Because she felt responsible for taking away Emmeraude's own. "I'm….sorry…."

"What did you expect when you threatened us, took our family, and destroyed our home?" Erza questioned. "Did you really think we would sit back and let you walk all over us?"

"We weren't going to let that happen." Gray scoffed.

Mii landed on the ground, panting softly while leaning against some rubble, giving Emmeraude a wink. "I know these guys are horribly selfish. They only do what benefits them in the end. But I guess that's just one reason why I'm just as bad as they are."

"Koryuji…" Emmeraude was tired of this woman already. "You pest. Don't you know how to do anything more than get in people's way?"

"Sorry, being an inconvenience is basically what I live for a this point." Mii shrugged.

Emmeraude let out a heavy sigh, glaring at Fairy Tail still. "Did you know about the traitor in your own home? You'd still advocate someone who spilled your secrets?"

"We're going to have a long discussion about that later." Erza stated.

It was around this point that Zelos walked onto the scene, whistling at the destruction caused. "Whew…you guys really did a number on this place, huh…?"

Emmeraude's eyes widened for a moment. "Not one…but two…?" She mumbled…because she was being petty once again. Any ill fate that came Fairy Tail's way, she would not help with. But at this point, she considered this a loss. Even though she was going to destroy everything, that wasn't the kind of person she was. "So…what happens to me now?"

"I believe that's for me to decide." That voice…it didn't come from someone in Fiore. No, that rough voice came from none other than Pergrande's own King Ashnard. "My old subordinates fighting amongst one another? Betrayal in service to another kingdom? The reports I've received aren't looking well for you, Drayden…Marisa."

"K-King Ashnard!?" Hisui turned around with wide eyes. "W-What are you doing here!? This matter doesn't concern you! How did you get here?!"

"This matter is also clearly over." Ashnard said.

Zell was standing beside Ashnard, wearing a tired grin. "I informed my King of the entire situation. This matter suddenly concerns Pergrande when their own men are fighting a battle they should not be involved in…and it's up to the King to right those wrongs so it may not happen again and cause another incident."

Emmeraude's gaze shifted from Hisui to Ashnard, the anger welling up inside of her. She was face to face with this man again….she couldn't help herself. Emmeraude gathered every last remaining ounce of magic power in her body and fired it off in the form of a gigantic beam of crash magic at Ashnard with reckless abandon. She wanted to kill him right then and there. "YOU BASTARD KING, I'LL KILL YOU RIGHT NOW!"

Everyone froze from the unexpected action. The beam of crash magic exploded against Ashnard's chest, shaking the area violently from the power output. As the dust cleared…Ashnard was unfazed by Emmeraude's attack, whereas Team Natsu struggled to stand after taking a hit like that. "…My, Emmeraude. You've certainly gotten stronger, but was that all you could muster?"

Emmeraude's eyes were wide with…terror. Ashnard just…casually shrugged off that hit! It made her so angry! She attempted to stand up, but her body wasn't listening to her anymore. After all the damage she took and coming off of the Lambda side effects, it just wasn't happening. "Damn you…Ashnard…!"

"I don't know why you always give me that nasty look." Ashnard started to walk forward, a large blade forming with his hands that nearly towered above him. This was his signature weapon and one of the strongest weapons ever created: Gurgurant. "But you should know what happens next, don't you? Those who worked with you are accused of treason against the Pergrande Kingdom. Treason is punishable by death."

Emmeraude glanced at Marisa and Drayden, who were fully aware of what they had done. Emmeraude wasn't going to allow this, however. "You will not kill them, Ashnard. I won't allow it." But then, the blade was pointed to her chest, causing her to tense up.

"Your case is far worse. We cannot have you slinking away to another country just to try the same thing, can we? The other countries opted not to get involved in the end since a Fiore affair doesn't concern them…but we did agree on one thing. If you were to become a threat and try at our thrones, we were free to dispose of you in any way we see fit. It's for the good of our people after all. We can't have some naïve girl believing her power fantasies are the correct way of doing things. You may dream of a peaceful world, but that's nothing more than a childish dream that you'll never be able to accomplish."

"How dare you!?" Hisui stood up, standing in front of Emmeraude protectively with her arms held out. "You have no right to come onto Fioran soil and make such a decision. Emmeraude will be dealt with by my and my father's judgement, not yours."

"Come now. Princess. All of your affection for this woman is largely due to the fact she manipulated you, isn't it?" Ashnard glanced at the Princess with an intimidating stare. "Can you honestly say that without her magic, you would care for her? Your false memories hinder your judgement. Can you truly say in good conscious that giving this woman, someone who stole the throne from you and your father? Think with your head, not your heart."

Ashnard did have a point. Hisui's feelings for Emmeraude stemmed from false memories. There really was no reason for her to care…but even so, Hisui wasn't going to allow things to end like this for Emmeraude. This was her act of mercy. "Thinking with your head is a trait any ruler must have…but taking action devoid of any heart is something I simply cannot do. I will not tell you again…to back down on this matter, King Ashnard. As far as I'm concerned…you're standing in my kingdom, and you will abide by my rules. We will discuss her fate at a later date." Hisui was now backing down on this matter. Emmeraude was in shock at how firm Hisui's tone of voice was.

Ashnard released a heavy sigh, although his blade was still pointed at the two of them. "Your kingdom? You're the Princess, not the King. Does your word truly hold any weight, I wonder?"

"Would you like to test that?" Hisui glared at the king. "I certainly won't allow you to take the life of your own daughter either. You will leave her mother out of this as well. She did nothing but raise a daughter that you abandoned in the slums."

Ashnard felt a grin crawl onto his lips, a laugh eventually escaping him. "Very well, Princess. I'll let you hold onto her for the time being. But as for the other two…they are certainly coming with me. They failed to renounce their Pergrande citizenship and are still going to face their punishment."

"N-No…wait…" Emmeraude attempted to stand.

"Don't worry; I know all about who you are. You are a child of mine…a mistake that was created from my brother's foul attempts to be rid of me…everything you've ever loved…I'll be sure to take care of it." Ashnard's tone…it frightened her. That was the look he always wanted to see on her: the fearful expression of him taking away everything she ever cared about with her being powerless to stop it…all while acknowledging who she was in the process.

"Ashnard! Don't!" She pleaded.

Zell was already restraining Drayden and Marisa. "Their execution will be public once we return to Pergrande."

"We'll be all right…!" Marisa told Emmeraude. "We won't let anything bad happen to your mother!"

"We promise…" Drayden said as they were pulled off. They knew what their fate was…and they couldn't do anything to stop it.

"Try as you might…but you can't save everyone." Ashnard gave Hisui one final scoff before walking off. Emmeraude was the only one spared…but for a moment, she honestly believed that this was a fate crueler than death. Watching everything slip away from her with no control of it. "I look forward to seeing how you explain this situation to your countrymen."

"…." Hisui clenched her hands into fists. Ashnard irritated her to no end…but she managed to keep her calm. Those at Fairy Tail seemed rather happy she was able to stand up to Ashnard.

"…You're cruel." Emmeraude finally said, causing Hisui to turn around. "You protected me…but I lose everything in the process. What happens to me now? That's up to you, isn't it?"

"…Not entirely." Hisui sighed. "My father and Ashnard will have to deliberate your punishment at a later date. I don't know what it will be…but I can't save you from the crimes against this country you've committed…but when he threatened to kill you I just…couldn't let that happen. Your dream for a peaceful world…I want that too."

"…." A dry laugh escaped Emmeraude, although her expression was devoid of any happiness. "…You…you're going to make a wonderful Queen one day." She then cringed, feeling the battle damage catch up to her again. It was almost too much to bear…that, and she was still very emotionally wounded. "Don't ever let that man…get what he wants. Part of my dream…was to ensure that people like him would never get what they wanted. That lust for power is barbaric and kills the world of the love it so deserves…" Emmeraude reached out for Hisui for a moment. "…I still thought of you…as my daughter too…" Her hand grazed Hisui's cheek, a soft, affectionate smile spreading on her lips…before she ultimately closed her eyes, a heavy exhale passing her lips. She accepted her fate…and passed out. Whatever was to happen…happened.

It was finally over. The battle with Emmeraude came to a close. "Ugh…" Natsu fell onto his back, staring up at the sky. Even though the battle was over…it honestly didn't feel too good. Especially since when compared to Ashnard…Emmeraude really did have a good vision. Her methods weren't the correct way to go about it.

"Hisui!" Toma was finally freed from his prison thanks to Blue Pegasus' dungeon crawling.

"Princess!" And with Lambda destroyed, Arcadios was freed and escorted to the palace thanks to Gajeel and the others.

"Father! Arcadios…!" Hisui felt the tears welling up in her eyes and she rushed over to them immediately, giving her father a hug. "Father…I've missed you so much…."

.

.

Far off from Crocus, the members of Dealer were able to witnesses the final class with anxiety in their hearts. Tia let out a relieved sigh once the battle came to an end. "God…I think I lost 20 years of my life watching all of that play out…"

"No kidding…" Ace said.

"Well…it's all over now." Heartless turned on her heel, throwing a card forward to create a gateway back to Seven. "We don't have any business here anymore. We've done what we can. Now…we have to wait and see how Fiore will recover from the scars of losing Emmeraude."

"I…" Tia was hesitant at first, but she understood. "…I suppose we'll hear something. We are allies after all. It'll be all right."

.

Zeref watched the final outcome of the battle with Emmeraude, an intrigued expression on his face. Beside him was a male with pale skin and glasses, arms crossed behind his back. They were also accompanied by the likes of Prometheus and Pandora, the pair that hadn't been seen since the final battle in the Dealer Arc. "Emmeraude…a woman who truly wished to change the world for the better. The people who change the world are those who followed their dreams. She was so close, yet so far…all because of Fairy Tail. What do you think, Invel?"

Invel adjusted his glasses, a small scoff escaping him. "She was a strong woman…someone like her would do well in the ranks of the 12, Your Majesty."

"I thought you'd say as much." Zeref then turned on his heel, beginning to walk off with Invel at his side. "Prometheus…Pandora…when it comes time, I trust you know what to do."

"Heh…of course, my lord." Prometheus spoke with a crazed grin.

"As you command." Pandora gave a curt nod.

.

.

Siegrain stood at his office window with his arms crossed behind his back, staring out at Fiore. Emmeraude held onto the throne for so long, even though she was removed from it…the memories were still there. How shameful it was that he allowed someone else to control his own movements. Behind him were Fullbright, Correll, Odin, Ryusei, Layanna, and a few other Council captains. "…I've been thinking long about this. And I believe it's time I resigned this seat of the Magic Council's Chairman."

"What?" Layanna, though she normally showed no emotion, was shaken by this news.

"You can't leave, sir!" Fullbright said with comical tears flowing from his eyes. "You've led this country to greatness!"

"And yet, here we are." Siegrain said, shaking his head slowly. "You won't change my mind on this matter. This was my final proclamation as the Magic Council Chairman…you will do everything you can to fix Fiore. There are going to be deep scars left by Emmeraude's actions…and her lack of actions from this point on. It will be your duty to repair this damage."

.

.

A few days later…White Eclipse had a somber air around it. Of course they were happy that Fiore was finally going back to the way it used to be, but they lost Sophie, who was a part of the guild despite her origins. "I can't believe she's really gone…." Aira said with a frown. "We didn't even know that much about her until then…but she was brave."

"I miss her already." Yaya said with a frown. "She was strange at times, but still a friend."

"…She was a cool robot." Shinji brought his drink to his lips.

"She saved a lot of people though…" Luke said while leaning against the wall. "I'm proud of her in that regard. She never would have been so bold when she first joined…"

"I guess we rubbed off on her…" Marlene said while cleaning up the counters of the kitchen. "Who would've thought? I guess we are positive influences after all!" That was mostly a jab at the attitudes of Cygnus, Reve, and occasionally Takeru.

"Hey, what's that look for!?" Cygnus spoke with a comical steam flowing from his head.

"Hehehe…" Marlene snickered.

"All right…" Calium came from downstairs, clapping his hands together to get everyone's attention. "I have an important announcement to make now."

"S class trials?" Kanade spoke with sparkles in her eyes.

"I'd win those easily." Reiss scoffed.

"Uh, think again?" Micaiah remarked.

"No no…you don't need to worry about that." Calium shook his head. "From this point on…White Eclipse will be disbanding." Those words hung in the air, everyone's expression rapidly shifting to that of disbelief.

"…Yo, Calium. It's not April Fools." Waiston tilted his head.

"Yeah…that wasn't exactly a very funny joke." Jaxon remarked. "Are you being serious?"

"…I am." Calium said with a nod. "Right now…White Eclipse won't exist anymore. So I ask that you all pack your bags and head out on your own."

"Why?!" Aira spoke with tears welling up in her eyes.

"…I'm afraid I can't say." Calium still had a serious expression on his face. "It won't be for long however…if you all want to come back to the building, you're welcome to in a year. The guild can potentially live on until then…but right now, White Eclipse is no more."

"You can't be serious…" Luke said.

"So…that's it then?" Roxanne lifted a brow. She wasn't sure what to make of this situation, but clearly Calium was serious.

"For real?" Heather crossed her arms, giving a look that could kill.

"…Let's go then." Jaxon wasn't going to waste much time deliberating on this matter. He knew that Calium's words were true and there was no point trying to object.

"…" Reve remained silent, going to his room to get his things. To him, Zalen, Kuro, Waiston, and Sidney…this had been their homes since they were kids. And here was Calium, saying it was no more. What could he say at this? If Royal were here, he'd probably have something to say about it as well…but for these originals, the looks on their faces said they weren't exactly happy about this.

Calium didn't exactly seem happy about this decision…but it was for the best. A few hours and everyone was packed and leaving the guild. Once everyone from White Eclipse was gone down the mountain, Calium stood at the guild's entrance and let out a quiet sigh. Soon, Jikan appeared from around the corner, a smile on his lips. "So, old man…are you ready to go?"

"Yes." Calium nodded. This decision was made because of the price Eclipse Soul came at….and he couldn't let his brats get caught up in it. From this day forward. Calium renounced his title as White Eclipse's guild master, and the guild was no more. Calium and Jikan were off to who knows where after that….

.

.

Fairy Tail…most of them gathered at the ruins of their guild building. Natsu was absent for one reason or another, but the others stared at the remains of what used to be Fairy Tail. With a few days having past, most of their injuries from the final battle in Crocus were healed up. "Man…" Droy rubbed his head. "After we just won the Games too…things were looking great."

"Kinda makes you go, not again, right?" Warren scratched his head.

"…I'm sorry." Elfman had his back turned to the others.

"Elf-nii, it's not your fault!" Lisanna reassured him. "It was Emmeraude…she…."

"This was no one's fault." Makarov said.

"Are we going to rebuild again, Master?" Mirajane asked.

"No." Makarov's answer shocked everyone. "This…probably marks the end of an era. Fairy Tail will disband."

"W-What did he say…?" Wendy looked at Cynthia and Carla, who were just as lost as everyone else.

Those words caused a collective shocked gasp to escape everyone. But the loudest one probably belonged to Mii, who objected to the notion of Fairy Tail disbanding. "Now hold up here, old timer!" She stomped forward, hands on her hips as she glared at Makarov. "You're not gonna tell me you're disbanding this guild because you got your butt kicked by a woman just under half your age, are you?"

"It's not that." Makarov shook his head.

"Okay then…WHAT is it?" Mii tapped her foot.

Makarov remained silent for a moment before ultimately shaking his head once more. "I'm afraid I can't say."

"Huh!?" Mii was growing more and more flustered. "You can't just…get rid of this guild!"

"I'm giving you all the chance to fly free." Makarov finally said.

Mii bit her lower lip, feeling the tears well up in her eyes. All the time she spent here...even though it was mostly for herself…she was about to call this place home! But no…once again, she was left high and dry. "….."

"Mii…" Lucy took a step forward to try and comfort her, but…Mii swatted her hand away.

"….I shouldn't have trusted any of you." Mii sniffled. "I thought I finally found a place I belonged…but just like them, you're abandoning me too…"

"Wait, Mii! It's not like that…!" Lucy tried to explain…but how could she? Makarov wasn't even giving them an explanation of this sudden decision!

"I don't want to hear it!" Mii shouted before her wings sprouted…and she began to fly away. "If you guys don't want me around…then so be it!" The Fairy Tail mark on her back started to fade away as she removed it herself.

"No, Mii!" Lucy wanted to reach out, but Mii was already gone. "Mii…come back…"

"…." Zelos quietly shook his head, standing off in the corner while the others slowly started to…break away from one another. _"Trust is a very fickle thing. Hard to gain…easy to lose. It's not easy to gain Mii-chan's trust…but as soon as they did…they get rid of the only place she felt attached to…"_

.

.

Sometimes it was hard to remember that Natsu and Happy actually had their own house. They usually crashed at Lucy's, but with Mii being there instead, they didn't have many options. But this time, the pair returned to their home and began rummaging around the messy place. "Yo…Happy, how much more do we have?"

"13 million jewels." Happy said as he dug through a treasure chest.

"…That's not right." Natsu glanced in Happy's direction.

"Aye…" Happy nodded. "Nobody broke into our house, so we should have more…that's about 10 years' worth of fish."

"Ah, whatever." Natsu said with a wide grin. "We'll think of something."

"Aye!"

Natsu then held up a sealed letter, pursing his lips as he tried to figure it out. "The real problem's this though…"

.

.

Things just seemed to go from bad to worse…after Fairy Tail's official disbanding; Erza sat near the canal of Magnolia. She had her gigantic suitcase nearby, but she wasn't really focused on anything. This was just her favorite spot to think when she was down. What was on her mind? Taking Knightwalker's life with her own hands. She wanted so desperately to save her Edolas self…and when Knightwalker faded away, she felt a part of herself die as well. _"…How can I forgive myself…?"_ She thought. Her body started to tremble again as she recalled those last moments. Knightwalker didn't deserve any of what happened to her…she just wanted to go home.

Jellal and the rest of Crime Soricere walked past her. Of course they couldn't afford to stop yet, but Jellal wished to give Erza some parting words. "…You set her free from the darkness that bound her. It was eating away at you too, the more you thought about it, Erza. But you did the right thing…you set her free and helped her return home. The path of light is one that you always walked on…if you keep treading on it, you'll never lose your way. Stay strong, Erza…I know that you can." Before Erza could say anything, they were already out of ear shot. _"And we will continue to walk the path of darkness to defeat Zeref. And someday, our paths may cross again. By then, I hope you shine bright…bright enough to erase our existence. Move forward, Erza."_

"Look at you sounding all cool…" Cobra said with a slight smirk.

"Hey…teach me summa that…." Racer spoke with a coy smile.

.

Alternatively, in Edolas…when Knightwalker was defeated, her wounded body appeared suddenly before King Mystogan. It all happened so suddenly he wasn't sure how to react. "Erza…!" He rushed over to her, kneeling down to examine her wounds. They were grave. "Don't worry, I can get help…!"

Knightwalker shook her head, a soft chuckle escaping her in her last moments. "I…see why you didn't come back for a while. Earthland…has some good qualities…" Knightwalker had a smile on her lips as she drew her final breath…her eyes closed, and the valiant knight who fought for her kingdom had been put to rest.

.

.

Daryan finally returned back home after getting involved in an event he should not have been a apart of to begin with. Once entering the building, he waved. "Yo! What's up?"

"Daryan!" Hiruka flew over to him and nuzzled him. "We were so worried!"

"Speak for yourself." Magnus scoffed. "This idiot always gets himself into trouble. What did you do this time?"

"Hey, that's mean!" Daryan waved his hands. "I was just…uh…making my way back home, you know. It's a long trip without an Exceed to fly, and I absolutely refused to take a train."

"Are you sure that's all you were up to?" Gaia lifted a brow. "You were with Kagura…you didn't get involved in that Emmeraude affair, did you?"

"Nope!" Daryan shook his head. "Absolutely not!"

"Kagura…?" Shadowlore moved in closer, draping his arm around the dragon slayer's shoulders. "And what were you two doing?"

Daryan explicitly remembered that Kagura wanted their conversation to stay between them…otherwise she'd probably maim him. He couldn't have that after she finally said his name. "…I tried to ask her out, but you know, she wasn't very happy with it." It wasn't a lie.

"I have to give you points for trying…" Alex said with a soft laugh. "Don't worry, I'm rooting for you! I'm sure you two will hit it off eventually, and I demand to be the flower girl."

"H-Heh, of course!" Whew. Bullet dodged. Daryan could sleep easy knowing he managed to keep the conversation a secret.

.

.

Hisui and Toma oversaw the reconstruction of the Palace. Hisui filled her father in on everything that occurred while he was imprisoned, and he simply nodded in response. "I see…that Emmeraude…she had quite the dream. You wish to carry it along for her, don't you?"

"…Yes, Father." Hisui said while staring up at the castle. "She honestly wanted to change the world…I want to help that dream become a reality. But…I have to do what I can in my country first before extending the olive branch to the others."

"I am glad that she treated you well." Toma said while glancing at his daughter. "King Ashnard and I are going to have a thorough talk about what lies in wait for that woman…even now, I can't say I know what her fate will be."

"Me too…" Hisui sighed. "She taught me some things about ruling…similar to what you taught me. I…I still have a long way to go before I can rule the country. There's a lot of work to do…but first, we should start with rebuilding the Palace."

.

.

Lucy let out a very heavy sigh as she began to make her way home. With Fairy Tail disbanding and Mii leaving so suddenly…she wanted at least a little bit of good news. Upon returning home, she thought she heard some noise inside of the apartment. Was it Mii? Or was it Natsu and Happy…? There was only one way to find out. Lucy pushed the door open and yelled accusingly. "What did I tell you about…!?" But when she stepped inside…there was no one there. Lucy blinked several times before glancing around. Mii's painting was still there…unfinished. "Mii…"

" _You…did what!?"_

" _Mhm! Pow! I took Erza's hand and decided to try trusting one person in my life. After that happened, I felt so strong…! I felt like I could do anything. Is that how it feels when you actually fight for someone else? Is that how you guys feel?"_

" _Ah…I guess you could say that? So…you're gonna stay with us, right?"_

" _Eh…I don't see why not. I guess I like this place a lot more than I thought. I'm still gonna crash with you though; I've grown comfortable on the couch."_

" _Nope. We're moving you elsewhere. And from what you've told me, we still have questions for you!"_

" _Yeah yeah…you can grill me later…also…welcome back, Lucy. I missed you a lot…honest."_

That conversation flashed in Lucy's mind. The last time she saw Mii actually happy was when she crashed on her couch…or whenever she was around her. But…she didn't get to see that smiling face anymore. The last time she saw Mii was her crying when flying off to who knows where. Lucy's absentmindedness caused her hand to go onto her desk, where there was a letter in wait. "Huh…?" Upon opening it…she was met with some really awful writing. "Whoa…this hand writing is…bad." But as she read it…her eyes widened in shock.

" _Happy and I are going on a journey to get stronger! You were there for me when Igneel died…but I couldn't be there for you when you lost Aquarius, or when you were suffering on your own. But don't worry! We'll be back in about a year or so! So take care of everybody all right! See ya, Lucy! Signed, Natsu and Happy."_

Without thinking, Lucy's feet started to carry her out of her apartment and outside, running in hopes of catching Natsu, but he was already long gone by now. "Wha…wha…what the hell!? What are they thinking, going out on a trip like that! It wasn't their fault…! It was mine…! If they do something like that…" The tears started to fall from her eyes. "I'd…I'd be so lonely…stupid….!"

.

.

After days on her own, Mii returned to the Pergrande Kingdom. She stood in front of Ashnard and Queen Nercon with her arms behind her back, letting out a slight scoff. "I'm back."

"I can see that." Ashnard shifted his weight in his seat, staring curiously at Mii. "So, how did your experiment go?"

Mii turned her head away, frowning at Ashnard's words. "If it went well, do you think I'd be back here? I told you, if they trusted me and I could trust them…I was going to stay there."

"But they abandoned you instead, did they?" Ashnard questioned.

"Are you asking me these questions because you just like to see people squirm? You put the lacrima lens in my eye, so you already know what happened. Man, I almost forgot how much of an asshole you were." Sighing, Mii turned around as the mark of Pergrande appeared on her back. "It's whatever. It's my fault for thinking I was allowed to trust people. Such is my fate."

"Welcome back to your rank of the 13, Koryuji." Ashnard said with a firm nod. "Your unit has been awaiting your return."

"They'll be more than happy to see you. Welcome back, Koryuji." Nercon said with a slight wave. "Now now...it's time for you to get back to work as well."

"Yeah, yeah…" Mii waved her hand. "I'm back….until my time runs out anyway."

.

.

And off Natsu was, alongside Happy, the two of them heading off to train and get stronger! Emmeraude's words still lingered in his head, but he shoved them aside. His goal to get stronger wasn't fueled by her…it was his desire to protect his comrades from any pain they would experience in the future. There was still darkness on the horizon and he was fully aware of this. But when that darkness dawned, he wanted to be ready for it with strength unlike ever before...that strength that Igneel left inside of him. "Sorry you guys! But I'll be stronger… a lot stronger when I come back…to protect all of you!" Everyone was taking their own paths now...maybe...just maybe one day, they'd all meet again.

.

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Fairy Tail: Dawn of Darkness: E.N.D

***Nearly two years in the making and this season has finally reached its conclusion! Thank you all for your continued support and reading! This season ran a little longer than I initially planned, but I hope the story was enjoyable for you all to read. Until next time!


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